PARENTING

Why Kids Lose Interest In Learning, And Why It’s Not Their Fault Parents play a powerful role in shaping how children feel about learning. From the way curiosity is handled at the dinner table to how mistakes are framed after school, kids absorb signals about whether learning is joyful, stressful, or something to “get through.” The good news: keeping the love of learning alive doesn’t require fancy programs or perfect parenting. It’s built in small, repeatable ways. A quick snapshot for busy parents Children stay curious when learning feels meaningful, safe, and connected to real life. They thrive when effort is praised over outcomes, when questions are welcomed, and when adults around them model curiosity themselves. Structure matters—but so does freedom. The problem usually isn’t l...

Social media rewires young minds – here’s how. That satisfying feeling after doomscrolling through endless TikTok videos or impulsively shopping online mimics the relief of scratching an itch. This is dopamine at work — a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) responsible for feelings of reward and accomplishment. Whether indulging in viral videos or engaging in new hobbies, dopamine creates a sense of achievement that keeps us coming back for more. However, reliance on these dopamine hits can lead to lasting brain changes, particularly in teenagers and young adults. This is what my team and I at London Southbank University study. We investigated which brain regions and connections change due to increased social media engagement — or “dopa-mining”, as we call it. Using social media lights ...

Teenage brains are drawn to popular social media challenges – here’s how parents can get their kids to think twice. Viral social media trends started innocently enough. In the early 2010s there was planking, the “Harlem Shake” dance and lip syncing to Carly Rae Jepsen’s summer anthem “Call Me Maybe.” Then came the ice bucket challenge, which raised an estimated US$115 million for ALS research. In recent years, social media challenges have grown more popular – and more dangerous, leading to serious injuries and even deaths. It’s not hard to see why. The milk crate challenge dares people to walk or run across a loosely stacked pyramid of milk crates, the Tide pod challenge involves eating laundry detergent pods, and the Benadryl challenge encourages taking six or more doses of over-the-c...

Teenagers often know when their parents are having money problems − and that knowledge is linked to mental health challenges, new research finds. When parents try to shield their kids from financial hardship, they may be doing them a favor: Teens’ views about their families’ economic challenges are connected to their mental health and behavior. That’s the main finding of a study into household income and child development that I recently conducted with my colleagues. As a professor of psychology, I know there’s a good deal of research showing that young people who experience more household economic hardship tend to have more behavioral problems. But most studies on this issue rely heavily on caregiver reports – that is, what adults say about their kids. Fewer researchers have asked you...

Mothers are more likely to work worse jobs – while fathers thrive in careers. Having a child is bad for a woman’s earnings. This is not only in the immediate period after the birth, but across her lifetime – as shown in research by recent economics Nobel prize-winner Claudia Goldin. On the other hand, men who become fathers are perceived as self-reliant and decisive. And they are often rewarded at work with opportunities and pay. Campaigns by groups like Pregnant Then Screwed make explicit that, in the UK, this “motherhood penalty” extends to pregnancy discrimination, the extortionate costs of childcare and ineffective flexible working policies. Yet we still know little about how it extends to job quality. Together with colleagues, I have carried out research to explore this “motherhood pe...

Secure attachment to both parents − not just mothers − boosts children’s healthy development. Imagine a sudden rustle in the tall grass. A ripple of alarm passes through the group of early humans who live together amid ancient, rugged terrain. In the center of the encampment, a 3-year-old child – let’s call her Raina – stumbles and falls, her eyes wide with fear. Without hesitation, her mother sweeps her up into her protective arms, while her grandmother quickly gathers herbs and leaves to create a pungent smokescreen to deter lurking predators. Simultaneously, Raina’s father and uncles move swiftly to the outskirts of the camp, their vigilant eyes scanning for signs of danger. In this heart-pounding moment, Raina was enveloped in a web of care. Multiple caregivers worked seamlessly togeth...