Society & Culture

Tweens getting into beauty treatments before puberty

The media has recently reported a string of stories concerning the sexualisation of young girls and the anxiety they are facing with increasing pressure on them to look ‘sexy’ when they are younger and younger. The most recent story concerns the new trend of letting ‘tweens’ get their legs waxed, this follows the ‘push up [...]

The impact on children of sexualisation in the media

Writer Professor Louise Newman. The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists is concerned about the sexualisation of children in the contemporary media. Professor Louise Newman, of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, recently presented ‘Too hot to handle: The psychological impact of sexualisation in the media’ at the Australian Conference [...]

Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN) website

The Community Alcohol Action Network (CAAN) website has been set up to encourage changes in the drinking culture of Australians. It has many features including a regular e-newsletter "GrogWatch" that covers the latest research and trends in alcohol consumption and its effects when not consumed in moderation. The website also features informative articles under the heading [...]

The Story of Stuff – the bonds of commercialism that bind young people

It is becoming increasingly evident that children are being targeted by the media from a very young age. They are being encouraged to become consumers before they can walk, spell, read or write. How? Through advertising and strategically placed marketing campaigns. Australian author and Generation Next speaker, Maggie Hamilton points out in her book “What’s [...]

Guest Post: The ugly side of child pageants

By Dr Michael Carr-Gregg On Wednesday April 7th, I nearly choked on my wheaties when reading the morning paper to discover that a beauty pageant for children (inspired by US TV shows) called Little Miss Bayside will be held in Brighton in the next few months. This antediluvian throwback of a competition, which costs $100 [...]

Introducing R18+ games into Australia may lead to violence in teenagers

A recent study by Professor Craig Anderson “Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and pro-social behaviour in Eastern and Western countries: A meta-analytic review”  has confirmed that young people exposed to violent video games, themselves become more violent. Researchers monitored individuals ranging from young children to university students and covering a wide range of [...]

Review confirms Violent Video Games increase aggressive behaviour

A recent review “Violent Video Game Effects on Aggression, Empathy, and Pro-social Behaviour in Eastern and Western Countries: A Meta-Analytic Review”, published by the American Psychological Association has used meta-analytic procedures to test the effects of violent video games on: Aggressive behaviour Aggressive cognition Aggressive affect Physiological arousal Empathy/desensitisation, and Pro-social behaviour. Today more than [...]

Young women out drink the men

80% of alcohol related injuries are serious 10% of injuries are carried out intentionally 7% of injuries are caused by another person*   *The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation The Alcohol Education and Rehabilitation Foundation (AER). AER is a not-for-profit company established in 2001 with a mandate to change the way we drink. Originally established [...]

Important new review "Sexualisation of Young People"

A recent review commissioned by the Home Secretary and published in the UK by Dr Linda Papadopoulos, “Sexualisation of Young People” has put the spotlight on the sexualisation of children and teenagers within our society. It has brought to light growing trends that are both alarming and insidious. The continued de-sensitisation to the sexualisation of [...]

Cutting – a symptom or a mental health issue?

The term ‘cutting’ refers to the widespread practice of cutting yourself with a sharp object with the purpose of injuring and scaring  the skin. Although it is not much talked about in the media, this form of self harm has a growing following within the teenage population, especially girls. It is also alarming that tweens are beginning [...]

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