Latest news with #STSmartParenting
Straits Times
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
June school holidays 2025: Take a tech timeout
Find out why excessive screen time is a big issue in Singapore, known as the 'myopia capital of the world'. SINGAPORE – Check out nine2twelve, our new pilot video series on YouTube for those in the age range, where we present news stories, explainers and reviews of youth-targeted activities in a kid-friendly way. These episodes and activities are by the team behind Little Red Dot, a weekly student publication by The Straits Times. In Episode 1, The Straits Times explains why excessive screen time is a burning issue. Too much screen time is one of the reasons Singapore is known as the 'myopia capital of the world', where some 65 per cent of children develop myopia by age 12. Singapore recently rolled out guidelines on screen-time usage, with the Ministry of Health recommending just two hours of screen time a day for seven- to 12-year-olds. Here are some ways you can unplug a little. Watch the video above or go to After that, come back and try these offline activities we've planned for you and your family. Activity 1 Complete one activity and mark out that square by drawing a cross on it. Keep going until you complete five activities in a row, either horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Once you have completed a row, take a photo of your completed card and send it to stdot@ to share your accomplishment. To play this 'offline' bingo card, complete five activities in a row. ST GRAPHICS: JASTER NGUI Activity 2 What would you do if you do not have a mobile phone, tablet, television, game console or money for a day? Draw how you would spend a screen-free day. Send your comics to stdot@ Remember to include your full name, age, level and school. Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
Straits Times
a day ago
- General
- Straits Times
Minor Issues: How emotionally immature parents harm their kids
As parents, we need to be sensitive when a child says he or she is hurt or emotionally troubled by our words or behaviours. ST ILLUSTRATION: MANUEL FRANCISCO SINGAPORE – Parents can fail you. Contrary to the narrative that all parents naturally love and protect their children, some parents can instead be self-preoccupied, egocentric and have little empathy for their progeny. Such emotionally immature parents can go on to raise kids who grow up feeling unseen and lonely. Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
Straits Times
4 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
When squabbling parents turn kids into weapons
In short, when parents fight to get a child on their side - and against the other parent - it is the child who is the biggest victim. PHOTO: ST FILE For most parents, their children are the world to them, whose interests they would go to great lengths to protect. But the same passions can also bring out the worst in feuding partners in divorce cases when the children become the subject of a bitter tug of war. It becomes not just a case of 'who loves you more' but 'why you should love only me', delivered with a litany of pent-up grievances against a former spouse. There is a term for this: 'parental alienation'. Ironically, the toxic effects of 'parental alienation' most harm the child, whose interests both parents claim to be upholding in their fight for care and control. It is for this reason that the courts here have stepped in with measures to protect the child from the damaging effects of the tussle, which could persist in the long term. In short, when parents fight to get a child on their side – and against the other parent – it is the child who is the biggest victim. Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Looking back, how useful was tuition, anyway?
Ms Huang Yi Qing, 19, thinks tuition should not be intended for a complete overhaul of one's grades. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE SINGAPORE – What do young people really think about tuition? Stakeholders such as the authorities, providers and parents have weighed in, over the years, about the role of tuition as the industry continues to grow. Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
Straits Times
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Minor Issues: Don't stop the storytelling even as your kid grows older
SINGAPORE – When was the last time you sat and read a storybook with your child? If, like me, your child is older than seven, it's probably been a while. Naturally, right? It's a relief when children reach the age when they can be left on their own to read books, watch a show, colour, play and do their homework by themselves. That frees us up to do all the things there's never enough time for, like work, chores and some leisure activities. Get the ST Smart Parenting newsletter for expert advice. Visit the microsite for more
