Parents urged to stop kids’ ’sexting’

September 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Strict parenting might not be bad for kids at all - it helps them develop leadership qualities as adults, says a new study. Researchers using data from a Minnesota study of twins found that kids raised with an authoritative parenting style, where parents set clear limits and expectations while being supportive of children, assumed more leadership roles at work.

September 10th, 2009 MELBOURNE - A senior member of the Liberal Party of Australia has warned against children's exposure to pornography at home, saying viewing of the restricted material is as dangerous as guns for kids. Scott Morrison suggested that laws should be introduced Down Under forbidding parents from letting their kids watch the explicit content.

September 6th, 2009 MELBOURNE - In a shocking revelation, poor parents in an impoverished western Sydney suburb are feeding their young children cannabis to "keep them quiet", a children's charity has disclosed. Counsellors at the Mount Druitt branch of the renowned Ted Noffs Foundation say parents see the practice as an easy alternative to soften their unruly kids.ews.com.au quoted clinical psychologist Michael Kirton as saying: "We are seeing six-year-olds being given bongs by their families to keep them quiet, stop them crying, or put them to sleep.

September 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Seven out of 10 Americans consider H1N1 virus a "very" or "somewhat" serious problem, a new CBS poll has found. In May, just 49 percent described H1N1 as "very" or "somewhat" serious.

September 1st, 2009 WASHINGTON - Enrolling kids for sports also seems to imbue parents with positive qualities like self-confidence and team spirit, says a new research. "We found that parents also are affected when their children play organised team sports," said Travis Dorsch, doctoral student in health and kinesiology at the Purdue University (P-U).

August 28th, 2009 NEW DELHI - The Chinese Valentine's day saw parents of less than a year old kids gather in Shanghai to conduct mock marriages of their babies.he event, organized by a local website, was attended by numerous parents, reports the China Daily. The infants received fake marriage certificates and photographs of their temporary spouses.

August 12th, 2009 LONDON - Children as young as nine are receiving treatment for binge drinking at a clinic in the UK. Andrew Hall, chief executive of Alcohol Support, which runs Albyn House clinic in Aberdeen, revealed the majority of the children involved fell in the age bracket of 11 to 15.

July 8th, 2009 LONDON - A new study by researchers at the University of Alabama has shown that kids who have dinner at the table with the parents are less likely to get into trouble when they are older. The study showed that such kids are less prone to end up drinking or smoking, taking drugs, getting into fights, running away from home and other 'problem behaviour' as adolescents.

June 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An Internet survey has shown that teens may be a bit more safety conscious than previously thought. The survey, released by Cox Communications, and carried out by Harris Interactive, asked 655 13- to 18-year-olds about their online and cell phone behaviour, specifically addressing issues of cyberbullying and sexting.

June 18th, 2009 LONDON - Irish cops are investigating a chilling case of suspected incest in which seven children were raped by their parents and forced to have sex with each other. Officers are probing the "Irish Fritzl" couple amid claims that the mother gave birth to a child fathered by one of her sons.

June 8th, 2009 KARACHI - Pakistani kids growing addiction to Hindi cartoon TV channels is becoming a cause of concern for their parents. "Yeh hamari parampara kai khilaaf hai!" the parents of Ali Shah, 6, were stunned when they first heard the sentence in Hindi from their son.

May 29th, 2009 LONDON - Ashton and Keira are the celebrity names that most British parents choose for their children, according to a study. Debra Chatfield at findmypast.com, which carried out the study, revealed that the research team analysed birth records, and found Brits to be using a lot of celebrity names.

May 24th, 2009 SYDNEY - Parents are being urged not to allow their kids to use website Wikipedia without supervision after an entry on a famous children's book was edited to contain pornographic material. Last week, sexual and violent acts between characters were added to the online plot summary for Mrs Frisby And The Rats Of NIMH, which is recommended for students in years 5 to 9.

May 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Police officials in Virginia have warned that sexting-a term used to describe the act of sending sexually explicit photos by cellular phones-may land teens in legal fix. The warning comes in the wake of a recent scandal in Fairfax County, in which the police discovered a cache of images of naked girls in the mobile phone of a teenage boy.

March 26th, 2009 SYDNEY - If your schoolgoing kids skip breakfast saying they are 'too tired' or 'can't be bothered', then beware, they may grow into obese adults, says a survey. 'Children who skip breakfast are more likely to be overweight, which in the long-term can lead to the development of chronic health issues,' said Christine Bennett of Bupa, a healthcare body that conducted the survey in Australia.