Family

The term ‘Social Media Anxiety Disorder (SMAD)’ has been popping up in discussions on the negative effects of social media for several years. I often meet parents who tell me social media has made their child “less social” and “more anxious” about real-life events. So, is SMAD a real thing? And if so how can we cope with it?

A part of the new GDPR is the establishment of a ‘digital age of consent’ -an age at which children can ‘sign up to/join’ an online service which collects, uses and processes their personal data, without the need of parental consent. In this blog, Forensic Psychologist Dr Maureen Griffin talks about the Digital Age of Consent, setting up social media accounts and how to talk to your kids about online safety.

Super Troopers with laya healthcare is the first ever health homework programme in Ireland. It encourages children and their families to become more active and learn about healthy lifestyles. Laya Healthcare got involved in the programme because we wanted to instil healthy habits in children of a young age, with a view to developing positive habits for life. 

Mindfulness is all about becoming aware of your senses and how they are affected by the world around you. This is extra useful for children, because it can help them learn how to deal with complicated feelings they don’t quite understand yet, and help them regulate their emotions and calm themselves down. Try some of these activities with your little ones to learn how everyone can apply them in their daily lives.

Active School Week, from April 23^rd - 27^th is taking place in all primary schools across the country. We have some suggestions for how you can get involved, and have fun!

Now that it’s March, Easter is right around the corner and you’re now probably fretting about the amount of chocolate your tots will manage to get their hands on over the holiday.  If that’s the case, why not have a read through some of our suggestions below for alternative Easter activities and treats.

Spring is an excellent time of year for reflection and rejuvenation and can help keep you motivated to maintain your New Year’s goals. As the evenings begin to extend before our eyes, there are many ways to enjoy our natural surroundings and get some physical activity in, too. Why not try some of our activity suggestions and spring into action with us.

This Safer Internet Day, take a moment to reflect on your current relationship with technology. It is up to us how much of a hold we let technology take on our lives and how we use it –ethically or unethically. As this year’s theme states “a better internet starts with you”. Together with the team at Laya Healthcare, we have created this guide for you. We hope it will serve to help you reflect on your relationship with technology and provide some advice on common internet concerns.

No parent wants to think of their little one as stressed out, anxious or worried, and while we do our best to provide a happy home, stable environment and endless care and support for our children, we know we can’t protect them from every bump, big or small, that life will throw their way. As a parent, it can be difficult to see our children experience any kind of hiccup, whether it’s stress at school or conflict with friends and while it’s important that we allow our children to navigate their way through their lives as they see best, it’s also important for us to arm them with tools to cope so that they can flourish, thrive and succeed in the big bad world.