Getting your kid to bed at night is one of the most difficult things you’ll ever have to do. Most kids are so full of energy that they’ll tire you out before they’re halfway through their store of energy. An easy way to encourage your child to get into bed is to give in and allow some iPad screen time. However, as you’ve probably already guessed, it’s really not a great idea.

Researchers at Arizona State University carried out a study with 547 kids between the ages of 7 and 9. Their parents tracked how much screen time the kids were allowed along with their sleeping patterns. They also had the kids wear wristwatches called actigraphs that could help researchers keep track of how long the kids were sleeping. The study found that kids who did not engage in screen time before bed slept for 23 more minutes every week and also went to sleep about 34 minutes earlier than their iPad-using counterparts (同伴). Although that might not seem like so much more time, quality of sleep is very important in children’s development.

The 2018 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that good-quality sleep can influence a child’s life in many ways, including affecting grades. Students with an “A” average slept for 30 or more minutes per night (an average of 6.71 hours) than those with a “D” or “F” average (averaging 6.16 hours). Of course, getting to sleep on time and sleeping enough helps contribute to improved performance in school.

As hard as it is, it’s really important not to give in and hand over an iPad to a child who is about to go to bed. Just like it’s important for adults to go to sleep without any distractions (分心), it’s even more important for kids. The one comforting thought is that finally they’ll outgrow this stage, and soon you’ll have to worry about waking them up as teenagers.

Children are becoming addicted to social media for their sense of self-worth, a major study warned. It found many youngsters measure their status by public approval they get online, often through “likes”. Some change their conduct in real life to improve their image online.

The research into youngsters aged from 8 to 12 was carried out by Children’s Commissioner(专员)Anne Longfield. She said social media firms were exposing children to major psychological risks, with some youngsters starting secondary school ill-equipped to deal with the huge pressure they faced online. Youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk if they didn’t respond to social media posts quickly and around the clock.

Children aged 8 to 10 were “starting to feel happy” when others liked their posts. However, those in the 10 to 12 age group were “concerned with how many people like their posts”, indicating their need for social recognition gets stronger as they become older.

Children tended to compare themselves to others online. “Then there is this push to connect—if offline, will you miss out, will you show you don’t care about those you are following, all come together in a huge way at once.” Miss Longfield said, “For children it’s very difficult to handle.”

The research—involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12—suggested that as they grew, they became increasingly anxious online. Children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for fun. When they started secondary school, they became more conscious of their image online and felt more pressure to ensure popularity of their posts.

However, they still didn’t know how to deal with mean-spirited(刻薄的)jokes, or the possible sense of inability if compared with celebrities or more brilliant friends online. They also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day.

Schools and parents must do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield(雷区). Social media companies must “take more responsibility” and monitor websites better or adjust their websites to the needs of youngsters. It’s also hugely important for parents to know which apps their children are using.

Population ageing refers to the situation in which the average age of the citizens of a country increases as a result of longer life expectancy（预期寿命）of its citizens or a reduction in the number of births every year.Today, both developed and developing countries around the world are experiencing an increase in the average age of its citizens with a growing proportion（比例）of elders in the population.

An increase in the proportion of elderly persons in the population leads to a growing pool of volunteers.This has been considered as a global advantage where the elderly contribute free labor to community and government projects after retirement.These elders are more comfortable financially（财政上）and find pleasure in giving back to their communities and countries.Besides,older people are more experienced than younger people,and they can make use of their experience to help uphold morals（维护道德）and values in a country.

What's more,an ageing population has something to do with fewer children.This can save much cost because less money has to be used to meet the needs of fewer children and young people in the economy.This would result in lower public education cost,lower health-care cost and other social programs that are provided for children by the government.

However,there are also a lot of disadvantages.For example,an increase in the proportion of the elderly in the population raises questions as to how best to support them after retirement.Also older people are more likely to suffer from illnesses,so an increasing number of sick persons will put pressure on health care,which might not be able to meet the demand.

Furthermore,an ageing population also increases competition for jobs,especially if the retirement age is extended（延长）.As older members of the population have a longer time to retire,young people will find it more difficult to find jobs.In this case,fewer innovations（创新）and changes take place in organizations because companies are limited to old ways of doing things.

So,in order to solve these problems brought by an aging population,careful long-term strategic planning is required.The elderly are important and they have much to offer in helping the young people to understand their purpose in life.An increase in social enterprises（规划）should be the trend to help get the elderly involved in young people's lives.