A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
A US study has found 70% of children have low levels of vitamin D, putting them at risk of developing weak bones, rickets and heart disease. The study examined survey data from over 6,000 children ranging from 1-21 years of age, and also found that 9% of the children surveyed suffered from a serious vitamin [...]
Psychologist and author Steve Biddulph has slammed the early sexualisation of children, blaming the early exposure of children to sexualised material for the decline in the age of children becoming sexually active. He explains, "the maturity of children has grown in superficial ways - looking, acting and speaking like adults. But the deeper signs are [...]
An Australian study has found children who frequently use mobile phones to send text messages are being taught to act impulsively and make mistakes as a result. The study of 317 Melbourne students aged between 11 and 14 found those who regularly send text messages were faster to respond to IQ style questions but were [...]
We know that by far one of the most important elements of a positive parent-child relationship is honesty and trust. When you ask your child a question about something they have done, you would like them to answer honestly. Doesn’t your child deserve the same respect? So if you have used drugs, what should you [...]
For most people, playing video games is a harmless hobby. For some people however, video games can become an obsession, leading to a number of addictive tendencies including the preference to play games rather then engaging in regular activities. Unfortunately there is a lack of reliable studies examining video game addiction and so little is [...]
We are still finding out the best way for parents to introduce alcohol to their children. At present, the results of research are often contradictory. On the one hand, there is research to suggest that parents can have a positive influence on their child’s drinking behaviour by allowing them small amounts of alcohol and trusting [...]
A 2006 US study found that 1 in 7 (13%) children had received a sexual solicitation or been approached online within the previous 12 months; 1 in 3 (34%) had unwanted exposure to pictures of naked people or people having sex; 1 in 11 (9%) were threatened or harassed; and 1 in 25 (4%) received [...]
Following a failed stunt with a lie detector on 2DayFM in which a 14-year-old girl revealed she had been raped, a group of 15 public figures have signed a press release calling for the program to be axed. The group, including psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg and Kids Free 2B Kids director Julie Gale, heavily criticised the [...]
Sydney radio DJ and former Australian Idol judge Kyle Sandilands has taken leave after an on-air stunt last week resulted in a 14-year-old girl publicly admitting she had been raped. The stunt was part of a competition whereby participants were subjected to a lie detector test in order to win tickets to a concert. Sandilands [...]
Sexting has become a serious problem in our youth, with one study finding 69% of the teens they surveyed had sent a sext a girlfriend or boyfriend, so to help combat it the Australian Government has issued a fact sheet for parents to help their children avoid the dangers of sexting. The fact sheet contains [...]
