Fantasy books, mystery, dystopian stories, personal diaries, and traditional tales in block letters, cursive, or print. And sagas, many sagas. Students from Institut Escola Sant Felip Neri in Barcelona, aged 4 to 15, have recommended their favorite books and also those that once opened the door to the enjoyment of reading. These are their recommendations for this Sant Jordi.

Between 1996 and 1998, the Montsolís family, owners of wineries in Penedès, entered many Catalan homes through television. Nissaga de poder, the afternoon daily series on TV3, popularized a woman's name that until then was anecdotal in Catalonia: Abril. Actress Mónica López played the character of Abril Montsolís, much loved by the audience, daughter of Raimon Montsolís, the younger brother of the winery owners.

What should the relationship between parents and their children be like when the latter begin to delve into the world of social media? How do the algorithms work? What security measures should families and children take? Or what red lines cannot be crossed to guarantee good management? A window in your pocket (Editorial Mediterrània) is a family story, funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, that answers all these questions. The story stems from three years of research by communication PhDs Mireia Montaña Blasco, from the UOC, and Mònika Jiménez-Morales, from the UPF, on how young people use social media. More than 1,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 18 participated in the research, explaining how they use platforms like TikTok and what the consequences are.

WhatsApp has announced that it will implement parental controls for minors under 14 years of age who use this application. According to Meta, the owner of WhatsApp, with this step families will be able to configure the application so that their children can only call and send messages through the application. Among the functions they will not be able to access are deleting messages once sent, accessing statuses or artificial intelligence.

The Council of Ministers recently approved the new Sustainable Development Strategy 2030, which includes the long-awaited universal childcare allowance, or in other words, the aid of 200 euros per dependent child per month (€2,400 per year). The Spanish government's dual objective with this measure is, on the one hand, to provide financial assistance to families and, on the other, to combat poverty and child exclusion, which currently affect one in three children in Spain. But when will it come into effect? ​​Will all families have access? Will it replace other forms of aid? Will it affect income tax returns? Creatures We have spoken with the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and Agenda 2030 to resolve these and other questions that have been sent to us by our readers through our social media channels.

For years, the names Juan and José were given to many babies born in Catalonia, hence the popular saying "There are Juans, Josés, and donkeys in every house." But in recent decades, this trend has reversed. In the case of Josep, after a boom in the 1950s and 60s, when more than 15,000 babies were given this name, its popularity plummeted from the 2000s onward: from 2010 to 2019, only 602 babies were named Josep, and between 2010 and 2019, only 109.

If there's one girl's name that has consistently topped the popularity charts in recent years, it's Martina. The last time it reached the number one spot was in 2023, but between 2010 and 2016 it held the top position five times. In fact, the last decade saw a Martina boom: 7,585 girls were given that name, and although it's still popular, it has lost some ground between 2020 and 2023, with 1,663 girls bearing that name. It now occupies third place, behind Sofía and Julia.

The peak in the number of children named Antoni occurred during the 1960s. Since then, its popularity has plummeted, with fewer and fewer families choosing this name. In fact, only 28 children born between 2020 and 2023 bear this name. According to Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), this decline can be seen as part of "the natural cycle of names." "This has always happened; names have their cycles, but while the cycle used to last for centuries, now we're talking about decades," says Calafell. He adds that if a name becomes "associated with grandparents—with the exception of people who specifically choose it—it doesn't usually become trendy." However, the average age of those named Antonis is 50.7 years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

If there's a name that evokes Christmas, it's Noel: it's of French origin and comes from the word Christmas, what does it mean ChristmasHowever, it's not a popular name. There are only 6,745 men with this name in Spain, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), with an average age of 21.9 years. The highest concentration of men with this name is found in Galicia, Asturias, León, and Cáceres. In Catalonia, there are 1,202 men named Noel; a quarter of them were born between 2010 and 2019, and more than half were born after 2000. The most common regions are Garraf, the Lleida regions (Pallars Jussà, Pla d'Urgell, Urgell, and Segrià), and Segrià. "This points to the influence of Galician immigration, even though it's a name associated with relatively young people," says Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF). "In some sparsely populated areas, such as Pallars Jussà or Pla d'Urgell, with just two or three, the frequency skyrockets," he adds.

"When Donald Trump was returning from his morning prayers and heading towards the golf course, he slipped while hitting a ball. At that very moment, a member of his staff pushed another, who ended up falling on top of a third worker carrying a tray with a glass of wine. Trump bled to death. Why, curiously, was there no doctor on duty? Quim is in fifth grade and is one of the children who participate in the after-school program." Little journalists At the Baixeras School, near Via Laietana in Barcelona, the program, which began this school year and is subsidized by the Catalan Government's Department of Language Policy, is organized by Fundesplai in collaboration with ARA. It takes place in eight schools, serving a large number of newly arrived students between the ages of 9 and 12 who are interested in learning about the journalism profession. Four of the schools are located in Barcelona and the other four in the metropolitan area. "I have two types of students: those who are passionate about journalism and those who struggle with the Catalan language, and the course helps them improve their writing and speaking skills," explains the instructor, Oriol Domingo, a fourth-year journalism student at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). "What I do is adapt the different activities to all levels," adds Domingo, who has worked in various local media outlets and also teaches this extracurricular program at three other schools.

Rosalía is a name of Latin origin that the singer from Sant Esteve Sesrovires has popularized, but it's practically nonexistent in the census. It's not a name that families today choose when naming their daughters. We've gone from around 600 women with the name Rosalía (with and without the accent) in the 1950s to fewer than ten today. The average age of Rosalías in Spain is 61.5 years, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Zamora, Salamanca, Almería, and Ourense are the provinces where we find the most. Because it's such an uncommon name, "any fluctuation attracts attention, such as the concentration of several Rosalías in the municipality of Capçanes, in the Priorat region. Could they be from the same family?" wonders Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Biology CSIC-UPF, who adds that it's also a name that is sometimes spelled Italia (Italy).

The Ministry of Youth and Children is working to regulate the exposure of minors by parents and other adults on social media, known as sharentingThe data is compelling: nine out of ten Spanish families share content of their children between the ages of 9 and 17 on social networks such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok once a month, according to a study by the cybersecurity company AVG, and up to 81% of babies already have a presence on social networks before they turn six months old.

Almost everyone has fallen into the trap of rewarding their children for tasks that are their responsibility, like going to the movies if they get along well during a long adult meal, or buying them packs of that sticker collection they love so they'll do their homework quietly and with focus. But is it advisable to reward them in these situations?

On November 16, 2003, Leo Messi made his Barça first-team debut at just 16 years old, and in 2009, he won his first Ballon d'Or. Immediately after, between 2010 and 2019, the name Leo skyrocketed among babies born in Catalonia. Last year, it was the seventh most popular name, although by 2022 it had risen to second. Until 2000, there were only 38 children named Leo in Catalonia, but now there are 5,849, 64% of whom were born between 2010 and 2019. The average age of boys named Leo across the country is 6.7 years, according to data from the INE (National Institute of Statistics and Census). "It's a name clearly linked to the Leo Messi phenomenon; the children's ages indicate this," says Francesc Calafell, a researcher at the CSIC-UPF Institute of Evolutionary Biology. "It's still early, but perhaps we'll also see a surge in Alexias and Aitanas," he adds.

Carles Granell is a primary school teacher at the Sant Lluís School in the Prosperidad neighborhood of Barcelona and a professor of mathematics education at the University of Barcelona. He is also a member of the Federation of Mathematics Education Entities of Catalonia (FEEMCAT), which organized the Catalan Congress on Mathematics Education in Lleida last July, where hundreds of teachers analyzed the state of mathematics and how its learning could be improved.

For four years, from 14th to second grade, Martí had the same tutor at the public school where he attends. The boy formed a strong bond with the teacher, but his mother—and indeed most families—believed a change was necessary, mainly so the children would learn other ways of teaching and interacting. However, the truth is that it was fortunate that he was able to make the transition from preschool to elementary school with the same teacher, since the change of grade took Martí's strength, and maintaining this familiar figure made it less burdensome. Marc's daughter, Aurora, attends a Montessori school. There, students have the same tutor for three consecutive years, but several situations led to a loss of trust from the family toward the teacher, which ended with the demand for a change of tutor.

There is names clearly associated with the territory, such as Tura in Olot, Gil in Osona, Vinyet in Sitges, and Mercè in Barcelona. But is Mercè really a popular name in the city—with Eulalia's permission—that is the patron saint? If we look at the statistics, we could say that the Mercè festivities are more popular than the name itself.

Those who have become parents in recent weeks should know that the parental leave and childcare leave have undergone changes this September. Each parent will have three more weeks of paid leave (one for birth, adoption, or foster care, and the other two for childcare), while for single-parent families, the measure will be six weeks (two for birth and four for childcare). The measures were approved by the Congress of Deputies this month and came into effect on September 11. All parliamentary groups except Vox, which abstained, approved them.

Most summer bites don't cause health problems, but it's still important to be vigilant. This is the advice from Sant Joan de Déu Hospital.

The income tax return campaign will begin on April 2nd, requiring submission of income and earnings from 2024. Filing will be possible until June 30th. The starting gun will be on April 2nd, but only for filing online. Telephone appointments cannot be scheduled until April 29th; this service will be activated starting May 6th. Those who prefer to file in person will not be able to apply until June 30th.