#Childmentalhealth

Social media erupted when a prominent American parenting influencer candidly admitted she regularly provides homework answers to her children and completes significant portions of school projects herself. Her confession sparked intense debate about the boundary between supportive assistance and counterproductive interference, illuminating research findings that challenge conventional wisdom about parental homework involvement.

The influencer’s frank admission resonated because it exposed a universal parenting struggle. Exhausted after demanding workdays, parents naturally want to minimize their children’s academic stress and family conflict. “Sometimes I just give them the freaking answers,” she explained, describing her strategy for avoiding prolonged homework battles and emotional meltdowns.

A well-known American parenting influencer recently admitted she often provides homework answers and completes large portions of school projects for her children. The confession sparked a global debate about where supportive help ends and interference begins, echoing research that questions traditional beliefs about parental involvement in homework.

The influencer’s transparency struck a chord with many exhausted parents who want to shield their kids from stress and family conflict after long workdays. “Sometimes I just give them the freaking answers,” she explained, noting that the approach helps avoid heated homework battles and meltdowns.

A popular U.S. parenting influencer recently admitted on social media that she sometimes gives her children the answers to homework and takes a large share of school projects — a candid confession that has reignited debate about where support ends and over‑helping begins. The episode has drawn fresh attention to a growing body of research showing that the way parents help with homework matters for children’s motivation, emotional health and learning independence. Evidence suggests well‑intentioned assistance can improve grades in the short term, but persistent, controlling help may raise anxiety, reduce autonomy and blunt problem‑solving skills unless it is framed by warm communication and scaffolding from adults. (People’s reporting of the influencer’s admission is available here (Mom Influencer Defends Why She’s Been Doing Her Kids’ Homework for Years)).

A growing body of research and first-person reporting shows grief camps — short, structured programs combining peer support, art therapy and ritual — can reduce anxiety and boost self-concept for bereaved children while giving families practical coping tools. A recent USA Today immersion at a Washington, D.C. day grief camp described children painting memory flags, practicing mindfulness and laughing between tears, illustrating how structured, age-appropriate activities can make grief feel less isolating for young people (USA Today). New systematic reviews and meta-analyses now back up those on-the-ground observations, offering guidance for Thai policymakers, schools and community groups seeking culturally sensitive ways to support bereaved children.

A new wave of grief camps is reshaping how children cope with loss, offering Thai families practical, culturally resonant support. In these programs, children participate in small peer groups, express memories through art, and learn coping skills that reduce anxiety while strengthening connections with others who understand their pain. The approach blends peer support, creative activities, and therapeutic techniques to help children process bereavement and rebuild confidence.

Research cited by leading journals indicates grief camps can lower anxiety and improve self-esteem among bereaved youth. Data from Thailand’s public health landscape shows a growing need for psychosocial services as more families experience loss. Thailand’s Buddhist context provides a natural framework for these programs, which can be tailored to fit local beliefs, rituals, and family structures. The aim is to complement school counseling and clinical care with culturally adaptive, community-based support.

In the quiet corners of a Washington D.C. community center, seven-year-old children carefully paint colorful memory flags while sharing stories of grandparents who will never again prepare their favorite meals. This scene, documented by USA Today journalists, represents a breakthrough approach to childhood bereavement that could revolutionize how Thai families and schools support grieving young people. These innovative grief camps combine peer support, creative expression, and therapeutic activities to help children process loss while building resilience and connection with others who understand their pain.

After a school day, many Thai children shift from calm to distress at home. Crying, shouting, or tantrums can erupt with surprising intensity, leaving parents puzzled. New international findings, supported by Thai health experts, explain why these moments—often called after-school restraint collapse—happen and how families can respond more effectively.

Parents, teachers, and researchers are increasingly discussing this pattern. It reflects how children regulate emotions in a demanding world. In Thailand, where academic pressures and busy schedules are common, understanding this pattern can strengthen family bonds and resilience.

Parents across Thailand may be all too familiar with this daily scene: You pick up your child from school. Maybe they were praised by their teacher for their good behaviour, but the moment they get home, a sudden emotional meltdown explodes. Crying, shouting, or even tantrums erupt with surprising intensity, often leaving parents exhausted and confused. Recent international research—and insights provided by Thai health experts—shed new light on why these after-school meltdowns, now widely recognised as “after-school restraint collapse”, are so dramatic for children and what parents can do to help.

A growing body of research challenges the notion that Thai children must always be busy with activities or screens. Experts say occasional boredom can boost creativity, emotional resilience, and self-reliance—critical traits for navigating today’s complex world.

Many Thai families have embraced “structured parenting,” with after-school programs and digital learning filling every moment. Yet researchers warn that over-scheduling can curb curiosity and problem-solving. Unplanned time, they say, can spark cognitive and emotional growth. Developmental psychologists describe boredom as fertile ground for imagination, patience, and initiative.

A growing body of research, highlighted in a recent feature by The Times of India, is challenging conventional wisdom about childhood boredom. Contrary to the belief that children’s schedules should be filled with constant activities and digital entertainment, experts now recommend that parents allow their children to experience periods of boredom. This approach, they argue, can nurture creativity, emotional resilience, and self-reliance—traits essential for thriving in today’s complex world (Times of India).

A wave of new research warns that children who report “addictive” behaviour patterns with their online activities—including social media, mobile phones, and video games—face significantly greater risks for mental health problems than peers who engage less compulsively. A landmark 2025 study, previously highlighted in the Financial Times, demonstrates that the danger is not simply about the total hours spent online, but rather how compulsive or addictive a young person’s engagement has become, dramatically altering the conversation around digital wellbeing and youth mental health.

New international findings reveal that children who exhibit compulsive online behaviours—such as relentless scrolling on social media, constant phone use, and heavy video gaming—face markedly greater mental health risks than peers with less intense engagement. A landmark 2025 study, highlighted by major outlets, shows the danger lies not in total hours online but in the pattern of use: highly addictive, hard-to-stop behaviours dramatically shift youths’ wellbeing and resilience.

This is a critical issue for Thai parents, teachers, and policymakers. Thailand’s rapid digital shift means many students are online from an early age. National data indicate Thai youths use smartphones longer each day than global peers, a trend accelerated by online schooling and social networks during the pandemic. With rising reports of anxiety, depression, and troubling cases of self-harm among young people, international findings offer an urgent call to action for local communities.

A sweeping new analysis is sounding the alarm over children’s growing dependence on digital devices as their primary way to handle difficult emotions—a habit with far-reaching consequences for mental health and development. Dubbed the age of the “digital pacifier,” researchers warn that screens aren’t just a symptom of modern life but a central piece of a self-defeating cycle among kids around the world, including in Thailand, where daily screen time continues to trend upward. The findings, released in the journal Psychological Bulletin and summarized in recent reports such as StudyFinds.org, urge families and educators to rethink the role of screens in children’s emotional lives, especially as global averages climb above healthy limits and more Thai children access devices at unprecedented rates.

A sweeping new analysis warns that children increasingly rely on screens to manage difficult emotions, creating a cycle that threatens mental health and development. The study, published in Psychological Bulletin, suggests that screens are not just a symptom of modern life but a central factor in how kids cope with distress. In Thailand, where daily screen use continues to rise, the findings carry urgent implications for parents, teachers, and policymakers.

Thai families are facing growing mental health challenges as children navigate digital life, school pressures, and changing family dynamics. Experts warn that behaviors once dismissed as “kids being kids” may signal underlying distress that requires timely attention. Research and clinical insights show warning signs such as a sudden loss of appetite, escalating aggression, secretive online activity, and developmental stalls can escalate if not addressed promptly.

In Thailand, where traditional parenting values mix with rapid urbanization and social media exposure, early intervention is especially important. The emphasis on family harmony means families often bear the first responsibility for recognizing trouble and seeking support before problems deepen and affect everyone at home and in the community. Schools in Bangkok and other urban centers are increasingly integrating mental health programs, but frontline support still hinges on families, teachers, and local healthcare providers working together.

Child psychologists are sounding the alarm for parents and caregivers, urging them not to dismiss troubling behaviors in their children as mere episodes of “kids being kids.” Recent expert commentary and emerging research underscore that behavioral warning signs—such as loss of appetite, sudden aggression, secretive online activity, and developmental regression—may point to underlying emotional distress requiring prompt attention (NYPost).

For Thai families navigating the rapidly changing pressures of modern life, these insights are increasingly relevant. The blending of traditional Thai parenting values with the influence of digital technologies has created new challenges. The current warning reiterates the importance of early intervention for behaviors that, if left unaddressed, could escalate over time—affecting not only the child’s well-being but also the harmony of the family and broader community.

A large Swedish-initiated study finds that regular physical activity in childhood, especially participation in organized sports, may reduce the risk of psychiatric conditions by late adolescence. The findings arrive at a time when youth mental health is a rising concern in Thailand and around the world, underscoring practical, evidence-based paths for prevention. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in May 2025, followed thousands of children from birth and tracked their activity patterns to later diagnoses of anxiety, depression, and related conditions.

A landmark longitudinal study from Sweden has found that regular physical activity (PA), especially participation in organised sports, may significantly reduce the risk of children developing psychiatric conditions by late adolescence. The findings come at a critical time for both Thailand and the global community, as mental health challenges among youth continue to rise and policymakers seek practical, evidence-based solutions. The study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in May 2025, tracked a large birth cohort of children over more than a decade, linking their physical activity patterns to later-incidence of disorders including anxiety, depression, and addiction (bjsm.bmj.com).

A growing body of research suggests that children who bully others share more similarities with their victims than commonly thought, with both groups facing heightened risks of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and even future difficulties in adulthood. This pattern also holds true in Thailand, where bullying—whether in the classroom, online gaming communities, or even at home—remains a persistent challenge, deeply intertwined with the nation’s education and mental health systems.

The latest findings highlighted by a Clemson University psychology professor reveal that traditional bullying (physical or verbal aggression in person) and cyberbullying (harassment via digital platforms) often overlap, amplifying the negative outcomes for all children involved. Both bullies and victims are more likely to suffer poor academic performance, increased absenteeism, and, alarmingly, higher rates of suicidal thoughts. “It’s bidirectional,” reports the Clemson researcher, who explains that a child’s mental health troubles both set the stage for bullying behavior and are worsened by involvement in bullying, no matter the role (Deseret News).