children

What are little girls made of?

“What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice and all things nice” you would certainly think that if you watched California Gurls, the latest video clip from Katy Perry. “It's all edible. We named it 'Candyfornia' instead of 'California,' so it's a different world," Perry said. "It's not just like, 'Oh, let's go to [...]

Youthbeyondblue: Your Mental Health

When people talk about ‘mental health’ they’re referring to the health of your mind and this also includes how you feel about yourself and how easily you cope with problems. When you are experiencing good mental health, it makes it easier for you to enjoy day-to-day activities and the world around you. Your mental health [...]

When is gambling not gambling?

4% of adult Australians play the pokies each week $6 billion spent on pokies each year The growing trend in ‘redemption games’ that are now filling children’s games arcades are setting them on the rocky road to gambling. They are called 'redemption games' because young people play for tickets or prizes, including cameras and TVs. They [...]

Changing times for teenage body clocks

A recent study Impact of Delaying School Start Time on Adolescent Sleep, Mood, and Behaviour published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine looks at how the sleep patterns of young people change during adolescence and how these changes can affect their overall wellbeing. Timothy Olds, professor in the school of health sciences at the [...]

Children abused as safety net of family life crumbles

A recent article in the Sydney Morning Herald by columnist Miranda Devine was a hard read; the very subject matter curdled the stomach and made the insides squirm in an effort to escape it. The subject matter was paedophiles and how easily they gain both the trust of parents and access to the innocent children [...]

Warning: 'Sexting' is a criminal offence

7% of children have had pictures or video of themselves posted online without their permission The growing trend in sexting among young people is reaching new heights with cases in both SA and WA of children as young as 12 years old producing and distributing graphic images of other children. Yet more teenagers have been caught downloading [...]

Call to arms: Ban the Bonds Bra

Leading child psychologist and Generation Next speaker Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, has taken a stand and thrown down the gauntlet to Bonds in response to their soft cup bra for 8 year olds which has just hit the shops. "I call on the company to withdraw the product and if they don't, urge all parents to [...]

Children’s brains are too tender for computers

Dr Aric Sigman, psychologist and author of Remotely Controlled: How Television is Damaging Our Lives and The Spoilt Generation is concerned that exposing children as young as 22 months to computers and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) actually impinges on their development rather than aids it because it is “subverting the development of children's cognitive [...]

The power of a mother’s love

It is a well known ‘old wives tale’ that a mother’s love can protect a child from illness. Her love creates a protective bond around a newborn baby that shields them from harm as they grow. Now new research conducted by scientists from the University of British Columbia, Canada shows that indeed children who have [...]

Is “female genital cutting” child abuse?

140 million women and children worldwide have suffered female genital cutting* By 1997 the whole of Australia had outlawed female circumcision making it illegal to perform "any medical or surgical procedure or mutilation of the vagina or clitoris of any person" for reasons of "culture, religion, custom or practice". However with the growing number of [...]

Go to Top