In this week’s Plugged In by Wired Parents, we round up of the more significant news stories on social media, gaming and general tech potentially affecting children, the science behind making us all happier (and that includes you too mum and dad!) and one amazing child who’s not online but out there and raising money for a hospital. Plus, the fastest way to solve a jigsaw puzzle, a site rating how child friendly movies really are and why snowflakes are just so individual and beautiful.

(Yep, we get that it’s the middle of summer and we’re talking snowflakes, but some of us are melting and need some respite!) 🥵

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European governments are moving to limit underage access to social apps. A Politico investigation reports that EU ministers (led by France, Greece, Spain, Denmark, etc.) want to establish a uniform “digital adulthood” age (around 15) below which kids cannot use TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, etc., without parental. They also propose mandatory age checks (even at the device level) and curbs on addictive features (no autoplay or endless personalisation) to protect youth. These measures – part of upcoming Digital Services Act discussions – aim to curb excessive screen-time and online harms among children.
🔗 See the full Politico article

A global analysis of nearly 300,000 children aged 6–10 found excessive screen time—especially gaming—strongly correlates with higher rates of social, emotional, and behavioural problems. Girls showed more socio-emotional challenges, while boys often used screens to self-soothe. Disrupted sleep patterns and reduced physical activity were also common. Researchers recommend focusing not just on screen-time limits, but on content quality, parental engagement, and promoting offline interactions.
🔗 Source: ABC News / Psychological Bulletin

Dr. Amy Orben, a Cambridge psychologist leading a UK government review on smartphones and youth mental health, is under fire for co-authoring an article opposing school and social media bans. Critics, including MPs and parent groups, argue she has pre-judged the outcome, undermining trust in the review. Orben maintains that bans are simplistic and that policy must be based on complex evidence, not moral panic. The controversy highlights growing tension between calls for urgent action and the slower pace of academic research.
🔗 Source: The Times

UK Science Secretary Peter Kyle, who is dyslexic, highlighted AI’s potential as a personalised tutor for children with dyslexia. He shared how AI tools have aided his own work and spoke at London Tech Week about integrating such technology in classrooms. AI can tailor reading and writing support to individual learning styles, though experts caution it shouldn't fully replace human teaching, especially for early language development. His comments coincide with a broader campaign for earlier dyslexia diagnosis and teacher training.
🔗 Source: The Guardian

For more articles from the week, head over to Wired-Parents.com

Parenting often seems predicated on the fact that your children’s happiness is the most important and that it’s quite normal to neglect your own. That is, until you read research informing you that happier parents are more likely to have happier children.

Dr. Cara Goodwin of Parenting Translator has written a blog post with seven suggestions on how to try and increase your happiness. “Make yourself happier”

Spoiler alert: one of them is giving up social media for an extended period of time!

A nine-year-old "special girl" has organised an event to raise money for hospitals in Worcestershire after a family friend had two heart attacks.

“While having her own things to deal with, she’s put them aside to organise the fundraiser with help from her friends and family. Willow is a special girl I’m grateful to have as a friend”, Mr Smith said.

Know of an amazing child? We would love to showcase achievements, resilience and integrity, now matter how large or small.

Get in touch and let us know and we’ll mention them in a future edition.

🧩 Fastest way to solve a jigsaw puzzle

🍿 Site rating movie’s kid-friendliness in three quick metrics

🧥 Why won’t your child wear a coat? The science behind it!

🐰 Rabbit wanted attention Aw!

❄️ And for those of us in hot climates who can only dream of being in the snow….. how snowflakes get their intricate shapes

A man in a restaurant asked a waiter for a juice glass, a dinner plate, water, a match, and a lemon wedge. The man poured enough water onto the plate to cover it.
"If you can get the water on the plate into this glass without touching or moving this plate, I will give you $100," the man said. "You can use the match and lemon to do this."
A few minutes later, the waiter walked away with $100 in his pocket. How did the waiter get the water into the glass?

If you know the answer, email us with your name and where you are based and we’ll mention you in next week’s edition.

We’ll reveal the answer next week!

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Our mission at Wired Parents is to help you critically evaluate your children’s digital access with insight, inquiry and options from news and opinions along with tools, tips and strategies. Because they’ll either thank you later, or wish you’d fought harder.