Interesting links, articles, news and blog posts sent out to members on 03/10/25.
Paper: AI in Childhood and the Need for Paediatric Input – Acta Paediatrica
3 June 2025, Aric Sigman. Schools and parents have been receiving guidance on AI for children from experts in educational technology, digital literacy, and most prominently the AI industry itself. However, the paediatric health profession, who’ve been excluded from this discussion and whose sole focus is on child health and development now have concerns surrounding children using AI, adding a new important dimension:
Link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/apa.70180?domain=author&token=FKEZXTZEDRN8KPX48SJU
Long Read: Ofsted: Early years sector welcomes Inspection reforms but raises more concerns – Nursery World
1 October 2025, Katy Morton. Sector has praised the removal of the single-word judgement, but some say the inspection process will remain a stressful experience unless the reforms go further:
Article: Long COVID is here to stay—even in children – The Lancet
30 September 2025, Danilo Buonsenso. The take-home message from this study is clear: long COVID is here to stay, even in children, and can be exacerbated by reinfections and sustained by high viral circulation:
Link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(25)00496-7/fulltext
Radio Series: PhD student explores the systemic issues behind children’s health problems in new BBC Radio 4 Series – King’s College London
30 September 2025, Dr Guddi Singh. Dr Guddi Singh, PhD candidate at the School of Education, Communication and Society, debuts her BBC Radio 4 series exploring the social determinants of health in England:
Interview: Ofsted’s Jayne Coward: ‘We’re hoping that the changes are fair and empathetic for professionals ‘ – Nursery World
30 September 2025. Nursery World sat down with Ofsted’s deputy director for early years regulatory policy and practice, Jayne Coward, to talk about the changes to Ofsted inspections and the replacement of the single effectiveness grade:
Blog: The legacy of Covid on children and the task ahead – Children’s Commissioner
30 September 2025. As hearings for Module 8 of the Covid Inquiry begin, we are reminded once again of the profound and lasting impact the pandemic has had on children’s lives. The Inquiry provides an opportunity to reflect not only on what happened, but also on how we can rebuild: ensuring that the legacy of Covid is a renewed focus on children’s wellbeing, safety, and education:
Link: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/blog/the-legacy-of-covid-on-children-and-the-task-ahead/
Study: Mental health of children and young people with pre-existing eating problems during the COVID-19 pandemic – PubMed
29 September 2025. The study sought to explore mental health trajectories of children and young people (CYP) who retrospectively reported eating problems prior to the pandemic, over a 2-year period (2021-23):
Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41023255/
Neuroscience Article: Study links greater inequality to structural changes in children’s brains – The Guardian Online
30 September 2025, Tobi Thomas. Researchers say findings show inequality creates toxic environment and reducing it is ‘a public health imperative’:
News: Combination inhaler reduces asthma attacks in children by almost half – Imperial College, London
28 September 2025, Samantha Rey. Findings from a trial comparing the real-world effectiveness of asthma inhalers could reshape how children with asthma are treated:
Link: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/news/269013/combination-inhaler-reduces-asthma-attacks-children/amp/
Article: Ban on selling high-caffeine energy drinks to children welcomed – British Dental Journal
26 September 2025. Children will be protected from the harm caused by high-caffeine energy drinks under new proposals to ban their sale to under-16s:
Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41415-025-9227-9
Joint Statement: Our joint statement on the US government’s autism announcement – Ambitious About Autism
22 September 2025. Alongside other leading UK autism charities including the Autism Alliance, Autistica and the National Autistic Society, Ambitious About Autism have issued a joint response:
Report: Preventing and Tackling Adverse Childhood Experiences – The Leathersellers’ Foundation
11 September 2025. The report reflects on what was learnt during the first year of a five-year strategy working to prevent and tackle Adverse Childhood Experiences:
Link: https://leathersellers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/11.9.25-Leathersellers-ACEs-Report.pdf
Report: Girls’ Attitudes Survey – Girlguiding
Summer 2025. Every year we ask over 2,500 girls and young women aged 7 to 21, both inside and outside of guiding, to tell us how they feel about their everyday lives:
Link: https://www.girlguiding.org.uk/campaigns/girls-attitudes-survey/
Publication: From policy to practice: a review of whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing guidance – Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition & the Schools Wellbeing Partnership
25 July 2025. 2025 marks a decade since Government guidance on whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing was first published, and positive progress has been made on implementing whole school and college approaches: