Birthrates are plummeting worldwide. Can governments turn the tide?

Nations are deploying baby bonuses, subsidised childcare and parental leave to try to reverse a rapidly declining fertility rate – largely to no avail

Coming of Age by Lucy Foulkes review – the truth about teenagers

From being popular to taking risks, this wise and revelatory study overturns received wisdom about adolescence

I’m an expert on adolescence: here’s why a smartphone ban isn’t the answer, and what we should do instead

Jonathan Haidt’s bestselling book blames social media for a decline in teenage mental health. But is he right?

‘A full tummy means pupils can concentrate.’ But is Labour’s school breakfast plan bold enough?

A Midlands school outlines its flexible approach to running its daily club and reacts to Labour’s £365m free breakfast policy

The Guardian view on maternity care failures: birth trauma can and should be reduced

Editorial: A pioneering report from MPs should lead to much-needed improvements in the treatment of new mothers by the NHS

Florida ‘callously’ strips healthcare from thousands of children despite new law

Governor Ron DeSantis’s challenging of a ‘continuous eligibility’ rule has booted over 22,500 children off insurance since January

I know I want at least one baby. But the more I learn about motherhood, the more terrifying it seems

Even supposedly ‘positive’ birth stories make my heart sink. Am I just going to have to make a leap of faith, asks Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff

Labour considers ban on sale of energy drinks to children

Measure has been proposed for inclusion in election manifesto amid rising health concerns for young people

Motherhood is saying ‘I can’t do this any more’ – then doing it

What if we reminded each other that our lives are not naturally unbearable but they are made so by the powers that be?

Children living near green spaces ‘have stronger bones’

Bone strength is set in childhood so better park access could prevent fractures in older people, study finds

Failure to stem rising cost of formula in UK putting babies at risk, say experts

Leading doctors and charities urge children’s health minister to take action to support struggling families

My parents and in-laws are making inappropriate comments about my baby. Should I let them go?

You are allowed to have rules about how you and your child are treated, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith, but enforcing them will feel awful

‘It’s extortionate’: a mother’s struggle to afford rising price of baby formula

Lone parent Rebecca Anderson feels women in UK who do not breastfeed are being penalised after 25% price rise

My grandmother’s support – and Creole cooking – helped me to love myself when I didn’t know how

When I felt lonely growing up, my grandmother’s company and cuisine were a soothing balm

‘Upending the genre’: the children’s author rewriting the rules of sex ed

A new trio of books for kids focuses on consent, kindness and curiosity. Author Cory Silverberg explains why we need to rethink talking with young people about sex