List of All Articles with Tag 'health'

During the wait for improved online safety laws, tens of thousands of grooming crimes have been recorded. The Online Safety Bill, which is meant to become law this autumn, has encountered numerous delays and changes since it become a proposed legislation. As a result, the children’s charity NSPCC has called on MPs and tech giants to support the Bill, especially since 34,000 online grooming crimes had been recorded by UK police forces over the last six years, since first calling for more robust safety regulations in 2017. Based on data from 42 UK police forces, the NSPCC said that last year, 6,350 offences related to the sexual communication with a child were recorded. Some 5,500 took place against primary school-aged children, and 73% of the crimes were related to Meta-linked platforms or Snapchat. NSPCC chief executive Sir Peter Wanless said: “The number of offences must serve as a reminder of why the Online Safety Bill is so important and why the ground-breaking protections it will give children are desperately needed. “We’re pleased the government has listened and strengthened the legislation so companies must tackle how their sites contribute to child sexual abuse in a tough but proportionate way, including in private messaging.” Here are some of the red flags parents should be on the look out for. Being secretive about how they are spending their time On their website, Childline define grooming as someone building a child’s trust to make a connection in order to do something sexual or illegal. “Studies show parental supervision typically declines as children get older, however online abuse does not,” said Mark Bentley, safeguarding and cyber security lead at charity The National Grid for Learning (LGfL). From being secretive to omitting relevant information, changes in behaviour can vary from child to child. But it’s something for all parents to be mindful of when their child starts using social media more. “Unfortunately, as in many areas of child protection, indicators of abuse can often mirror natural markers of growing up,” said Bentley. “As children and adolescents develop, they seek independence from parents, engage in risk taking and have changes in mood and friendship group. “Nonetheless, these markers remain vital to watch out for, even if it is just to support your growing child. Those who are being groomed online are much more likely to be defensive and secretive about phone usage and loathed to be separated from their device.” Having unexplained gifts, big or small Buying gifts for children, whether big or small, can be another grooming technique used to flatter children and their families. “Some groomers have been known to provide alternative phones just to contact them, and this is always a red flag if you suspect your child may have a secondary device,” said Bentley. They are spending too much time onlineSocial media may promote negative experiences if no boundaries have been established.“Of course, some of these [red] flags can also be a sign of the child going through adolescence but it’s important to discuss any unusual behaviour with them as soon as possible,” said Simon Newman, member of International Cyber Expo’s advisory council and of the Cyber Resilience Centre for London.“The way groomers target children varies, but is often done through social media sites, text messages and apps, emails or online forums – particularly gaming sites.”They develop friendships with a much older person Children and young people can be groomed by a stranger or by someone they know – such as a family member, friend or professional, according to NSPCC. But the age gap between a child and their groomer can also be relatively small. The groomer may also work towards building a relationship with the family to gain trust, so they can be left alone with the child. “There are various models of the stages of grooming, but at heart it revolves around building up trust and making a child feel understood and listened to in a way they do not feel elsewhere, and then breaking down the links of trust to family, school, friends and other adults,” said Bentley. “Any parent thinking that this might be happening should definitely reach out for help.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rumer Willis says she is ‘grateful’ to her body following birth of daughter Sugary cereals and yoghurts must remove child-friendly packaging – health group Clever kitchen storage solutions to clear the clutter

A key government online platform has been down for several days and mobile money services are also affected.

Some people browse TikTok and Instagram for recipes, memes and colorful takes on the news. Erin Coleman says her 14-year-old daughter uses these apps to search for videos about mental health diagnoses.

Fewer than a quarter of local authorities in England have enough holiday childcare provision for parents working full-time and costs have risen across Great Britain since last year, new research has found. Six weeks of summer childcare for each school-age child could cost almost £1,000, according to the Coram Family and Childcare charity’s annual survey. It said families in Great Britain face costs of £943 per child for this holiday period, which is £538 more than they would pay for after-school childcare in six weeks of term time. The research, based on surveys from local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales between April and June, found that the cost of holiday childcare has risen 3% since 2022. A place at a holiday club now costs an average of £157 per week – 2.3 times higher than the cost of an after-school club during term time, the charity said. Wales has the highest weekly price at £168, followed by Scotland at £157 and England at £156. While costs have risen, availability has decreased, according to the charity, with just 24% of local authorities in England saying they have enough holiday childcare for parents working full-time, down 2% on last year. Provision for eight to 11 year-olds has dropped by 7% on last year, with 23% of local authorities saying they have enough for this age group. The high of cost of holiday childcare is going to put a further strain on families’ already stretched budgets Megan Jarvie, Coram Availability of holiday childcare for disabled children in England has also continued to fall, Coram said, with just 5% of local authorities reporting they have enough to meet local demand, down from 7% in 2022. In Scotland, there has also been a drop in the proportion of local authorities reporting sufficient childcare – down 15% for 12 to 14 year olds, down 14% for children living in rural areas, down 12% for parents working full time and down 11% for eight to 11 year olds. No local authorities in Scotland reported having enough holiday childcare in all areas for disabled children, working parents, parents working atypical hours or children in rural areas. While Wales also has low levels of sufficient childcare for disabled children (5%) and 12 to 14 year olds (5%), the proportion of local authorities reporting sufficient childcare in all areas across all categories of holiday childcare, except parents working atypical hours and children in rural areas, has risen. Local authorities in Wales report the highest level of sufficiency of holiday childcare in all areas for parents working full time (18%), followed by four to seven year-olds and eight to 11 year-olds at 14%. Costs and availability of holiday childcare varies depending on where families live, the charity said, stating that parents in inner London pay up to 25% more than those in the East of England – £177 per week compared to £142. In the East Midlands, some holiday childcare places cost 104% more than the national average, while others are 58% less, Coram said. The charity is calling on the Government to extend childcare funding announced in the Spring Statement to include support during school holidays. Megan Jarvie, from Coram, said: “The high of cost of holiday childcare is going to put a further strain on families’ already stretched budgets. Even if families are able to afford these costs, many will struggle to find a place as we have found shortages right across the country. “Starting school doesn’t mean that childcare needs end. Instead, many find that it becomes more challenging to find options that are right for their family, particularly during the long school holidays. “New Government funding to help improve childcare options during term time is welcome – but families need childcare right through the year.” Coram is also calling on those in charge in England, Scotland and Wales to increase support for family information services to provide good quality holiday childcare information and ensure access to local provision that meets families’ needs, expand provision of school holiday activity and food programmes, and improve the accessibility of holiday childcare for children with special educational needs and disability (Send). Rapid price increases in essentials like food, housing and energy bills have left a growing number of the families we work with stretched and barely keeping their finances afloat Jamie Masraff, OnSide chief executive The Local Government Association (LGA) said “concerted investment and recruitment of quality staff” is needed to ensure correct provision for disabled children, and said it was “disappointing” that the Government had not extended childcare support to include summer holidays. Councillor Louise Gittins, chair of the LGA’s children and young people board, said: “While councils recognise the importance of ensuring there is sufficient provision available for children with Send, it can be difficult to ensure the right provision is available, particularly given the challenging situation that many providers face at the moment.” A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Our Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) programme, backed by £200 million per year to 2025, provides healthy meals, enriching activities and free childcare places to children from low-income families over the holidays. “We are also investing £30 million to test new and innovative approaches to short respite breaks for families of children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities.” Youth organisation OnSide called for the HAF scheme to be expanded to working parents, saying it is “increasingly hearing from working families who don’t qualify but are struggling to afford holiday clubs”. Its chief executive, Jamie Masraff, said: “Rapid price increases in essentials like food, housing and energy bills have left a growing number of the families we work with stretched and barely keeping their finances afloat. For too many, there’s simply nothing left to pay for vital summer childcare.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live How to create a kitchen herb garden What is trail running and should we all be doing it? These are the women making waves in the cycling world

Leqembi could slow the progression of Alzheimer's, but the side effects can be severe.

Doctors can self-prescribe, but it's generally discouraged and the practice has quite a few stipulations.

At least 100,000 people could have had their data compromised by a hack of contractors at the Department of Health and Human Services, a department official said Thursday, making it the latest US government agency to be caught up in a sweeping cyberattack connected to Russian cybercriminals.

How much do you really know about our biological and physiological responses to *waves hands around* all this? Grab a stress ball and find out.

Under normal circumstances, the U.S. doesn't rank on the list of the 20 worst cities for air quality.

Meta Platforms said on Friday a policy that was put in place to curb the spread of misinformation

Runners and cycling enthusiasts who are frequent users of the popular Strava fitness app may

A Twitch streamer was left stunned after he livestreamed himself shaving his hair for charity, only to find an indent on his head from wearing his gaming headset. The gamer, who goes by Curtoss on streaming platform Twitch, went live on 3 June to raise money for the charity organisation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. While shaving his head for charity, viewers witnessed Curtoss’s shock when he discovered that his head shape had completely changed due to his prolonged headset use. “The shaver’s working like a champ,” Curtoss said, as he began shaving his hair down the middle of his head. Within seconds, he noticed an indent across the top of his head. “Dude, I have an indent like right here, this is where my headphones go!” he told viewers. “I have a f***ing headphone indent on my head! What the f***?” “I always thought that was just my hair,” he added. It didn’t take long for Curtoss’s reaction to go viral on social media. He shared a clip of his mid-shave discovery to his TikTok, while on Twitter, a video of his head indent received more than 42 million views. Surprisingly, Curtoss wasn’t the only one to find an indent on their head from wearing headphones. “Welcome to the club,” replied one Twitter user, who shared photos of two gamers with indents on their skulls. “We all got one of those at one point or another,” another gamer joked. “Tell me why I’ve just rubbed my head to make sure I don’t have one,” shared one person, while another wrote: “New fear just unlocked” “This is why I will never wear a headset for prolonged time periods,” said someone else. So, can prolonged headphones really cause permanent damage? Yes and no. While there are risks to wearing headphones for long periods of time, head indents are temporary. In fact, Headphonesty reports that it takes at least 135 kg to cause a minor fracture to the skull. However, streamers can get “headphone hair” from wearing a headphone headband for too long, wherein the headset puts too much pressure on the head and flattens the hair. But much like indents on the scalp, hair should gradually return to its original shape in just a few minutes. In order to help get rid of headphone dents on the scalp or hair faster, gamers can gently massage the dent and the surrounding area. A hot shower might help return the head to its original shape, but taking breaks from wearing headphones is the most effective way to avoid causing a dent in the scalp. @curtoss please don't call it "Brain Valley" ?♂️ #twitch #livestreamfails #gamer ♬ original sound - nintendo loser While gamers and Twitch streamers don’t need to worry about changing the shape of their head, prolonged headphone use can lead to permanent hearing loss. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 50 per cent of people ages 12 to 35 are at risk of hearing loss due to prolonged and excessive exposure to loud sounds, including through headphones. According to the American Osteopathic Association, many headphones and MP3 players today can produce sounds up to 120 decibels, which is equivalent to a sound level at a rock concert. At 120 decibels, hearing loss can occur after only about an hour and 15 minutes. Experts suggest that people should exceed no more than 60 per cent of maximum volume when using headphones. The Independent has contacted Curtoss for comment. Read More Ukrainian schoolboy to buy home for his mother after selling Minecraft server Male characters in video games have 50 per cent more dialogue than female counterparts What is Discord, the chatting app tied to classified leaks? Mother sparks debate over parent who wouldn’t give her daughter a slice of cake How to protect pets from wildfire smoke amid air quality alert ‘Fearful’ Shannen Doherty reveals her cancer has spread to her brain