UN envoy for children in conflict welcomes commitments at recent ...
UN News Centre
--The top United Nations official dealing with children and armed conflict today hailed agreements reached earlier this week in France, known as the Paris Principles, aimed at ending the unlawful recruitment and use of children in warfare, but she also highlighted increasing problems for children in strife-torn Sudan.

Study Finds Increasing Abuse In Teen Relationships
WKRN - Nashville,TN,USA
--According to a new study funded by Liz Claiborne, one in four teens said they have been harassed, embarrassed, called names, emotionally abused by their partners on cell phones and via text-messaging.  The study also said 66% of the teens did not tell their parents.

Teen Dating Abuse Hotline Open
KBTV4.tv - Beaumont,TX,USA
--The number for the hotline is 866-331-9474 or online at loveisrespect.org.

PeachCare won't enroll new children
WALB-TV - Albany,GA,USA
--The program helps low-income families provide much-needed health care for their children, but it's about to run out of money.

Even Amid Its Wealth, India Finds, Half Its Small Children Are ...
New York Times - New York,NY,USA
--In this young nation, where 40 percent of the people are under 18, figures released by the government on Friday offered an alarming portrait of child health: Among children under 3, nearly half are clinically underweight, the most reliable measure of malnutrition.

Immigration's net binds children too
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
--Khadijah is 9 years old.  She is one of 208 children being held with their parents at the T. Don Hutto family detention center, the Department of Homeland Security's answer to the problem of families caught living in or entering the country illegally.

Rewriting `No Child' a challenge
Akron Beacon Journal - Akron,OH,USA
--Students learning English and those with disabilities were an afterthought when the No Child Left Behind law was being written, according to those involved.

An Animated Key To The World Of Young People
Science Daily (press release) - USA
--Animated films produced by children offer wide-ranging insights into how the younger generation see the world around them. This was the conclusion of an extensive project run by the "Zoom" Children's Museum in Vienna, Austria.

Smarter student cards let parents track their kids
Taipei Times - Taipei,Taiwan
--Parents of Taipei municipal school students will soon be notified what time their kids arrive at and leave school each day, when a new feature is added to electronic student cards by the Taipei City Government.

MySpace to send US users missing children alerts
CNET News.com - San Francisco,CA,USA
-- Popular online social network MySpace said Tuesday it will begin sending online alerts to users in certain U.S. regions to help find missing children as part of an expansion of plans to expand safeguards for users.

Feds try to build on No Child Left Behind Act
Pittsburgh Post Gazette - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
--Five years after the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act, which raised the stakes for standardized testing, the Bush administration has released its plans for the next chapter.

Teen Uses Bubble Wrap to Aid Amputees
Washington Post - Washington,DC,USA
--Rosenberger was one of about 800 students who entered the contest challenging students in grades 5 through 8 to develop inventions that incorporate Bubble Wrap. Officials said judging was based on originality, creativity, usefulness, benefit to society, marketability and feasibility, as well as overall presentation.

After the shouting, divorce can make children happier
Times Online - UK
--Two studies have found that most children whose parents split up are happy with their new life and do not see divorce as a tragedy...One fifth of the children surveyed, mostly boys, complained that they did not have enough say over where they spent their time.

Study: Majority of teens stay private online
CNET News.com - San Francisco,CA,USA
--The Pew Internet Project interviewed 935 teens age 12 to 17 from October to November 2006..."There is a widespread notion that every American teenager is using social networks, and that they're plastering personal information over their profiles for anyone and everyone to read," Amanda Lenhart, a senior researcher at Pew, said in a statement. "These findings add nuance to that story." 

Give a child a video game for a good job
Daily Times - Lahore,Pakistan
--Proponents of such efforts say video games engage kids in a way that is relevant to their lives, allowing them to learn by doing as they experiment with new social and cultural worlds. Like the US military, some large US corporations have already adapted and use video games to train workers.

Chips let parents track teen driving
Arizona Daily Star - Tucson,AZ,USA
--"One thing that can change behavior is if you know Mom and Dad are going to find out," said Russ Rader, a spokesman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Program boosts bone health of lean teen girls
Reuters.uk - UK
-- "I think the key to the success of the program," DeBar told Reuters Health, "was to focus on having the teen participants, with a group of their peers, engage in lifestyle changes and activity that they saw as relevant and fun for their lives in the short run rather than just a means of preventing a later health condition (osteoporosis) that seems remote and not personally relevant to many teenagers."

Flagship children's centres fail to help most needy, study finds
Guardian Unlimited - UK
--Teenage mothers, parents of disabled children, some ethnic minority parents and other particularly needy groups are least likely to visit a children's centre to use services such as healthcare or parenting advice provided there, so the services need to be taken to them, it says.

Taiwan youth dress down to assert identity
Boston Globe - United States
--This dress and behavior code, known loosely as "tai-ke," has been a minor rage for about 20 years as Taiwan youth seek a distinctly local identity in the face of China's threats to declare the whole island Chinese, social commentators say.

Children have their say on rights
BBC News - UK
--The Our Rights, Our Story report will examine how the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child has been implemented in Wales.

Oregon Library Introduces Therapy Dogs to Help Children Read
Dog Flu Diet and Diseases - Brantford,Ontario,Canada
--The Salem Public Library in Oregon has launched a unique initiative this month. Amidst the rushing around and stress that typically accompany the holiday shopping season, parents and caregivers can take their children to the pet-reading program at the library.

UTV, Astro in venture to float multi-platform youth brand
Daily News & Analysis - Mumbai,India
--A new joint venture was announced on Tuesday, which will operate across multiple planks to include a Hindi TV channel, gaming, mobile, licensing and merchandising activities, ground events and the Internet within its ambit. Earlier in the year, UTV and Astro had entered into a business co-operation arrangement to set up a kids channel in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Govt to test children's IQ/EQ
Bangkok Post - Thailand
--Thailand's Department of Mental Health survey over 8,400 primary and secondary students nationwide to determine the median levels of their intelligence quotients (IQ) and emotional quotients (EQ), according to the agency's chief.

TV still bigger problem than Net for children
Seattle Post Intelligencer - USA
--In a study to be released today by the University of Southern California, 21 percent of adult Internet users with children believe the kids are online too long, compared with 11 percent in 2000. Still, that's less than the 49 percent who say their children watch too much television.

Aids children able to dream of future
Bangkok Post - Thailand
--Phu, 11, wants to be a piano player, Hong, 12, wants to be a Thai language teacher, Mook and Wai, both 13, want to be air hostesses, Ben, 15, dreams of becoming a designer, Gau, 12, hopes to become a pilot and Dream, 10, wants to be a banana.

Two Indians win global youth award
Zee News - Noida,India
--Two Indians are among 20 "dynamic leaders" from 16 countries to have received this year's Youth Action Net Award by the US-based International Youth Foundation for their contribution to social change.

Databases could be danger to young, says study
Guardian Unlimited - UK
--Today's report highlights how databases on children are being established in fields including education, youth justice, health and social work, and are being linked through databases including the Information Sharing Index, the Integrated Children's System and a new, in-depth personal profiling tool known as the Common Assessment Framework.

Child activist wins international peace prize
Hindu - Chennai,India
--Om Prakash Gurjar, a class 10 student, received the award at The Hague on Sunday for his contribution to the 'Baal Panchayat' movement, which enables school children to present their grievances to the authorities.

One Laptop Per Child user interface - In pictures
ZDNet - USA

Cities Compete in Hipness Battle to Attract Young
New York Times - United States
--These measures reflect a hard demographic reality: Baby boomers are retiring and the number of young adults is declining. By 2012, the work force will be losing more than two workers for every one it gains.

Two Sisters Concerned About Youth Health Open Pr. George's ...
Washington Post - United States
--In recent years, there have been movements in the region to reduce high-calorie treats in schools. There are teen fitness centers, exercise clubs and other kids-only gym programs, including Just Fitness for Kids in Manassas and Little Gym at several area locations, but Manago said she thinks Youth Visions is the only gym in Prince George's that features kids-only equipment -- the machines are smaller and adjust to fit a child's strength level.

Jack Werber, 92; survivor of the Holocaust helped rescue children
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
--Jack Werber, a Holocaust survivor who helped save hundreds of children and then became an American entrepreneur who helped entertain a generation of others, has died. He was 92.

Talented pupils pipe up to play on children's TV series
Scotsman - United Kingdom
--The programme, which is four and a half minutes long, is a co-production between CBeebies and BBC Wales and will be one of 25 separate episodes, each one featuring children in different places around Britain. It is expected to air on the CBeebies channel, which is aimed at pre-school and young primary school children, several times throughout a day in February.

The Body Beautiful
Village Voice - New York
--The girls of Automotive High don't just fix cars—they fix themselves

Congress to weigh 'No Child Left Behind'
Houston Chronicle - Houston,TX,USA
--The No Child Left Behind law was supposed to level the playing field, promising students an equal education no matter where they live or their background. From state to state, however, huge differences remain in what students are expected to know and learn.

Junk food adverts ban during children's programmes

Times Online - UK
--The ban, which would apply to programmes shown at any time of the day or night, would restrict terrestrial broadcasters, ITV1, Channel 4 and Five, as well as satellite channels, including CITV and Nickelodeon.

Youth delegates send message to UN climate conference: think of ...
Calgary Sun - Canada
--Arsenault, 24, a student from Prince Edward Island, was asked to address the plenary session of the UN Climate Conference on behalf of youth, along with two representatives from developing countries who also got one minute each.

NHS to offer stomach-stapling to children
Independent - London,England,UK
--
The newspaper says that children with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of more than 40 would be eligible for NHS-funded operations that typically cost £8,000. A normal BMI measure is between 18 and 25.  It is thought that between 50 and 200 teenagers a year may have their stomachs stapled if the guidelines are accepted.

Rajasthan boy wins International Children`s Peace Prize
Zee News - Noida,India
-- The peace prize, now in its second year, is organised by the Netherlands-based group, Kids Rights.

Fast food in children's hospitals a bad lesson: study
Reuters.uk - UK
-- McDonald's, which does provide financial support to some of the hospitals surveyed and operates several homes for ill children, was the prevalent restaurant in hospitals studied.

Pediatricians call for less advertising to children
USA Today - USA
--Pediatricians should lobby for a ban or severe curtailment on widespread school-based ads, and Congress should prohibit commercials for "junk food" on TV shows watched mostly by young children, the American Academy of Pediatrics says Monday.

Public supports children's rights referendum plan
Irish Times - Ireland
--There is overwhelming support for the Taoiseach's plan to hold a referendum to enshrine the rights of children in the Constitution, according to the findings of the Irish Times TNS mrbi opinion poll.

Group wins NW youth radio licence
Unison.ie - Bray,Ireland
-- THE North-West of the country will have a new youth radio station within a year, after recently-formed consortium iRadio was awarded the licence yesterday.

Rhymes 'boost child development'
BBC News - UK
--Parents who do not read and sing nursery rhymes to their young children are to be helped to do so, says the children's minister Beverley Hughes.

Children's film fest kicks off in Delhi
Monsters and Critics.com - Glasgow,UK
--Children in the national capital are in for a special treat as the five-day Golden Jubilee Film Festival, where 29 films for kids would be screened, was inaugurated Tuesday.

Burger King to end TV child ads
BBC News - UK
--Fast food chain Burger King has revealed plans to stop making UK television adverts aimed at children.

Contests, fun & frolic mark Children's Day functions
Expressindia.com - New Delhi,India
--Competitions, cultural programmes and a whole lot of fun marked the Children's Day functions held in various schools as well as a number of institutes in the tricity. The students also celebrated the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru. Each school held the celebrations in their own unique way.

Ads Aimed at Children Get Tighter Scrutiny
Washington Post - United States
--The advertising industry yesterday revised 32-year-old guidelines for advertising directed at children younger than 12 and separately launched a voluntary effort with 10 food and beverage companies to devote at least half their advertising to promoting more healthful dietary or lifestyle choices to children.

Critics scoff at effort to limit child-focused junk-food ads
International Herald Tribune - France
--Nutrition experts criticized the proposals as full of loopholes, saying new laws, rather than self-regulation, were required.

Children's Book Tackles the N-Word
ABC News - USA
-- The story line illustrates real-life characters whose dialogue, reactions and responses exemplify a true-to-life situation that can be experienced anywhere in America's African-American communities on any given day.

IM is for teens what email is for adults
iTWire - Australia
--A new poll from AP and AOL has revealed a stark difference in the way teenagers and adults communicate online. The poll indicates that teenagers prefer the immediacy and conversation style of instant messaging, while adults prefer the more considered memo style of email.

Girl Basketball Player Plays On Boys' Team
NBC 4.com - Washington,DC,USA
--Hemsley made the team because School Without Walls does not have a varsity girls' team and D.C. Public School rules state that all students must be accommodated in academic and extracurricular activities where possible.

Writing up to children
Biloxi Sun Herald - MS, USA

--E.B. White, one of our finest 20th century American essayists, ran afoul of expert advice after penning "Stuart Little." After sending a draft of "Stuart Little" to Anne Carroll Moore, children's librarian emerita of the New York Public Library, she responded that "the book was non-affirmative, inconclusive, unfit for children and would harm its author if published."

Let's have more films that fire our children's imaginations
The Observer - UK
--Just what is a typical 'kids' film' these days? If you went to the cinema over the recent half-term, you could have been forgiven for thinking that it's something deeply depressing indeed.

"Father of Children's rights" honoured
Scotsman - United Kingdom
--The Polish doctor, writer and educator was a fervent advocate of children's rights whose credo was posthumously adopted by the United Nations in its Convention of the Rights of the Child in 1989.

Health fears as young become screen zombies
Sydney Morning Herald - Sydney,New South Wales,Australia
--The findings, from a statewide survey of 11- to 15-year-olds, suggest students in late primary and early high school are so engrossed in sedentary screen-based recreation that it reduces their involvement in sport, music and other leisure pursuits.

Company Creates Cyberbikes To Whip Young Gamers Into Shape
InformationWeek - Manhasset,NY,USA
--A British company has created technology that won't allow video game controls to work unless the player is moving on an exercise machine.

Teen music project wins Philip Lawrence award
Independent - London,England,UK
--The group was one of eight to receive a Philip Lawrence Award from the Home Secretary John Reid yesterday. Set up in memory of the popular headmaster murdered outside his London school 11 years ago as he attempted to protect a pupil, they celebrate outstanding citizenship by groups of young people aged 11 to 20.

New children's book collection bears boxing great Muhammad Ali's ...
Canada.com - Hamilton,Ontario,Canada
--A new classroom collection of children's books bearing Ali's name is intended to help others, particularly boys, overcome a different kind of obstacle to becoming accomplished readers - disinterest.

Doctors ask crackdown on ads aimed at children
Boston Globe - United States
--Inappropriate advertising contributes to many children's ills, from obesity to anorexia, drinking alcohol, and having sex too soon, and Congress should crack down on it, the American Academy of Pediatrics says.

Call for children's food ad curbs
BBC News - UK
--European health ministers are being asked to sign up to an anti-obesity charter stating that children should not be "exploited" by food companies.

Make young people earn their rights, says Cameron
Guardian Unlimited - UK

--Currently, the right of passage which took teenagers into the adult world usually involved "getting completely hammered on your 18th birthday", he said.

Youth Radio offers more than just broadcast experience
North Gate News - Berkeley,CA,USA
--Youth Radio teaches broadcasting and media skills to at-risk teens. Based in Berkeley, the nonprofit uses a hands-on approach to teaching its students, many of who come from impoverished areas of the East Bay.

Mobiles have 'key role for young'
BBC News - UK

--More parents than ever now see mobiles as vital tools in supervising children's behaviour, giving them peace of mind, and making young people feel safer.