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Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Health
- Gulf Today
Parent's mistake may cause teens to be anxious and depressed
More and more teens are experiencing anxiety and depression and it may be tied to a surge in overprotective parenting, a new poll found. The University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital conducted the survey, gathering responses from more than 1,000 parents of adolescents ages 13 to 18. The findings revealed that less than 50 percent of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they went to get breakfast. Around a third of parents polled would let their teen walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, while only 20 percent said they are comfortable with their teen visiting amusement parks or museums without them. One in five parents says they've never let their teen be apart from them during a trip. The results suggest that today's teenagers have less autonomy than previous generations who regularly walked to school, worked part-time, or visited friends without adult supervision. Mental health experts say that this drop in independence may be contributing to the emotional struggles now seen in many young people. "It's absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers," Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News. Adults should shift from shielding teens to teaching them real-world skills such as using public transit, handling strangers and ordering food or their own, said Sarah Clark, a public health expert and co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health. "If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that's a big win," Clark told Science News. Experts recommend involving teens in vacation planning and establishing clear guidelines, which can help families set mutually comfortable boundaries. For example, a majority of parents said they'd feel more comfortable if teens checked in by phone (64 percent), stayed with friends or siblings (62 percent) and stuck to predetermined locations (55 percent), measures that offer peace of mind while giving teens room to grow independently. The Independent
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Parents cause teens to be anxious and depressed by making this one common mistake, experts warn
Don't be a worrying helicopter parent. A new poll revealed that most U.S. parents are wary of letting their teenagers venture out on their own — despite it possibly being detrimental to their personal growth and development. The team at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor surveyed over 1,000 parents across the country with children ages 13 to 18, originally reported on by Science News. The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that fewer than half of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they stepped out for breakfast. Even fewer — about one-third — would permit their teen to walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, and only one in five parents said they'd be comfortable with their teen exploring an amusement park or museum solo. More drastically, one in five parents say they have never allowed their teen to be away from them while on a trip. Experts have long warned that today's children are growing up with fewer chances for independent play and exploration. Compared to previous generations, teens today are less likely to walk or bike to school alone or even hold part-time jobs, thanks to their paranoid parents. This drop in autonomy comes alongside a worrying rise in mental health issues among teens, including anxiety and depression. While some researchers caution against drawing direct connections between the mental health crisis and parents' protectiveness, others are more certain of the correlation. 'It's absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers,' Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News. However, he noted there's still hope. 'If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that's a big win,' Gray said. Experts suggest that allowing your child to give input on where you vacation and setting rules allows parents and teens to set boundaries that both are comfortable with. For example, most parents agreed that having teens check in by phone (64%), asking them to stay with friends or siblings (62%), and telling them to stay in agreed-upon locations (55%) would bring them comfort while allowing kids to find their independence
New York Post
5 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Parents cause teens to be anxious and depressed by making this one common mistake, experts warn
Don't be a worrying helicopter parent. A new poll revealed that most U.S. parents are wary of letting their teenagers venture out on their own — despite it possibly being detrimental to their personal growth and development. The team at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor surveyed over 1,000 parents across the country with children ages 13 to 18, originally reported on by Science News. Advertisement The C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health found that fewer than half of parents would allow their teen to stay alone in a hotel room while they stepped out for breakfast. Even fewer — about one-third — would permit their teen to walk alone to a nearby coffee shop, and only one in five parents said they'd be comfortable with their teen exploring an amusement park or museum solo. Not allowing your kid to have any independence will hurt their personal growth. Halfpoint – Advertisement More drastically, one in five parents say they have never allowed their teen to be away from them while on a trip. Experts say teens need opportunities to build confidence and independence. JackF – Experts have long warned that today's children are growing up with fewer chances for independent play and exploration. Advertisement Compared to previous generations, teens today are less likely to walk or bike to school alone or even hold part-time jobs, thanks to their paranoid parents. This drop in autonomy comes alongside a worrying rise in mental health issues among teens, including anxiety and depression. While some researchers caution against drawing direct connections between the mental health crisis and parents' protectiveness, others are more certain of the correlation. 'It's absolutely no surprise to me that we are seeing these dramatic rises in anxiety, depression, even suicide among teenagers,' Boston College psychologist Peter Gray told Science News. Advertisement However, he noted there's still hope. 'If we reach some families and just approach this upcoming summer a little differently, I feel like that's a big win,' Gray said. Experts suggest that allowing your child to give input on where you vacation and setting rules allows parents and teens to set boundaries that both are comfortable with. For example, most parents agreed that having teens check in by phone (64%), asking them to stay with friends or siblings (62%), and telling them to stay in agreed-upon locations (55%) would bring them comfort while allowing kids to find their independence
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Scientists Fear a Passing Star Could Fling Earth Out of the Sun's Orbit, Into the Frigid Expanse Beyond
Scientists like to refer to our planet as residing in the "Goldilocks zone," where it's neither too hot nor too cold, and just the right distance away from the Sun to support life. But in the classic "Goldilocks" fairy tale, our eponymous protagonist is forced to flee from the bears' abode she rudely invited herself into, never to return. No more perfect porridges or adequately sized beds. That could be the case for Earth one day, if we are to exhaust this analogy. Instead of being booted out by unfriendly bears, however, we might be kicked to the curb by a passing star. Actually, an untimely eviction might be the good scenario. A new study published in the journal Icarus suggests that the gravity of an unmoored star could, like we mentioned, hurl us into the frigid expanse of space — or it could jumble the orbits of the other planets enough to send one of them crashing straight into Earth, delivered, all too belatedly, like a cosmic misericorde. Morbid as it is to envision our planet's demise, the work illustrates how our solar system, far from a sequestered island, is in tune with the rest of the universe, and that astronomers may be overlooking the influence of distant objects. "Our simulations indicate that isolated models of the solar system can underestimate the degree of our giant planets' future secular orbital changes by over an order of magnitude," wrote study lead author Nathan Kaib, an astronomer at the Planetary Science Institute, in the paper. Summarizing his latest findings, Kaib told Science News there's about a five percent chance — over the next five billion years — that a wayward star could come within 100 astronomical units of our solar system, or about 100 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun. Should that happen, all eyes should be on Mercury. In the researchers' simulations, Mercury's orbit could become so elliptical that it smacks into either the Sun or Venus. That, in turn, could cause Venus or Mars to careen into Earth — that is, if the gravitational havoc doesn't cause our planet to go the way of Icarus, instead. Barring that, Earth could be knocked in the direction of Jupiter, before the gas giant homers us into the void of interstellar space. There's a silver lining. "None of these things are probable," Kaib told Science News. There's only 0.2 percent chance of one these grim scenarios befalling Earth, in a generous window stretching billions of years. "Nonetheless, this probability of Earth orbital change is hundreds of times larger than prior estimates," Kaib emphasizes in the paper. Kaib previously published research which suggested that the Earth's orbit was altered by a passing star three million years ago, opening the possibility that events like these could have been responsible for historical fluctuations in the Earth's climate. At the same time, it's a slightly unsettling reminder of just how delicate the architecture of our galactic neck of the woods can be. "It's a little scary how vulnerable we may be to planetary chaos," Renu Malhotra, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson who was not involved with the study, told Science News. More on astronomy: Scientists Detect Mysterious Object in Deep Solar System
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Scientists researching deadly snakebites make major discovery: 'It is hoped that this trial marks the beginning of an era'
Many people are aware that the changing climate is altering mosquito behavior and creating ideal conditions for mosquitoes to thrive where they never have before. But climate shifts are also increasing the likelihood of snakebites, which can be deadly and pose a new public health challenge. Fortunately, researchers are working on solutions to improve snakebite treatments and reduce these risks. As Science News reported, a team of researchers associated with programs in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Kenya tested a drug commonly used for heavy-metal poisoning to treat venomous snakebites. They found that unithiol can block venom proteins from many dangerous snakes. The researchers conducted a Phase I clinical trial to see how various dosages affected people. They screened 175 subjects in the study and gave unithiol to 64 of them. As they reported in eBioMedicine, they found unithiol effective for snakebites and did not uncover any safety issues. Unithiol works by blocking proteins to prevent tissue damage and death. It has advantages over antivenom treatments because those medications are expensive, not readily available, and can cause severe allergic reactions. This new "speedy treatment" for snakebites is promising because it could improve health and safety in vulnerable communities, especially in low-income regions and remote places. "Unithiol is affordable, stable at room temperature, and has the potential to be given orally in remote rural clinics," the researchers wrote. With climate shifts contributing to 20,000 snakebites and 4,000 related deaths every year in Kenya, treatments such as this keep people safe. Unithiol could become a viable alternative to antivenom treatments in the future or an initial treatment to keep a patient stable until they can travel from a remote area to a hospital. Do you worry about getting diseases from bug bites? Absolutely Only when I'm camping or hiking Not really Never Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. The researchers noted the need to determine the precise dosage to treat snakebites in humans. They established a three-dose regimen for testing in future trials. "Future trials should be based in low-middle income settings, where the greatest burden of snakebite exists," the researchers wrote. "... It is hoped that this trial marks the beginning of an era of modernised therapeutics in the field of snakebite, which will be essential to achieving the World Health Organization target of reducing snakebite associated morbidity and mortality by 50%." Join our free newsletter for weekly updates on the latest innovations improving our lives and shaping our future, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
