Kids | KPBS Public Media

Kids

Health

Gene therapy for muscular dystrophy stirs hopes and controversy

Rob Stein

The FDA is considering greenlighting the experimental treatment under its accelerated approvals program. Some critics point out the therapy isn't yet proven to work and may be costly.
National

Montana House votes to formally punish transgender lawmaker, Rep. Zooey Zephyr

Shaylee Ragar

Acacia Squires

Republicans in the Montana House have voted to formally punish Democratic state Rep. Zephyr by banning her from attending or speaking during floor sessions. She will be allowed to vote remotely.
Health

Study finds gun assault rates doubled for children in 4 major cities during pandemic

Sammy Caiola

A study of roughly 2,700 shootings in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia found widening racial disparities after the pandemic began, with black children the most frequent victims.
National

Montana GOP doubles down after blocking trans lawmaker from speaking, citing decorum

Shaylee Ragar

State Rep. Zooey Zephyr has been barred from speaking following her controversial comments on legislation to ban gender-affirming care. Wednesday, the House could vote to censure or expel Zephyr.
Health

Diet culture can hurt kids. This author advises parents to reclaim the word 'fat'

Tonya Mosley

Journalist Virginia Sole-Smith says efforts to fight childhood obesity have caused kids to absorb an onslaught of body-shaming messages. Her new book is Fat Talk.
Health

The truth about teens, social media and the mental health crisis

Michaeleen Doucleff

A striking decline in teen mental health has coincided with the rise of smartphones and social media. Is social media causing the mental health challenges? Finally, research can answer that question.
National

Minnesota to join at least 4 other states in protecting transgender care this year

Dana Ferguson

Scott Maucione

Bente Birkeland

Rick Pluta

Colin Jackson

Acacia Squires

In 2023, a record number of states have passed rules or legislation to eliminate youth gender-affirming care, but a record number of states have also moved to protect care for trans youth and adults.
Health

Why millions of kids aren't getting their routine vaccinations

Rhitu Chatterjee

COVID-19 disrupted health care across the globe. causing the biggest drop in childhood vaccination rates in decades. UNICEF's latest estimates find that nearly 50 million children entirely missed out.
Science & Technology

COVID during pregnancy may alter brain development in boys

Jon Hamilton

Boys born to mothers who got COVID-19 while pregnant seem to have a higher risk of subtle developmental delays, including those associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Health

13 years after bariatric surgery, a 27-year-old says it changed her life

Yuki Noguchi

Maria Caprigno was one of the youngest people in the U.S. to get the surgery. As parents and doctors grapple with the obesity treatment for teens, Caprigno cites the long-term benefits.