The latest research, translated for your family

A study of nearly 3 million children links more screen time with weaker development

A University of Calgary umbrella review in JAMA Pediatrics (September 28) combined 23 meta-analyses covering children from 64 countries. More screen time was associated with poorer outcomes in thinking, learning, speech, behaviour and emotional regulation. Most effects were small.

Why it matters for your child: Small effects add up when nearly every child is exposed. Screens are a daily choice families can shape, which is exactly what our Viveka and Tapas weeks practise.

Source: CTV News / Associated Press

Teachers gain a bigger voice in classroom AI

Microsoft reached an agreement with the American Federation of Teachers on AI guardrails and privacy standards for schools. Separately, a Cambridge University Press & Assessment report urged policymakers to shape AI-in-schools policy with teachers and to invest in sustained teacher training.

Why it matters for your child: The question has moved from whether children use AI at school to how they use it safely and well. Judgment about AI is now a core life skill.

Source: Education Week: Artificial Intelligence · FE News: Cambridge report

A proposed pause on AI toys for young children

Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering HB 2637, which would place a three-year moratorium on selling AI-driven toys meant for children under 13. It is a proposal, not yet law.

Why it matters for your child: Lawmakers are starting to treat AI companions for young children with caution. Talk with your child about the difference between a toy that talks and a friend who cares.

Source: Transparency Coalition: AI legislative update, Oct 2, 2026

More top colleges require the SAT or ACT again

For 2026–27 admissions, a growing group of highly selective universities require test scores, including Harvard, Yale, Penn, Brown, Dartmouth, Cornell, Stanford and MIT. Still, about 93% of US colleges remain test-optional or test-free.

Why it matters for your child: For families aiming at the most selective universities, steady test preparation matters again, alongside a strong record of character and leadership.

Source: Compass Education Group: Testing policies in the spotlight

AI tutors can double learning, if children actually use them

In a Harvard randomised trial, students learning physics with a well-designed AI tutor gained more than twice as much as students in an active-learning class. But Khan Academy reports only about 15% of students with access to its AI tutor use it on their own.

What it means for your child: Access isn't the problem. Habit is. AI helps the child who sits down to learn, and that takes discipline (Tapas).

Try at home: Set a fixed 20-minute 'AI tutor time' after school. Rule: the AI asks, your child answers. Never the other way round.

Source: Kestin et al., Scientific Reports, 2025 · Khanmigo usage report

Free 'study modes' are now built into ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude

In 2025 all three major AI assistants launched learning modes that guide with questions instead of handing over answers: Claude Learning Mode (April), ChatGPT Study Mode (July) and Gemini Guided Learning (August).

What it means for your child: Your teen's AI can be a tutor or a shortcut. The setting matters.

Try at home: If your child is old enough under the tool's age terms, turn on the study or learning mode together and agree when it may be used.

Source: TechCrunch, Aug 2025 · AI study modes compared

Six lessons doubled teens' ability to spot unreliable websites

In a Stanford randomised study, high-school students who received six 50-minute lessons in 'lateral reading' (checking who is behind a source by opening new tabs, as fact-checkers do) were twice as likely to spot questionable websites.

What it means for your child: Judging information (Viveka) is a teachable skill, and it's quick to learn.

Try at home: Next time your child shares a claim from the internet, ask: 'Who is behind this? Open a new tab and check.'

Source: Stanford Graduate School of Education

Naming emotions is linked to better grades

A randomised trial of Yale's RULER approach across 62 elementary schools found more positive classrooms, stronger work habits and higher English grades.

What it means for your child: Emotional vocabulary isn't 'soft'. It supports learning.

Try at home: At dinner, each person names one feeling from their day with a precise word (frustrated, proud, nervous), not just 'fine'.

Source: CASEL Program Guide: RULER

Leadership is the fastest-rising skill employers want

The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 found 'leadership and social influence' rose 22 percentage points as a core skill, the largest rise of any skill, alongside resilience and curiosity.

What it means for your child: The skills that protect your child's future are human ones.

Try at home: Give your child one real responsibility this week that others depend on, like planning a family meal or a weekend outing.

Source: WEF Future of Jobs 2025

AI is becoming a compulsory school subject around the world

Beijing made AI education compulsory in all primary and secondary schools from September 2025. The UAE made it mandatory from kindergarten to Grade 12. India's CBSE introduces Computational Thinking and AI for Classes 3–8 from 2026–27. A 2025 US executive order launched the Presidential AI Challenge.

What it means for your child: Your child will learn about AI at school. What schools rarely teach is when to trust it, and the character to use it well.

Try at home: Ask your child what they learned about AI this week, and one thing AI got wrong.

Source: CGTN: Beijing AI education · UAE AI curriculum · CBSE CT & AI curriculum

Classroom mindfulness didn't help at scale, but home practice did

The largest trial of school mindfulness (MYRIAD, 8,376 students aged 10–14 in the UK) found no overall benefit from the classroom programme. Students who practised at home did report better mental health.

What it means for your child: Calm is built by daily habit at home, not by a lesson alone.

Try at home: Two minutes of slow breathing (in for 4, out for 6) together before homework, every day for a week.

Source: MYRIAD trial (PMC)

More than 1 in 3 young people lack a clear sense of purpose

Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that 39% of Gen Z say having a sense of purpose is only 'a little' or 'not at all' true for them. Students with more engaging school experiences report more purpose and better wellbeing.

What it means for your child: Purpose (Dharma) can be grown, and it starts with being asked.

Try at home: Ask your child: 'What do people already come to you for help with?' Their answer is a first clue to purpose.

Source: Gallup: Gen Z and purpose