A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
AUSTRALIA should increase the legal drinking age to 21, according to a national online poll. Kevin Rudd has again sparked outrage on the ABC's Q&A by suggesting that he 'personally' supports an older drinking limit and sees 21 years old as quite reasonable and feasible. Suprisingly this view was also later supported by an online [...]
In a recent post, Paul Dillon discussed the provision of alcohol to minors. A young reader named Kate responded to the article with a very well considered and thought provoking question: I am a 17 year-old girl going on 18 and I have been to parties where alcohol has been served and there have been [...]
The Australian Government earlier this week released research showing results of a study investigating a new technique to reduce bullying. The research assessed the 'Method of Shared Concern', a technique which aims to reduce and eliminate bullying without directly punishing the bullies. The technique involves non-confrontational meetings with the students involved in the bullying where [...]
By Melinda Hutchings. Last week an intense debate erupted over Jennifer Hawkins appearing naked and unretouched on the cover of the current issue of Marie Claire – and whether she represents a role model for positive body image. Media personality Bianca Dye, who also posed nude for a recent issue of Madison, made the point [...]
An Australian study has found that girls are hitting puberty earlier. The study also found evidence to suggest that girls are just as aggressive as boys while in puberty. The study attributed the decrease in the age of onset of puberty to an increase in obesity in young women, which also resulted in the girls [...]
Almost half of under four-year-old Australian children suffer from untreated tooth decay while thousands of dollars are spent to treat the problem, the Australian Dental Association (ADA) has reported. ADA president Dr Neil Hewsen noted that while there was a steady decline in childhood dental problems over the last 20 years, the most recent figures [...]
A South Australian study has linked bullying to mental and psychosomatic health problems including headaches, anxiety and abdominal pain. The study of over 2,800 adults found that nearly 20% reported having experienced bullying at school, and those who reported being bullied reported poorer physical and mental health then those who had not been bullied. The [...]
You are sending a very strong message to your child when you agree to provide alcohol to minors. Most importantly, you are telling them to ignore the law - alcohol is an illegal drug for those under the age of eighteen. The laws are different across the country with New South Wales having the strictest [...]
Melinda Tankard Reist appeared in The Australian this weekend in an article criticising magazine Marie Claire’s use of a ‘real’ image of supermodel Jenifer Hawkins to launch their “love-yourself-just-as-you-are” campaign. SHOCK horror: nude supermodel has dimple on thigh. In a move labelled daring and revolutionary, this month's edition of Marie Claire features nude photos of [...]
An American study has linked insufficient sleep to depression in adolescents. The study of over 15,000 adolescents in years 7-12 looked at the relationship between set bedtimes and sleep duration and depression. The study found that teens who went to bed after midnight were 24% more likely to suffer from depression and 20% more likely [...]
