Family

Believe It or Not: Lockdown Improved Relationships

You may disagree, but a study suggests that lockdown strengthened many parent’s relationships with their children. Research by the University of Essex found that around a quarter of parents reported that their relationship with their children had improved during the government’s stay-at-home policy. Less than 5% said it got worse. The results are based on research for the Understanding Society Covid-19 survey, a nationally representative study that collected data from 5,500 parents. Many parents who said they had closer relationships with their children had helped out with home schooling. Nearly 40% of parents who reduced their work hours to look after their children said their relationships had improved. Only 6% said their relationships had become worse. However, fewer lone mothers reported an improvement in their relationships, and slightly more said they had become worse.

More info: www.understandingsociety.ac.uk Creation of Imaginary Worlds More Common Children are far more likely to create imaginary worlds than previously believed, according to new research. A University of Oregon study found 17% of children ages 8 to 12 invented imaginary worlds in detail, with many sharing their creations with friends, who added complexity. While varying widely in content, all imaginary worlds included details about an environment (eg: forests, lakes, caves), the inhabitants (eg: bandits, goblins, animals) and mystical components, such as a fountain that sprayed honey. The author, Professor Marjorie Taylor says: “We can be really impressed by the creativity of children left to their own devices. It is important to give them some time free of a schedule because they will come up with things that they really enjoy and will share with others.” More info: https://around.uoregon.edu/content/uostudy-fi nds-healthy-creativity-kids-imaginary-worlds https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ cdev.13162

Most Children Sleep with Mobile Phone

Children are getting mobiles at an earlier age, with most now having their own phone by 7 years of age, according to an annual survey by Childwise, a leading specialist in research with children and young people. The survey, based on interviews with 2,200 children in the UK ages 5 to 16, shows signifi cant changes in the role of the mobile phone in young lives. Mobile phone ownership is up - it is now the top device for children to access online content - and the average time spent on mobiles by children ages 7 to 16 is three hours and twenty minutes per day. Of concern, 57% of children always have the phone beside their bed and 44% feel “uncomfortable” if they are without a phone signal. 42% say they keep their phone on them at all times and never turn it off .

More info: www.childwise.co.uk

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