Dr Justin Coulson's Happy Families

Evidence suggests that META and other big tech companies are purposefully hurting kids through their lack of content moderation and their choice of harmful persuasive design features.

Justin and Kyli…

Family life is a constant challenge of working out where your priorities are at any moment: Justin and Kylie must choose between a quick weekend getaway and tackling their to-do list! Plus, the flow-…

This Week in Parenting:

1. Perhaps the most polarising Paris Olympic story was that of Aussie Olympic breakdancer Rachel Gunn. International meme fodder, or pure gold for sparking meaningful conversati…

Today, I had an insightful interview with Dany Elachi, founder of The Heads Up Alliance, examining the No Phones policy that every school in the country should be implementing—the benefits, the evide…

If your family was invited to participate in a reality TV show would it be an easy "yes!", a "no way!", or would you deliberate? Alan, from the USA, asks Dr Justin for his opinion.

Kirsty questions i…

The 2024 NAPLAN results have shown that one in three students are below educational standards, with almost 400,000 students requiring catch up tutoring.

The results also show that around a quarter of…

Parenting and family life is a continuous striving to get the balance right. Family meetings can help with this struggle, providing guideposts so that everyone is on the same page. Inviting kids to b…

The reality is that our children can hear. They are listening. They just won't do as they are asked! We share five things you can do to make your kids WANT to listen, building stronger relationships …

Justin is answering two listener questions in this episode.

Christina from the United States is wondering how she can get a less than cooperative teenager to put away the screens and get to bed, even…

Does "risky play" make you excited or very nervous? The research is clear regarding the many benefits to children who engage in risky play. With it becoming increasingly hard to find public spaces th…

Saying goodbye to loved ones has been the cause for much reflection for Justin, including the acknowledgment that owning our own mortality allows us to invest more fully in life.

Kylie describes a re…

From the Doctor's Desk today we unpack three studies relevant to parents and families.

First, an intervention that could decrease the likelihood of developing a peanut allergy by 71% (N.B. we are not…

A conversation with Adam Voigt, Founder and CEO of Real Schools on the importance of student engagement, how parents can support and advocate for teachers, and why we need to make schools a diverse e…

Amy from Melbourne has been trying to boost her families wellbeing, and while she's been doing all of the tried and traditional methods, she is wondering what the benefits of indoor plants are for he…

If you have a child with a natural talent or a burning desire to succeed in a sport or other activity, how do you cultivate a successful (perhaps even elite) level of performance and raise them to ha…

There are times when a parent's relationship with their child feels strained and difficult. Kylie shares what it can look like to cultivate these challenging relationships, giving hope to any parent …

Book Club - the episode where Justin and Kylie forget about the parenting stuff and share what they have been reading. Today, a book review from a very special guest: their 10-year-old daughter Emili…

Building strong, lasting family relationships is a long-term process. When done well, regular family meetings can completely change how your family feels and functions now and in the future

Justin an…

Bec, from Sydney, has a 2-year-old who keeps running towards the road when out at parks, playgrounds, and shops. Running away is developmentally normal: little kids love to explore. But it's also ver…

Should we be making our children apologise when they do the wrong thing? What does a sincere apology look like?

In this episode:

• Parental Guidance (S1): “Forcing children to apologise is teaching ch…