In Brief

HOME SAFETY Parents take precautions to childproof their homes, but a study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill reveals that they often ignore one major safety issue: keeping guns away from their kids. Among gun owners with children under age seven at home, 57% said they do not keep the firearms in a locked compartment, and 36% admitted that they keep their guns loaded.

HAPPY TOGETHER The nuclear family may not be as endangered as it sometimes seems. According to a recent report by the U.S. Census, the percentage of American children living with both biological parents jumped from 51% to 56% between 1991 and 1996. Researchers attribute the increase to declining divorce rates, more men and women marrying and having children at an older age than in the past, and an increase in kids living with parents who are cohabiting without getting married.

VIDEO VIOLENCE Researchers at Kansas State University have found evidence that violent entertainment may affect children's brains. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to monitor brain activity of eight kids ages eight to 13, researchers found that watching violent images activated a part of the brain that stores memories of traumatic events. The study implies that the brain may not distinguish between fictional and actual violence.