https://medicalxpress.com/pediatrics-news/ en-us Latest medical news and research in Pediatrics The mental health crisis among young people is on the rise. Unfortunately, limited access to professional help still remains one of the largest roadblocks to effectively dealing with mental health issues. Soon after AI chatbots entered the market, many people began turning to tools like ChatGPT or Google Gemini for more than just information. They started leaning on these generative AI models for emotional reassurance and everyday psychological support. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-teens-ai-chatbots-mental-health.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:40:02 EDT news699700280 Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a common condition in preterm infants in which the fetal blood vessel connection between the aorta and the pulmonary artery does not close normally after birth. The condition can increase the risk of serious illness and death, particularly among the smallest preterm infants. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-early-paracetamol-treatment-closure-preterm.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 11:20:01 EDT news699700199 Parents know how easily coughs, colds and other infections can move through a household after a child picks up a bug at childcare or school. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-babies-older-siblings-higher-infection.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:40:04 EDT news699699542 Researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center have published the first study to estimate the prevalence of pediatric obesity among U.S. children and adolescents using the new Lancet Commission on Clinical Obesity definitions of preclinical and clinical obesity. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-pediatric-obesity-prevalence-definition.html Wed, 03 Jun 2026 07:00:03 EDT news699683822 A News and Perspectives article published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research investigates the potential implications of AI–enabled toys for children's well-being and development. Authored by JMIR Correspondent Simon Spichak, "Policymakers and Researchers Zero In On the Impact of AI Toys" explores the rapid proliferation of consumer toys integrated with LLMs, the severe lack of research regarding their impact on early neurodevelopment, and the growing privacy and transparency concerns raised by experts and policymakers. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-neurodevelopmental-unknowns-privacy-ai-toys.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 21:00:04 EDT news699624720 If you've ever taken your child to a maternal, child and family health nurse for a growth check, you might have felt a mix of curiosity and anxiety. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-stressing-baby-growth.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:40:01 EDT news699616261 To understand how parenting styles influence adolescent mental health, the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University, collaborating with researchers from the School of Psychology at South China Normal University and the Department of Applied Psychology at Guangdong University of Education, conducted a one-year longitudinal study. The research findings show that when parents use psychological control to manage their children, such as forcing compliance through guilt induction or love withdrawal—a tactic widely regarded as emotional blackmail—it can impair an adolescent's capacity to regulate emotions. This then exacerbates depressive symptoms and heightens the risk of self-harm, particularly in girls. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-guilt-induction-trigger-depressive-symptoms.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:40:07 EDT news699614236 How competition is presented to children in grassroots sport has a massive impact on how much they enjoy physical activity, according to researchers at Coventry University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-competition-vital-enjoyment-children-sport.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:06 EDT news699613262 Early, specialized care for pediatric hip dysplasia can mean the difference between a child who grows up active and pain-free—and one who faces surgery, limited mobility, or even early hip replacement. Yet many patients are still diagnosed much later than they should be. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-trends-reshaping-pediatric-hip-dysplasia.html Tue, 02 Jun 2026 07:20:02 EDT news699600542 Teenagers who frequently use social media are about three times more likely to try cannabis than those who use it occasionally, new research from the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-teens-glued-social-media-cannabis.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:40:03 EDT news699552002 A laryngeal mask (LM) is a safe alternative to tracheal tube (TT) intubation for pediatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea undergoing adenotonsillectomies, according to a review published in the European Annals of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Diseases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-laryngeal-mask-safe-pediatric-adenotonsillectomies.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:20:01 EDT news699523837 Coercive measures are used recurrently in inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric care but vary greatly between services and countries, according to a new doctoral thesis from Karolinska Institutet. The results also suggest that coercion has not decreased after Sweden introduced more restrictive legislation. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-tougher-laws-coercion-youth-psychiatry.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:20:02 EDT news699540277 The DNA changes responsible for a rare genetic condition causing babies to be born without a pancreas can now be identified in almost all affected children through genetic testing. That's according to a new study from the University of Exeter, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, which found that genetic testing can identify the cause of pancreatic agenesis in 98% of cases. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-genetic-fast-diagnosis-rare-pancreatic.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 18:30:05 EDT news699530790 She has straight A's, a full schedule of Advanced Placement classes, a chair in the youth orchestra and a bedroom wallpapered with college acceptance letters. She also hasn't slept a full night in months. She lies awake at 2 a.m., convinced she is a burden to her family—and she has no idea how to tell anyone. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-chinese-american-teens-depression-anxiety.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 15:20:08 EDT news699529142 Researchers at the Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institutet, have identified a possible mechanism behind the spread of the aggressive brain tumor diffuse midline glioma. The study shows that the brain's own immune cells, microglia, may contribute to the tumor's invasive capacity by producing the protein fibronectin. The results are published in the journal Cell Death & Disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-children-brain-tumors-faster-microglia.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:40:07 EDT news699537541 Newborn meningitis is one of the most dangerous childhood infections. It is often life-threatening and can cause serious and lasting damage, including developmental problems, in the children who survive. Although meningitis is thankfully rare in newborns as a whole, it is more common in premature babies, affecting one in every 500 such infants in industrialized economies and likely more in developing countries. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-triple-therapy-block-newborn-meningitis.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 13:20:04 EDT news699533041 Pediatric flu vaccines significantly reduce the number of childhood cases of influenza, new research from Harvard Medical School confirms. The findings, published in JAMA Pediatrics, show that for every 100 children vaccinated, between nine and 14 fewer children catch the flu. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-childhood-flu-vaccines-infections-sharply.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 11:00:08 EDT news699264061 More and more teenagers are using cosmetics intended for adults that contain active ingredients — yet overdoing skin care at this age can even make things worse. In adolescence, a poorly chosen skin care routine can lead to dry skin, irritation and even painful or itchy allergic reactions, says Dr. Anikó Kovács, a dermatologist at the Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Dermatooncology at Semmelweis University. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-skincare-adolescence-good-dermatologist.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 09:20:03 EDT news699523790 One way to lower smoking rates among teens may be to address their exposure to violence, as an analysis by public health researchers at Brown University shows that the two are strongly linked. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-06-violence-decrease-tobacco-teens.html Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:00:02 EDT news699509101 The majority of young children showed good vitamin D status; no child had indications of deficiency, but among some, the intake was too low. This is the result of a study encompassing over 1,800 infants in Sweden. Foods providing children with vitamin D also contributed to greenhouse gas emissions. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-vitamin-d-stay-strong-swedish.html Sun, 31 May 2026 22:10:01 EDT news699190778 According to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA), young people are far more likely to encounter illicit vaping content portrayed as normal, humorous and harmless on TikTok. Meanwhile, evidence-based health advice on official health and education websites may fail to cut through the digital noise. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-tiktok-content-illicit-vape-subculture.html Sun, 31 May 2026 19:10:06 EDT news699262922 A study published in The Lancet Public Health found that Rx Kids, the nation's first community-wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program, led to significant improvements in birth outcomes for infants born in Flint, Michigan. The program reduced low birthweight and preterm birth rates and prevented admissions to the neonatal intensive care unit, or NICU. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-rx-kids-outcomes-flint-babies.html Sat, 30 May 2026 11:00:03 EDT news699179425 A new study from researchers at the Child Mind Institute finds that negative online experiences are common among children and adolescents with mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions, and that most incidents are not reported through platform reporting tools. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-hidden-online-vulnerable-youth-abuse.html Fri, 29 May 2026 21:00:01 EDT news699263101 Pediatric patients with obesity undergoing adenotonsillectomy (AT) face longer operating times, according to a study published online May 21 in the Ear, Nose & Throat Journal. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-obesity-longer-pediatric-adenotonsillectomy.html Fri, 29 May 2026 14:20:03 EDT news699281464 Healthy lifestyles can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and other complications in childhood cancer survivors. These are the findings of two new international studies. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-lifestyle-childhood-cancer-survivors.html Fri, 29 May 2026 13:40:06 EDT news699279661 Bans on teenagers' social media use are gathering pace worldwide. Their proponents claim that social media bans will improve young people's mental health, but what evidence supports these claims? In their new Frontiers in Developmental Psychology article, Dr. Monika Neff Lind and her co-authors argue that there is no solid scientific evidence behind these bans, and reason to believe they could backfire. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-social-media-teenagers-lack-evidence.html Fri, 29 May 2026 13:20:05 EDT news699268572 Researchers at LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center, in collaboration with investigators from 32 countries participating in the SUNRISE International Study, have published new findings examining how restrained sitting contributes to daily movement patterns in early childhood. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-international-highlights-impact-restrained-movement.html Thu, 28 May 2026 16:40:05 EDT news699191682 Problematic media use is associated with sleep disturbances in children diagnosed with enuresis, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of Pediatric Urology. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-problematic-media-linked-disturbances-children.html Thu, 28 May 2026 16:00:02 EDT news699192822 A training initiative to improve UK health workers' vaccine conversations is proving so successful that a University of Bristol-led spinout has been created to continue the important work. Generating more informed, empathetic conversations with patients and parents that also address misinformation about vaccines has strong potential to improve uptake and reverse the gradual reduction in childhood vaccination coverage nationally over the past decade. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-health-worker-vaccine-communication-spinout.html Thu, 28 May 2026 15:40:03 EDT news699199982 Most childhood lying does not lead to serious problems in adulthood, and only certain kinds of lying behavior are associated with later psychological or legal issues, a new study has found. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-children-criminals-persistent-patterns.html Thu, 28 May 2026 13:00:05 EDT news699190466