children

Russia struck Kyiv again, injuring three civilians, including two children, according to Ukrainian news reports being shared widely. Commenters are denouncing the attack as a war crime and calling for continued international attention and media coverage of strikes on civilian areas in the Ukrainian capital.

The Israeli military has released footage it says shows a militant in Gaza using a child to transfer weapons into a civilian home. The claim highlights the IDF's accusations that armed groups embed military activity among civilians and use children in combat support roles. The footage is drawing attention as the war in Gaza continues and both sides exchange allegations over the conduct of hostilities.

A Russian guided aerial bomb strike on Sumy, Ukraine, on Sunday 27 September killed two people, including a 16-year-old girl, and injured five others, according to Oleh Hryhorov, head of the regional military administration. The attack drew renewed attention to ongoing Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities and their toll on civilians, including children.

More than 500 million children across conflict- and crisis-affected regions, including Gaza, Sudan and Nepal, lack access to adequate education, according to a widely carried report by US outlets. Aid organisations are warning that interrupted schooling in war zones and disaster areas risks a lost generation, as schools are destroyed, displaced families move repeatedly, and funding for emergency education programmes falls far short of needs.

New figures circulating online detail the collapse of UNRWA services in Gaza. Before the war, some 300,000 children attended 288 UNRWA-run schools, while the agency operated 22 healthcare centres across the Strip. Only six of those medical facilities remain active, with schooling effectively brought to a halt, fuelling calls for a ceasefire and renewed international support for the UN agency.

A Washington Post report says Ukrainian boarding schools are preparing teenagers to eventually take up arms, training a generation of boys whose fathers have been killed in the war with Russia. The story highlights how the conflict is shaping Ukraine's youth, with schools now playing a role in military preparation as the country faces prolonged personnel losses.

Two people were killed in Sumy, Ukraine, including a 16-year-old girl, after a Russian glide bomb strike. One of the hits landed near the city centre, close to a family and children support centre, which was fortunately empty at the time of the impact. The strike comes amid ongoing Russian attacks on border regions of Ukraine.

A widely shared message on Mastodon tags the United Nations, the UN General Assembly, the European Union and the African Union alongside references to the Genocide Convention, the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute, framing a demand for accountability over alleged crimes against humanity. The post focuses on impunity, human rights and the protection of children, but names no specific country or conflict, so the precise event driving the discussion remains unclear.

Russian education officials are promoting a nursery curriculum focused on native culture, customs and moral guidelines, arguing this matters more than teaching young children letters and numbers. Critics, including Ukrainian commentators, are mocking the plan, noting reports that toddlers will even be taught practical tasks like house construction. Many see it as ideologically driven indoctrination displacing basic literacy and numeracy from early childhood education.

A mother in South Carolina's Upstate region has been charged with attempted murder in connection with her two children. Details about the children's conditions, the mother's identity and the circumstances of the alleged attack have not yet been released. The case is likely to draw close attention as local authorities release more information.

An opinion piece in The Providence Journal argues that cuts to legal aid funding are putting immigrant children in Rhode Island at risk. The article contends that without legal representation, these children face serious obstacles navigating immigration proceedings. The piece calls attention to the consequences of reduced funding for legal services serving young immigrants in the state.

The Times of India reports that low-quality, mass-produced AI-generated content — 'AI slop' — is increasingly filling children's social media feeds. The piece raises concerns about kids being served synthetic videos and images optimized for engagement rather than quality, and what that means for young viewers' attention, media literacy and safety online.

Schoolchildren in England who do not own smartphones are being charged higher bus fares than their peers, the Guardian reports. Discounted child fares are often tied to mobile ticketing apps, meaning pupils without a phone must pay more for paper tickets or cash fares. Critics say the pricing system effectively penalises children whose families have chosen not to give them a smartphone, prompting debate about fairness and digital exclusion.