October 24, 2025
(Medpage Today) – Here’s what concerns me most as a clinician: the absurdity of the notion that an artificially generated, non-sentient avatar could be a reasonable companion for a child or teen. It goes against everything we know about developmental … Read More
October 23, 2025
(WSJ) – An amended complaint from the parents of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old who died by suicide, alleges the changes were part of a push to increase engagement OpenAI twice loosened ChatGPT’s rules for discussing suicide in the year before … Read More
October 22, 2025
(Science) – Prophylactic use of azithromycin saves vulnerable children’s lives, but could trigger antibiotic resistance In some of the most remote and impoverished areas of the world, as many as one in 10 children die before their fifth birthday. The … Read More
October 21, 2025
(NPR) – For years, parents were told not to expose their babies to peanuts, to prevent a potentially dangerous allergy. But 10 years ago, a landmark study found the opposite to be true, stating that if babies consume peanut products … Read More
October 20, 2025
(AP) – Meta is adding parental controls for kids’ interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots — including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether — beginning early next year. But parents won’t be able to turn off … Read More
October 17, 2025
(NBC News) – As measles keeps popping up in some pockets of the United States, the possibility of being exposed to the highly contagious virus continues. At least 1,596 measles cases have been confirmed in 2025, according to data from … Read More
October 16, 2025
(NBC News) – New research found that gene therapy for children with a form of severe combined immunodeficiency was successful in 95% of trial participants. Scientists have identified about 20 gene variants that cause SCID. Eliana’s form of the disease, … Read More
October 15, 2025
European Journal of Human Genetics (vol. 33, no. 9, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
October 14, 2025
(NPR) – Preteens using increasing amounts of social media perform poorer in reading, vocabulary and memory tests in early adolescence compared with those who use no or little social media. That’s according to a new study that suggests a link … Read More
October 13, 2025
(Aeon) – The convergence of singular talent and profound disability confounded scientists eager to place humans into neat categories To use the language of the 19th century, how could a person be at once both a ‘genius’ and an ‘idiot’? … Read More
October 13, 2025
(Today) – When identical twins Chaysen and Graylen were in their mother Jessica Proudfoot’s womb, doctors discovered the beginning of the rare and sometimes deadly Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome where one twin doesn’t get enough fluid form the placenta. Thanks to … Read More
October 10, 2025
(NBC News) – At least 270 unvaccinated kids are staying home from school as measles continues to spread nationwide. “Expect more,” one expert said. A bubbling measles outbreak in the upstate of South Carolina has forced 153 unvaccinated children out … Read More
October 10, 2025
The New England Journal of Medicine (vol. 393, no. 10, 2025) is available online by subscription only. Articles include:
October 8, 2025
(NPR) – New survey data finds that nearly 1 in 5 high schoolers say they or someone they know has had a romantic relationship with artificial intelligence. And 42% of students surveyed say they or someone they know have used … Read More
October 8, 2025
(Wired) – A Facebook group set up to share information about leucovorin has been spammed by affiliate links and supplement companies trying to shame parents of autistic kids. For decades, the parents of autistic children have been sold false hope … Read More
October 7, 2025
(Wired) – Research reveals that those diagnosed with autism early show distinct genetic and developmental profiles from those diagnosed later. The analysis, published last week in the journal Nature, showed that children diagnosed before the age of 6 were more … Read More
October 2, 2025
(New York Times) – Families of people with severe autism say the repeated expansion of the diagnosis pushed them to the sidelines. A new focus on the disorder has opened the way for them to argue their cause. Now Ms. … Read More
October 1, 2025
(Rest of World) – Government support and tech companies’ drive for profit fuel a rush to integrate AI tools, from robot tutors to chatbots, in education and caretaking. From robot toys to homework-grading systems, AI tools are flooding classrooms and … Read More
October 1, 2025
(Axios via MSN) – President Trump signed an order Tuesday directing his administration to invest $50 million in AI-driven pediatric cancer research. Why it matters: The move is part of a broader embrace of artificial intelligence across federal agencies but … Read More
September 29, 2025
(Wired) – OpenAI’s review process for teenage ChatGPT users who are flagged for suicidal ideation includes human moderators. Parents can expect an alert about alarming prompts within hours. Starting today, OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT safety tools intended for parents … Read More
September 26, 2025
(MIT Technology Review) – Generative AI has enabled the production of child sexual abuse images to skyrocket. Now the leading investigator of child exploitation in the US is experimenting with using AI to distinguish AI-generated images from material depicting real … Read More
September 25, 2025
(MedPage Today) – Simple approach covers a key prevention gap in young children Toting around young children in baby wraps treated with insect repellent cut their malaria infection rate by two-thirds, according to findings of a randomized trial in Uganda. … Read More
September 18, 2025
(Slate) – They had a mysterious, sometimes debilitating condition. At special “boot camps,” they were promised a cure. They experienced something much different. Sherry began using the term AMPS in the early 2000s while working at a children’s hospital in … Read More
September 17, 2025
(Reuters) – Three parents whose children died or were hospitalized after interacting with artificial intelligence chatbots called on Congress to regulate AI chatbots on Tuesday, at a U.S. Senate hearing on harms to children using the technology. Chatbots “need some … Read More
September 16, 2025
(Wired) – OpenAI announced new teen safety features for ChatGPT on Tuesday as part of an ongoing effort to respond to concerns about how minors engage with chatbots. The company is building an age-prediction system that identifies if a user … Read More