A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Dr Joe Tucci raised a very interesting question recently in his article; Dad, how do you make sex last longer? What kind of affect is sexualised advertising having on young children? Is it indeed shaping their understanding and acceptance of what the grown-ups world is all about? Dr Joe Tucci is no stranger to dealing [...]
40.2% of 5 to 8 year old girls desired to be thinner A study The Contribution of Peer and Media Influences to the Development of Body Satisfaction and Self-Esteem in Young Girls: A Prospective Study explores how young girls feel about their bodies when viewed through the influences of the media and their friends. It [...]
In today's society school age children are at risk from excessive screen time. Here are some interesting but alarming facts gathered by an American organisation; Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood. Research shows the negative impact of time spend by young people in front of the "box". Including multitasking, children ages 8 to18 years old spend [...]
In a survey of youth aged 8-18, nearly 1 in 4 said they felt “addicted” to video games.* In The USA the Campaign for a Commercial Free Childhood (CCFC) recently organised Screen-Free week. It was designed to get young people away from the influences of commercialism and back to enjoying life ‘brand’ free. Here are some tips [...]
A recent study carried out by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, looked at the link between screen-based entertainment time and cardiovascular events later in life. It seems that sitting in front of a screen (TV, computer games, internet etc) and viewing screen based entertainment for long periods of time can [...]
Child beauty pageant company Universal Royalty Beauty Pageant is planning to hold a 'Child Beauty Pageant' in Melbourne, Australia, in July. Many psychologists and child development authorities agree that child beauty pageants are not in the best interest of healthy child development. A study conducted by Anna Wonderlich et.al (2005) in the Journal of Treatment [...]
Julie Gale, the founder of Kids Free 2B Kids, a website dedicated to letting children develop to their full potential; without exposure to sexualised imagery before they are developmentally ready to process it, recently spoke to the TODAY program on Channel 9 about the battle many parents face when trying to protect their children from [...]
A recent study in the USA, The effectiveness of the motion picture association of America's rating system in screening explicit violence and sex in top-ranked movies from 1950 to 2006, has revealed that the Motion Picture Association of America’s rating system does not reflect the level of violence and sexual imagery contained in a film. [...]
30% of young people are self absorbed How parents can spot a self absorbed teen (teen narcissistic personality disorder) • Fantasies about having exceptional success, attractiveness or power • Expectations of special treatment • Over-emphasis on achievements and exaggeration of one's skills • Exploits other people • Need for constant praise and validation • Does not consider others' feelings • Belief that [...]
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recently released its 2011 Sleep in America Poll, Exploring Connections with Communications Technology use and Sleep. The poll found that many teenagers from Generation Z (13 to 18 year olds) are using some type of electronic device like a television, computer, video game or mobile phone in the bedroom during [...]
