All posts tagged: Childs

UK Parents Face Five-Year Jail Terms For Questioning Their Child’s Gender ‘Transition’

UK Parents Face Five-Year Jail Terms For Questioning Their Child’s Gender ‘Transition’

Published by Jenni Sidey

Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity News, While schools have been given the green light to socially transition four-year-olds and exam boards slip pro-trans propaganda into Spanish GCSE materials, the government has published a draft bill that threatens parents, teachers and doctors with up to five years in prison for so-called conversion practices. The new legislation, unveiled by Equalities Minister Olivia Bailey, targets efforts to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Penalties include unlimited fines, five-year prison sentences, or both. The government frames it as protection against abuse, citing reports of beatings, rape, threats, manipulation and even exorcisms. Parents, teachers and doctors risk up to five years in jail if they try to talk their children out of irreversible trans treatments under a “dangerous” new law, campaigners have warned. https://t.co/ENCm6forXg — Toby Young (@toadmeister) June 25, 2026 Bailey stated: “Conversion practices are driven by the false belief that being LGBT+ is shameful and can be forcibly changed. No-one should face abuse just because of who they are. That’s why we are delivering on …

What a maternal grandmother’s presence secretly tells us about a child’s future

What a maternal grandmother’s presence secretly tells us about a child’s future

Published by Daniella Wilson

If you’re a grandmother, you probably have already realised that a child’s maternal grandma occupies a very specific place in children’s lives – and it just so happens that psychology proves it. A strong, healthy relationship with a granny lasts a lifetime; it continues even when the adorable little grandchild becomes an adult – and long after grandma passes away, too.  Unconditional love and a calm approach to child-rearing have a lot to do with why the grandmother is such an important part of one’s life, but does she also influence her grandchildren’s emotional development?  We wanted to know how the bond formed with a maternal grandmother impacts the development of a child’s personality and emotional well-being – so we put these questions and more to psychologist and family therapy specialist María Bustamante.  The expert sheds light on this mother-daughter topic in a fascinating Q&A. Why is the maternal grandmother so important in children’s lives? “A grandmother, whether maternal or paternal, stands as living proof of someone who has successfully navigated the many tasks and …

11 people injured in Wicked theater escalator accident after child’s shoelace got stuck

11 people injured in Wicked theater escalator accident after child’s shoelace got stuck

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Nearly a dozen people were sent to the hospital Wednesday evening after an escalator at New York City’s Gershwin Theatre malfunctioned. Eleven people were injured when the escalator jolted without warning and threw riders forward shortly after 5 p.m. Ten children and one adult were taken to nearby hospitals, the Department of Buildings confirmed to The Independent. Updates on their conditions weren’t immediately available Thursday morning. “Inspectors were informed that patrons were exiting theater when a child’s shoelace became lodged at the bottom of escalator,” a representative for the Department of Buildings said. “An attendant engaged the emergency stop button, but inspectors were informed that the escalator sped up before stopping, causing a pile up that resulted in additional injuries. Inspections revealed that the emergency stop button had an inoperative skirt switch.” The theatre has housed the Broadway production of Wicked …

Is My Child’s Screen Time Out Of Control?

Is My Child’s Screen Time Out Of Control?

Published by Sam Flores

Everywhere I look right now, people are talking about screen time. It’s by no means a new conversation (parents have been having it for years), but increasingly, experts are saying there’s a whole lot more to the ‘how much is too much’ screen time debate than simply sticking a number on it. Screen time recommendations for under-fives were recently shared by the UK government, while much has been said of the mental health impact of teens spending hours scrolling social media each day. Some schools, nurseries and colleges have taken matters into their own hands, issuing a list of screen time recommendations for children aged 0-18 years old. The list suggested 2- to 5-year-olds could have up to two hours on screens per day, for instance, while 10- to 14-year-olds could have up to four hours. There’s such a focus on screen time (specifically, the number of hours spent on devices) that teens are even Googling ways to fake their screen time stats. Parents and experts are simultaneously asking: should homework count as screen time? …

Prehistoric child’s finger bone, bear tooth pendant, and more discovered in Spanish cave

Prehistoric child’s finger bone, bear tooth pendant, and more discovered in Spanish cave

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Life at high altitudes is unforgiving. The thin air and atmosphere make breathing and other bodily functions difficult—especially for humans. However, a cave over 7,000 feet above sea level in the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain is forcing archaeologists to rethink how often our prehistoric ancestors made use of these heights.  A team found a cave in Spain full of hearths, jewelry, and human remains, indicating that people may have been living at this incredibly high altitude as long as 5,500 years ago. A child’s finger bone and a baby tooth discovered among the rock also means this cave may have been a burial site. The cave and its findings are detailed in a study published today in the journal Frontiers in Environmental Archaeology. For decades, archeologists believed that high-mountain environments like these were places that prehistoric communities only passed through occasionally. Cave 338 is 7,332 feet above sea level in Spain’s Núria Valley. The team dug through …

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: primary colours are back, but styling them isn’t child’s play | Fashion

Jess Cartner-Morley on fashion: primary colours are back, but styling them isn’t child’s play | Fashion

Published by Sam Flores

You would think primary shades would be the easiest colours to wear. Red, yellow, blue: we can name these before we can tie our shoelaces. They are not sophisticated colours, such as Armani greige or Pantone favourite Mocha Mousse. They are not challenging-to-wear colours, like chartreuse or mustard. They are Mr Men colours. So wearing them must be child’s play, surely. The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more. And yet they are weirdly tricky to wear. They can feel shouty and basic: the getting dressed equivalent of speaking loudly without saying anything particularly interesting, which is – to paint it in primary colours – not what any of us are aiming for. Muted colours have dominated fashion for a decade. Navy, grey, black and denim have been the backbone, with highlights of butter, olive green and soft pink the shade of a freshly plastered wall. But over the past year, uncomplicated shades have made a return to the catwalk. At fashion week, I had got …

If you struggle with child’s pose, here’s how to make it work for you

If you struggle with child’s pose, here’s how to make it work for you

Published by Jenni Sidey

Child’s pose—a position where you sit back onto your heels from kneeling—is a popular and relaxing yoga posture that has a huge number of benefits. These include stretching and lengthening the spine, hips and thighs, releasing tension in the neck and shoulders, improving blood flow, stimulating digestion, and calming the nervous system. But what if the pose causes discomfort in your ankles, knees or hips? It doesn’t mean you have to abandon the posture altogether. If you can’t sit back on your heels, there’s a niggle in your knees or your feet won’t lie flat on the floor, modifications can help. I’ve had to use these myself when recovering from injury. As a yoga therapist, I often share the modifications with my own clients. Many of them are quick fixes that don’t require a huge change to the original posture. Here’s how to change up your child’s pose to address common complaints. If you can’t fold forwards If you struggle to fold your upper body over your thighs and your forehead is not touching the …

Should You Take A Child’s Toys Or Privileges Away As Punishment?

Should You Take A Child’s Toys Or Privileges Away As Punishment?

Published by Sam Flores

Many of us have been there: your child isn’t doing as they’re told, you need to rush them out of the door so you can get to childcare and work on time, and you’re about to boil over. They’ve launched their shoes in a huff, a sibling has been shoved, whatever it is, you’ve issued those fateful words: “Right, no TV until tomorrow!” If they’re younger, and they’ve thrown a toy, you might even threaten to take it away for the next few hours. The words are out – and there’s no going back. You have to see it through. If you’re lucky, your child caves, puts their shoes on, and stomps out of the door. But how effective is removing toys or taking certain privileges away in teaching children a lesson? Why taking away toys or privileges as punishment might not have the desired effect While this kind of punishment can sometimes stop behaviour in the short term, psychotherapist Anna Mathur told HuffPost UK “it rarely teaches children what to do instead”. Taking toys …

What Happens When a Child’s Thoughts Don’t Turn Off?

What Happens When a Child’s Thoughts Don’t Turn Off?

Published by Jenni Sidey

When Lisa contacted me to discuss concerns with her 11-year-old daughter, Lilly (names in this example have been changed), she described her as highly anxious. Lisa’s call resonated with what I hear from many other parents of children and teens. Yes, generally speaking, they are anxious. But when I meet with these kids, the most striking specific struggle I see is that their minds won’t shut down. That’s not a good mental state for a child or teen. Scanning for Certainty, Stuck in Worry These kids’ overthinking brains keep scanning for certainty. They keep replaying “What ifs?” about past and future conversations, how they did in school, and what will happen in their social lives. Lilly, in particular, had a tough time letting go of thoughts that her friends secretly don’t like her, even though there was no evidence of this. It is essential to understand that overthinking is not a personality quirk. Instead, it is a driver of anxiety and stunted confidence in so many children who struggle with it. I have found that …

Defiant protests over US immigration crackdown, child’s detention

Defiant protests over US immigration crackdown, child’s detention

Published by Sam Flores

Demonstrators take part in a rally on the day of a general strike to protest US President Donald Trump’s deployment of thousands of immigration enforcement officers on the streets of Minneapolis, Minnesota, January 23, 2026. EVELYN HOCKSTEIN / REUTERS Thousands of people braved icy conditions on Friday, January 23, to protest the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in Minneapolis and businesses closed their doors amid anger over the detention of a 5-year-old migrant boy. Dozens of eateries, attraction sites and other businesses shuttered as part of a day of coordinated action to defy the weeks-long federal immigration operation underway in Minnesota. Images of an apparently terrified pre-schooler, Liam Conejo Ramos, being held by immigration officers who were seeking to arrest the boy’s father have rekindled public outrage at the federal crackdown, during which an agent shot and killed a US citizen. The superintendent of Columbia Heights Public Schools, where Ramos was a preschool student, said the child and his Ecuadoran father, Adrian Conejo Arias – both asylum seekers –were taken from their driveway as they arrived …