Is there a link between screens and ADHD?

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Hello parental equivalents,

I hope you are getting to spend some time with your younglings this summer. We were away in a place that (allegedly) had no internet. Turns out it did in fact have internet, and my children sniffed it out like bloodhounds sniff out a trail. But we still managed to have some fun. Shockingly, my kids are now old enough to beat me in board games, like Scruples, that require you to persuade other players of your opinions. They can also beat me at almost all activities which require physical prowess. My spouse and I remain ascendant in those that require persistence and guile. I have never been a gracious loser, but it's a very profound pleasure to watch your children surpass you at something, even if it's something you're supposed to be quite good at, like words. Perhaps that's how we know we really love someone; the utter absence of jealousy.(PS Than you to the many readers who replied to last newsletter to say I underestimated how much a score was. Still, it was a lot of socks.)

If you have any ideas you want to share, I'm still at belinda.luscombe@time.com or @luscombeland on Twitter.

P.S. If you like this newsletter, please pass it on to a friend. And if you got it from a friend, sign up here for email delivery each Friday. You know, more or less.

roundup

A new study has found that there could be a link between pregnancies and Alzheimers. The study is very preliminary, but it seemed to suggest that women who have three or more children have a lower risk of Alzheimers than those who had one. (The researchers caution that folks should not rush out and have more kids, just to ward off dementia. Kids come with other mental health costs, after all.) TIME

One thing we learned about Americans this summer is that—no matter their politics—most of them don't think parents and children should be separated. TIME followed one mother from Arizona across the United States as different volunteers took her to be united with her children, who were in New York City. It's fascinating to watch how regular people can be galvanized by a parent's love. TIME

Ever suspected your kids' screen habits may be destroying their ability to concentrate? You could be right. A new study has found a connection between increased screen time and ADHD among teens. Adolescents who checked their screens more were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD years later. However, before screaming "I told you so!" and stomping on your kids phones (much as I sympathize), you should know that the study didn't prove causality. Did teens who checked their screens more do so because they had attention issues or did the screen-checking induce the checking issues? It's not clear yet. Worth reading this story and keeping and eye on the issue, though. TIME

Here is a cool interactive map of where mothers and fathers of infants get paid family leave. No, you're not imagining it; the US ranks right up, or down, there with South Sudan. World Policy Center

This woman's mentor told her that she had to choose between being a mother and being a successful executive. She said nothing. Now she's the CEO of U.S. arm of the German electronics giant Siemens and a mom and grandma. (Suck it, mentor!) But many studies suggest that the motherhood penalty—the cost women absorb when they have kids— is real. Women who have kids face considerable challenges from without and within as they pursue their careers. Here's how this CEO did it. Motto

It would be wise, says this Australian academic, to weigh kids at school. But not for the reasons that you think. The Conversation

PFFT: Parenting from Famous Types

Bo Burnham, actor, director and parent of none

"Before if you wanted to appeal to kids you had to go through their parents because their parents would turn off the TV or not buy them the thing. So you had to have some responsibility. But now kids have phones and you can advertise to them just to their base interests. So we literally have buildings full of hundreds of employees that are the entire company is based off the interests of tweens. Which gets weird quick."

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