A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Here are the top ten “outs” that I have collected from teenagers over the years. Not all of them are great, but they cover a range of different ways of saying ‘no’, including excuses (often using information they have picked up in drug education lessons at school) and delaying or putting off the situation. ‘I’m [...]
A new program will educate Trainee teachers on how to monitor and manage cyber-bullying. The program from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will build on the Cybersmart Internet Safety Awareness presentations which have been presented to over 50,000 teachers, parents and students. A pilot of the program is currently being trialled at the [...]
Teenagers with parents open to talking about their drug and alcohol experiences are less likely to use drugs themselves, an American study has found. The survey found 63% of the teens aged 15-18 believed they would be more responsible with drugs and alcohol after hearing their parent’s stories. Over half of the teens said they [...]
A government report to be released next week will recommend children under the age of two not watch any television and children from two to five years of age be limited to one hour of television a day. "Based on recent research, it is recommended that children younger than two years of age should not [...]
Many of the symptoms of depression involve a deviation from normal behaviour, so it is important that you become the world expert on your child to watch for changes that may indicate the onset of depression. Symptoms of depression include: • frequent tiredness, • pervasive boredom (especially in younger children), • low mood, • sudden [...]
I’m a firm believe that you should start talking about drugs the minute you start giving them to your child. We live in a world where pharmaceutical companies have been able to convince us that for every problem we have, there is a drug that can fix it. If you are depressed, you take a [...]
New trends for girls as young as seven to make themselves fashionable and attract the attention of young boys is causing an unprecedented rise in childhood depression and anxiety levels, psychologists have warned. Dr Joe Tucci of the Australian Childhood Foundation says the exposure of children to adult concepts is damaging the children. "Kids as [...]
• Drink spiking does occur. • If your drink is salty, chemical-tasting, or gritty, stop drinking. • Spiking is just as likely to occur in a home or party as it is in a nightclub or bar. • It is more likely to be carried out by someone you know, or have recently stuck up [...]
A Western Australian Government campaign will aim to stem rising levels of teen drinking following a survey of teenage drug and alcohol use. The Australian Students Alcohol and Drug Survey covered over 2,500 students aged 12-17. The survey found that 40 per cent of the students had consumed alcohol in the past month, and 27 [...]
There are parents who will look at some questions and be concerned that by addressing them with their child they might be seen as condoning their use of alcohol or tactfully encouraging risky behaviour. Of course you don’t want to normalise risky behaviour, so how you present this sort of information is of paramount importance. [...]
