adolescent health

Renewed calls for government to rethink proposed internet filter

There have been renewed calls for the government to move their focus away from censorship, this time with suggestions for the money to be diverted to better fund cyberbullying programs. The calls came from the Electronic Frontiers Australia, who said there was insufficient evidence to justify the costly proposed internet filter, instead calling bullying the [...]

Meditation may be an alternative treatment of children with ADHD

In this excerpt from his thesis, Dr Ramesh Manocha summarises a study he carried out examining whether a form of meditation could help children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). "A controlled study of children with ADHD who were taught Sahaja Yoga Meditation as an adjunct to their normal management for 6 weeks generated an average [...]

Internet filter plan opposed by child rights organisation

Child group Save the Children has opposed the government's plans to create a mandatory internet filter, saying the filter will not be effective and the money saved should be spent instead on education and law enforcement. The internet filter has been criticised for being ineffective, and a statement from Save the Children recommended the money [...]

Sign up to the Generation Next e-newsletter

You can now subscribe to the Generation Next e-newsletter! The newsletter will feature articles from our speakers, including Dr Michael Carr-Gregg talking about depression and Susan McLean talking about cybersafety, and will also provide you with updates and alerts regarding the Generation Next seminar series. The featured articles will discuss the unique challenges facing generations [...]

Talking to your kids about cannabis use

If you are finding it difficult to raise the issue of mental health and cannabis, try talking about paranoia. Almost every child, regardless of whether they have had contact with cannabis or not, is aware that this is a side effect of using the drug. Although it may seem quite harmless, paranoia can actually be [...]

Survey finds kids are only partially aware of online risks

A survey by the ACMA showed that kids appeared to be aware of online risks, with 75 per cent saying they knew not to give out their address or phone number online and were aware of the potential for online impostors. However, despite this knowledge, the survey showed that some young people were still engaging [...]

Internet addiction – the ultimate mouse trap?

While there is increasingly more awareness of the problems resulting from cyberbullying, an often overlooked component of the whole cybersafety issue is internet and online video game addiction. More and more Australian families are being confronted with this very real and, according to all reports, growing problem. Robert (not his real name) sat in a [...]

How can I reduce the influence of peer pressure?

There are a number of ways in which parents can lessen the effect of peer influence. Possibly one of the more important is for parents to correct the common teenage misperception that ‘all teenagers drink lots of alcohol’. This false belief leads some teenagers to feel they need to drink to excess in order to [...]

A shrine by a tree – how parents can help detect depression

Last month the national depression initiative launched its youth campaign, Youthbeyondblue with the startling news that around 160,000 young people aged 16-24 years live with depression, making it the most common of all mental health problems in young people. But the real tragedy is the news that there can be a delay of anywhere between [...]

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