A University of Washington (UW) study has examined what authors describe as “a missed opportunity” for voice-activated devices, or digital assistants, such as Siri and Alexa, to reach every member of the family.

Researchers, doctors, public health officials and parents are all trying to make sense of the impact of screen time on children.

Young children who undergo routine surgery, such as having their tonsils out, are “greatly impacted” by the anxiety levels of the adults around them when it comes to memories of post-surgery pain, according to a study from the University of Calgary, which has also been published in medical journal Pain.

Researchers from Penn State University have found that children between the ages of three and five are susceptible to the ‘portion size’ effect – the tendency to eat more when larger portions are served – finding that children will consume more, both in terms of weight and calories – when larger portions of meals and snacks are available.

Researchers have found that food insecurity – having limited access to sufficient safe and nutritious food at home – negatively impacts on learning across the education life span. The news will be of interest to those in the Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector, with research showing that two in five families seek food assistance from charities to combat food insecurity in Australia each year.