Today, social media is everywhere, used by millions or even billions of people worldwide. Many apps like Instagram, Tiktok, etc., are especially popular among children and adolescents. However, companies are exploiting their vulnerability as minors by ignoring their privacy rights via digital interactions. 

Activist Baroness Beeban Kidron states that “technology is not all to blame, but the technology that should make her day better is actually making it worse.” She created an initiative, “5rights,” that’s designed to ensure children’s rights are delivered in the digital realm. These are: the right to remove, the right to know, the right to safety and support, the right to informed and conscious use, and the right to digital literacy. 

Now, technology is not all bad. It can provide support and entertainment for its users as well! Kidron’s work is not to challenge the app companies, but to make sure that privacy rights are established in the digital world. She doesn’t want “children to be kept offline but support their presence online.” 

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Pets have become a staple piece in countless families throughout the world. While not universal, approximately two thirds of American homes have at least one pet inhabiting them and there are similar rates of pet ownership throughout most first world countries. While most people feel positively towards animals, one may come to question if there are any concrete benefits to owning a pet. A scholarly article published by Purewal et al. examines this question in the realm of how pet ownership can effect child development.

According to the article, pet ownership can lead to quite a few social benefits in young children. One such benefit is a potential increase in prosocial behavior that can lead to an increase in social maturity at a young age. Additional social benefits include an increase in language development and enhanced development in nonverbal communication skills. However, there were some negative traits attributed to pet ownership as well. Examples of negative outcomes attributed to pet ownership include lower educational attainment along with an increase in hyperactivity.

While the effects of pet ownership range from positive to negative outcomes, it is clear that pet ownership effects child development through a variety of factors.

Link to article: https://bmcpediatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12887-024-05049-7

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesday!

The answer to last week’s Trivia Tuesday is… theory of mind! Theory of mind refers to the capacity to understand and anticipate others’ actions by recognizing they have their own thoughts, feelings, and intentions. This ability to grasp that others have different perspectives is fundamental to social interaction and communication.

This week’s question is: At what age do babies begin to say their first words?

1. 6-12 months
2. 12-18 months
3. 18-24 months
4. 24-30 months

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!

Sports are very important for children’s growth and development in many ways. They help improve cognitive skills. Children who play sports often do better in school because they are able to concentrate better, solve problems more easily, and make good decisions.

When it comes to social growth, sports teach children how to work with others. Playing team sports helps them learn how to cooperate, communicate, and be leaders. They also learn how to get along with teammates and coaches, which helps them build friendships and feel like they belong to a group. Additionally, sports help children with their emotions. They learn how to handle stress, feel more confident about themselves, and deal with both winning and losing. These experiences teach them to stay positive and strong, even when things don’t go as planned. Learning these emotional skills is significant for their overall happiness and development. Furthermore, sports keep children physically healthy. Playing sports helps them stay fit. In today’s world, where many children spend a lot of time behind screens, sports are a great way for them to stay active and healthy.

In short, sports are much more than just exercise. They help children grow in many areas—mentally, socially, and emotionally. Encouraging kids to play sports can help them become well-rounded individuals with skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.

To read more, click here!

Jess Vo, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

Children all around the world are struggling with their education. In order to allow young kids to thrive, more emotional management skills need to be taught to students by their educators. 

Speaker Olympia Della Flora begins her TedTalk with an anecdote of one particular student from her school who was struggling. This student would regularly disrupt class, throw chairs, and regularly have fits, which would escalate so much to the point where the entire school would have to go on lockdown. The only options were to throw him out of the school, which would only make his behavior worse, or find out the root of the problem. 

Della Flora then mentions how the education system often looks for a solution that is outside of the box instead of looking at what they already have inside the box. She found out that this child’s father was not in his life and his mother was working long shifts, so he had no stable adult figure in his life to connect with. As a result, he was really struggling to transition into the school system, so she figured out some techniques to ease his transition from home life into school life, such as creating a calm space for him in their time-out space and allowing him to help mentor the younger children at school

Other teachers started to incorporate these techniques that Della Flora was using in their classrooms and were able to be more proactive in their approaches. By teaching young kids coping strategies in order to help them regulate their strong emotions, you are setting them up with the skills to be able to self-regulate. 

 

To watch the full Ted Talk, click here!

Alexandra Lagaros, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

In childhood, cartoons are one of the most watched types of media among children. But, how does this impact their development? Genetic and environmental factors, as we know, play a role in shaping child development. Cartoons are a type of environmental factor, and depending on what is shown in the cartoon, it can impact the mentality and behavior of young school children. 

There are cartoons that depict violence, which can increase aggressive behaviors in preschoolers. Prosocial behavior can decrease, and the development of such behaviors can be stunted. In addition, cartoons can take up time of childhood, leaving little room for other activities like parent-child interactions. 

Though, this is not to say all cartoons are bad or must not be watched! In fact, there are many benefits to watching cartoons. They can be a baseline to a good mental state in children. Cartoons also act as an alternative to teaching life experience that are not taught from parents and schools! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

Welcome back to Trivia Tuesdays!

The answer to last weeks question is… 1.5-3 years! This is when children start to feel independent and capable of doing things on their own. If they aren’t encouraged or supported, they might feel unsure about their abilities.

This weeks trivia question is… What do we call the ability to understand that other people have different thoughts and feelings from our own, usually starting around ages 3-4?
A) Object Permanence
B) Theory of Mind
C) Cognitive Dissonance
D) Self-Esteem

Tune in next week to find out the answer to this week’s question!

Changes of the Self happens during adolescence, and it is one of the most prominent changes! Erik Erikson, a children psychoanalyst, came up with eight distinct stages of development. Identity formation happens in adolescence, usually during one’s teenage years, due to the expansion of cognitive abilities. It’s the time when they seek independence, self-discovery, and essentially find meaning in life 

Personality traits (i.e., the Big Five) are embedded in identity formation. It’s not unchangeable; in fact, they are affected by environmental factors (not just genetics) that occur during adolescent development. As one grows older, their personality and identity start to morph into adult-like attributes. 

In summary, personality traits and identity formation can affect one another. It’s important to note that personality traits are not the same as personality types, which this itself requires more research on. To even shape or reshape one’s own identity, it all starts with reconsideration with how they view themselves in the now, and how they want to envision themselves in the future. 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant

As most of us know, children love playing with toys. Not only are they fun and enjoyable, but they can contribute to child development by improving their cognitive, physical, and other skills. It can also benefit child-parent relationships by having the parent actively play with their children! However, many parents wonder what type of toys are appropriate for their children, especially considering that we now live in a time where digital media is everywhere. 

A toy can be defined as “an object (whether made, purchased, or found in nature) intended for children’s play.” (Healy & Mendelsohn, 2019) Physical toys have been around for a long time, whereas virtual/digital toys have been increasingly popular nowadays. For aid in choosing what toy is best for their child, parents can talk to their children’s pediatric healthcare provider! 

Children all develop in different stages and timelines, cognitively. Generally, children would most benefit from toys that match their current development skills and strengthen new ones. For improving engagement with caregivers, toys used in imaginative play are crucial for strengthening relationships as well as social development and language! 

To read more, click here! 

Ashley Bejar, UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ted+talk+child+development

Anne Frenald’s Ted Talk “Why Talking To Little Kids Matters” discusses the importance of conversation in language development amongst young children. While it is quite common for parents to engage in “baby talk” with their children, Frenald emphasizes the importance of quality conversation between parents and their young children. Both the amount of words and the quality of conversation between parent and child can have a significant impact on a child’s cognitive development.

The most effective way to combine both a variety of words and a high quality language interactions is through simple and engaging conversations. Rather than exposing children passively to new language through TV or radio, Frenald suggests that direct interactions between parents and their children is the most effective way to help children develop a stronger understanding of language.

Some benefits of these conversations suggested by parents include an improved understanding of their native tongue, increased development in cognitive skills, and improved social skills.