NPR Topics: Children's Health

Meta settlement means new restrictions on nighttime and school-time scrolling for kids

Rhitu Chatterjee — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:14:43 -0400

Can the changes to Facebook and Instagram announced in the Meta settlement make a difference for the mental health of young people?

15 states have laws that allow corporal punishment in schools. Here's where, and why

Kadin Mills — Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:00:00 -0400

There is broad consensus among psychologists that corporal punishment can be harmful to children, but the U.S. has no federal laws banning it in public schools.

Vaccination rates fall as more parents opt out

Rob Stein — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 16:58:45 -0400

More parents are getting exemptions for their kids so they don't have to get vaccinated for kindergarten, and fewer kids are getting their shots. That's according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This comes as the Trump administration is trying to reduce the number of vaccinations children get, and childhood diseases like measles are resurging.

Doctors say Medicaid change to gender-affirming care will harm vulnerable youth

Selena Simmons-Duffin — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:29:27 -0400

Federal Medicaid dollars can no longer pay for gender-affirming care for youth. Doctors who treat trans kids say it will harm vulnerable people.

Doctor talks about Trump's executive order to change childhood vaccine schedule

Leila Fadel — Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:46:05 -0400

NPR's Leila Fadel speaks with Dr. James Campbell at the University of Maryland School of Medicine about President Trump's order to space out childhood vaccines.

5 questions parents may have after Trump's latest vaccine move

Selena Simmons-Duffin — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 16:20:25 -0400

Parents may be confused about the status of vaccines for their kids after President Trump's new executive order. It's important to know nothing is changing right away.

(Image credit: Erin Hooley/Chicago Tribune)

Trump issues executive order aimed at upending vaccines for kids

Rob Stein — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:52:45 -0400

President Trump issued another executive order Monday, attempting to scramble how children are vaccinated in the United States.

Trump and RFK Jr. try again to upend vaccines for kids

Rob Stein — Mon, 10 Aug 2026 16:25:02 -0400

President Trump signed an executive order on Monday about vaccines, saying children should get fewer. His administration has been blocked in the courts from changing the vaccine schedule.

(Image credit: Jim Watson)

For vaccine information, some pediatricians are finding ways to sidestep Trump's CDC

Karen Brown — Wed, 24 Jun 2026 17:18:30 -0400

The Trump administration's efforts to stop recommending some childhood vaccines has created a dilemma for pediatricians. Some are actively steering patients away from the CDC website.

'Toy Story 5' gets at something very real: It's hard to keep kids off screens in summer

Rhitu Chatterjee — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 05:00:00 -0400

Toy Story 5. It opens in theaters on Friday, June 19.'/>

Kids' screen use goes way up in the summertime. And just as the movie Toy Story 5 portrays, that can be problematic for children. Here are tips for parents to help their kids manage screens and have fun IRL this summer.

(Image credit: Disney/Pixar)