Children and Youth

Schooling or suicide: The ethical responsibility of educational institutions

Students are dying silently in the places meant to shape their futures. Schools cannot prevent every tragedy, but they also cannot ignore the role they play.

U.S. dietary guidelines spark confusion and apprehension among food and nutrition experts

The recently released U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans has drawn concern from many nutritionists and sparked potential confusion among the public, both within and outside of the country.

Alberta has restricted access to gender based medical care for trans youth. Will the rest of Canada soon follow?

If clinicians cannot demonstrate who is most likely to benefit from pediatric gender-based care, governments may do it for them, with young people paying the price.

The accidental birth tourist: A North American pregnancy

When baby is old enough to know the full story, I cannot wait to share how life was up north, in a place known for its warmth as much as for its cold, that welcomed an American like me without a plan.

The painful struggle: Transitioning to adult medical care with a rare condition

The difference between a safe, supported transition and a dangerous one often comes down to whether the system is a partner in your care – or leaves you to navigate it alone.

‘Children are kids first and sick second’: School adapts for terminally ill child

When a child’s promise of a future is abruptly shattered by a terminal illness, the child and its family have to decide whether to continue with school.

Queering the curriculum: Sexual orientation and gender identity in Canadian comprehensive sexuality education

Comprehensive sexual education plays a vital role in equipping young people with knowledge about their bodies, identities, rights and relationships. But access remains uneven across the country.

Needle phobic? Nasal spray flu vaccine allays fear but has limited access in Canada

Canadians who avoid the flu shot because they fear needles have an alternative that won’t make them hold their breath until it’s over. But availability may pose a problem for access.

I used to envy socially transitioned trans kids for having the childhood I never had. Now I am not so certain.

While more research will continue to provide useful information on how socially transitioned children manage through their adolescence and adulthood, it will never be able to answer whether transitioning is the best choice for any gender-variant child.

Barbie has an insulin pump and CGM too: Why representation in chronic illness education matters

I never had a Barbie with dark hair, brown eyes and an insulin pump when I was growing up. But today’s girls can. And that is progress worth celebrating.

Knit one, purl two on the way to mental health

Addressing rising mental health rates will undoubtedly require a range of different tools, both pharmacological and non-pharmaceutical.

Tylenol misinformation puts pregnant patients at risk

Casting doubt on Tylenol without solid evidence does not empower pregnant people, it corners them. It adds guilt, stigma and undermines their confidence in making safe decisions for themselves and their babies.

Expanding access to disability supports: the case for impact investing

Thanks to limited access to interventions and income thresholds that fail to account for the cost of caregiving, families with children with neurodevelopmental disabilities are often left to pay out-of-pocket for services.

How Hollywood’s obsession with the ‘Dry Look’ harms men and boys

Increasingly distorted male beauty standards have come to celebrate visible dehydration as a physical ideal, posing a significant physiological and psychological danger for men and boys.

Young and at risk: How Canada is failing our future

Across Canada, nearly one in five people aged 15-24 met the criteria for a mood, anxiety or substance use disorder. Outdated, underfunded government responses have allowed these mental health problems to deepen and intersect.

Breathing for both of us

I walked into the obstetrics unit – 36 weeks pregnant, out of breath and scared. I had been here before, but this time was different.

Managing measles better (and cheaper) with family physician home visits

After many years of near absence, measles is back, and public health is scrambling to control its spread. It's time to rethink our strategies for care.

Ontario must address the autism crisis. 60,000 children are waiting for care

Despite billions allocated for autism services, many families are still waiting – sometimes for years. To fix Ontario’s autism services, we should redirect resources toward programs that have been proven to work.

Bouncing back together: How to build resilience among youth

By addressing structural determinants, we can create supportive environments where resilience is not a rare exception but a common experience among all youth.

‘I wish he would have just hit me’: Bill criminalizing ‘insidious’ form of domestic abuse dies with prorogation

Coercive control, a form of intimate partner violence, was nearly criminalized in Canada before parliament was prorogued on Jan. 6. Will new Parliament revive it?