Analysis of Domestic Legal Framework based on International Law Towards Children’s Environmental Protection

Environmental damage and climate change consequences are affecting the health and well-being of many people throughout the world. However as compared to adults, children are more susceptible to environmental hazards because of their unique physiological, developmental and metabolic needs causing them to face a greater risk if exposed to pollution. While imperative actions are persistently being taken by countries globally to address environmental and climate change concerns, confronting these issues in the era of COVID-19 could be more complex due to implications and unprecedented challenges associated with the pandemic. In relation to children, while they are not a category at risk from a medical viewpoint, they are nevertheless not standing on an equal footing in facing environmental consequences of the pandemic effects. In responding to the interlinkages of COVID-19 crisis, environmental degradation, and children’s protection, the article examines provisions of the Child Act 2001 which is the most important legislation in Malaysia on children. The article then examines related policies and international law which provide the foundation of the objectives of the Act. It is imperative that, during the time when new threats to children’s wellbeing keep occurring, policies and international law principles are revisited and comprehended to support the law in securing protective actions for children and in constructing a new normal for the purpose of sustainability.

Increased activation in the bilateral anterior insulae in response to others in pain in mothers compared to non-mothers

Empathy allows us to share emotions and encourages us to help others. It is especially important in the context of parenting where children’s wellbeing is dependent on their parents’ understanding and fulfilment of their needs. To date, little is known about differences in empathy responses of parents and non-parents. Using stimuli depicting adults and children in pain, this study focuses on the interaction of motherhood and neural responses in areas associated with empathy. Mothers showed higher activation to both adults and children in pain in the bilateral anterior insulae, key regions of empathy for pain. Additionally, mothers more strongly activated the inferior frontal, superior temporal and the medial superior frontal gyrus. Differences between adult and child stimuli were only found in occipital areas in both mothers and non-mothers. Our results suggest a stronger neural response to others in pain in mothers than non-mothers regardless of whether the person is a child or an adult. This could indicate a possible influence of motherhood on overall neural responses to others in pain rather than motherhood specifically shaping child-related responses. Alternatively, stronger responses to others in pain could increase the likelihood for women to be in a relationship and subsequently to have a child.

The pandemic and children's wellbeing

As a qualified art therapist working in Hertford and Cambridgeshire schools, I have seen firsthand the impact the pandemic is having on children and young people's mental health and wellbeing.

Mother-Child and Father-Child Relationships in Emerging Adults from Divorced and Non-Divorced Families

The main aim of this study was to analyze the associations between parental divorce and interparental conflict with the quality of parent-child relationships. Specifically, we analyzed trust, communication and alienation in both father-child and mother-child relationships in a sample of 1078 Spanish emerging adults from divorced and non-divorced families. The interaction between parental divorce and conflict was also analyzed. In support of our expectations, parental divorce was associated with lower trust and communication, along with higher alienation in father-child and mother-child relationships. When interparental conflict was included, parental conflict was more strongly associated with lower trust and communication in mother-child relationships, and higher alienation in both mother-child and father-child relationships. However, parental divorce was still associated with low trust and communication with fathers, when interparental conflict and the interaction between parental divorce and conflict were added. In summation, our results suggest that both parental divorce and conflict should be taken into account in the study of the consequences of family-related stress variables on adult children’s wellbeing. These findings add to the current literature and contribute to better comprehend the effects of parental divorce and conflict on both mother-child and father-child affective relationships in an understudied cultural context. The implications, limitations and future research recommendations are discussed.

Facebook’s business model set to withstand exposé

Significance This followed the Senate testimony of former Facebook employee and whistle-blower Frances Haugen that the company puts "profits over people". Her critical testimony about the social media giant's alleged harmful effects on democracy and disregard for children’s wellbeing is again raising hopes among the company's critics that Congress will rein it in. Impacts Haugen's forthcoming testimony to the UK parliament and possibly the European Parliament will intensify international pressure on Facebook. Tighter supervision over big tech will be limited by trade-offs between innovation and consumer and societal protections. Facebook may yet revive its Instagram for Kids project.

A Curiosity About Links Between Adventure Playgrounds, Loose Parts, Playwork Approach, a State of "Flow" and Children’s Wellbeing

Over the past century there has been a documented rise in childhood anxiety and depression (Gray, 2011; Twenge, 2001). This increase largely correlates to the significant decrease in the amount of time children have to play freely (Gray, 2013). The suggested reason for this is a decrease in free time and play creating a strong external locus of control, the result of which has been shown to cause increases in childhood anxiety and depression (April, Dharani, & Peter, 2012; Gray, 2013). This paper records a practitioner’s musings on the links between aspects of playwork practice and children’s wellbeing. It considers Csikszentmihalyi (2008) concept of a state of flow and the development of an internal locus of control and the opportunities afforded children in an adventure playground wedded to playwork theory and practice.

The Differential Impact of Screen Time on Children’s Wellbeing

Increased screen time has been found to be associated with a number of negative health and wellbeing indicators in youth populations. An increasing number of studies have investigated the association between screen time and wellbeing in adolescents, but evidence in younger children is still emerging. This 2017 study explored the effect of leisure screen time and gender on dimensions of wellbeing (measured using KIDSCREEN-27) in a national sample of 897 Irish primary school children aged 8–12 years. Participants had a mean age of 10.9 ± 1.16 years and were 47.7% female. Just over 30% of the sample accumulated 2 h or more of leisure screen time daily. Results show that there was no significant interaction between screen time category (<2 h/2 h + daily) and gender on overall wellbeing, while controlling for BMI. Children who self-reported <2 h of leisure screen time scored significantly higher on four dimensions of wellbeing: physical, parental, peers, and school, but not psychological. This study supports the growing evidence of the impact that leisure screen time has on health. Further longitudinal research investigating the impact of sub-categories of leisure screen time behaviour on wellbeing is warranted.

Housing for Sustainable Societies. Children′s Perception and Satisfaction with Their House in Countries around the World

(1) Background: Adequate housing conditions and access to basic house amenities are fundamental human rights and indicators of individual wellbeing. The paper aims to present children’s perception regarding housing conditions and household goods and their impact on children’s overall satisfaction with their house. (2) Methods: We aim to determine the contribution of housing conditions and household goods on children’s satisfaction with their home in 31 countries worldwide. To capture differences in children’s satisfaction with their house based on their housing conditions, we analyzed models conducted on data from 10 lower- and upper-middle-income and 20 high-income countries. We used secondary analysis on data from the third wave of Children’s Worlds: International Survey of Children’s Well-Being (ISCWeb) (87,000 children, aged 10–12, worldwide). (3) Results: The results show that there is a link between the material conditions of the family and children’s satisfaction with the house they live in, and also that having a place to study and access to internet are the main factors related to housing that explain children’s satisfaction. (4) Conclusions: Children mostly appreciate the way housing setting and household goods contribute and ensure their proper development through the creation of a stimulating home learning environment. Results are helpful in setting future standards to increase children’s wellbeing and quality of life, and ensure adequate housing as one of the pillars of sustainable development.

‘It’s part of our community, where we live’: Urban heritage and children’s sense of place

The literature on a ‘sense of place’ often sidelines the voices of children. Consequently, little is known about how children can be encouraged to develop a sense of place. This matters because a sense of place involves feelings of belonging and attachment, and can contribute to children’s wellbeing and identity. Informed by the research of Bartos and Severcan, we deploy data from a qualitative research project in a primary school in a former coalfield area in the north-east of England to argue that children’s experiences of learning about their urban local history and heritage can help to develop their sense of place. Placing children’s voices centrally in our research, we explore how they engage with learning about local mining history, and the impact of place-based pedagogy. Emphasising the possibilities and importance of their deep involvement with their urban heritage, we show, firstly, the ways in which children’s sense of place is strengthened when they develop a feeling of ownership over their own history. Secondly, we explore how children develop a sense of place through engaging their emotions and physicality, and, thirdly, their senses. We conclude that learning about local history through place-based pedagogy allows children to create and interpret historical events and develop a sense of place. Taking ownership of their history makes the children active participants in telling the story of their place. Children can then develop new ways of seeing themselves in places, as they make connections between the past, present and future.