A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
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 [...]
Australian Research has found a link between watching television and ill health, finding that each hour of TV per a day that people watch increases their overall risk of dying form all causes by 11 per cent. The study, published in the journal Circulation, also found that the additional hour increases the risk of dying [...]
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 [...]
An American study of sexting, the practice for teens to send nude or near-nude images of themselves via mobile phones, in 12-17 year olds found that the practice is not as common as widely believed. While the study found that 15% of teens with their own mobile phones have received sexts, only 4% had reported [...]
Last night I was watching TV and saw a news advertisement about young people and drug use. Over the top of an image or a group of young people was superimposed the words One third of all young people have used an illegal drug. That statistic sounds pretty scary for parents, and it is – [...]
