A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Recent research has show that we are naturally born with very strong altruistic tendencies. These feelings can be nurtured in young children to help them develop their sense of empathy towards others and the world around them. Felix Warneken, a doctoral student in the department of developmental and comparative psychology at the Max [...]
80% of parents accept their child will have sex before marriage 25% of parents won't let their child’s partner share a bed 20% of parents think 16 is ok to have sex* SBS TV programming is renowned for pushing the boundaries in our society by asking the difficult questions. Recently they conducted an [...]
Here is a snapshot of the lives of many teenagers in the last week and what they have consumed and where they have got it from. Cigarettes - Who smokes? One in twenty 12- to-15-year-olds and more than one in ten 16-to-17-year-old Australian students are current smokers but these numbers are lower than past figures, [...]
Summary of key findings 12% of Australians reported experiencing levels of stress in the severe range. Young adults reported experiencing significantly higher levels of stress and significantly lower levels of wellbeing than the general population. 1 in 3 Australians reported experiencing depressive symptoms with 10% of these being in the severe range. 1 in 4 Australians reported experiencing anxiety [...]
Once again, the Mission Australia Survey of Australian Young People has shown that body image is a major cause of concern for young people. Amongst females it was the highest concern, reflecting our society's extreme emphasis on physical attractiveness defined by the media, fashion and entertainment industries. It's an indication that marketing, advertising and consumerism continue to be a [...]
Stress is having a major impact on every sector of the community. Amongst those in affluent jobs, it is a combination of overwork and loss of "work life balance". Those who are less affluent are often stressed by the high cost of living compared to low incomes. Lack of social support and an emphasis on consumerism are major [...]
Computer games and other online activities have become a multibillion dollar industry to rival hollywood. The evidence linking violent videogames with aggressive behaviour is now indisputable. In addition, the growing evidence for the addictive potential of such games is now causing concern amongst many mental health professionals with debate occurring at the highest levels about [...]
The community has spoken, and continues to speak, but does 2Day FM and Austereo have the guts to pull the plug on the country's worst role model for young people? THE number of companies that have withdrawn advertising from 2Day-FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show has grown to 40 after co-host Kyle Sandilands was publicly [...]
Kyle Sandilands' offensive and aggressive on-air behaviour continues, and the fallout for those corporations that support him is now such that they are abandoning him in droves. To summarise his most recent incident: "Sandilands apologised to news.com.au journalist Alison Stephenson after calling her a "fat slag" and a "piece of shit" - among other abusive [...]
For many children, naming an emotion or behaviour helps them to process that feeling or experience. However, naming a gene that might explain the hostile and destructive behaviour displayed by some pre-teenagers might be of little consolation to many parents. It might give them a better understanding or a peg on which to hang the [...]
