A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
The pornification of everything is a huge problem across our culture, and one that has only grown muckier and more entrenched with the spread of the internet on teenagers' mobile phones. It's a problem not confined to pop music – hello, fashion photography – but pop is where the tectonic plates of sex and commerce [...]
I have recently returned from a trip to Africa. In the weeks leading up to my trip I was often asked, “Why would you go to Africa to talk on technology?” Because the world is truly a global village! I have seen it with my own eyes. Other than perhaps extremely remote areas, almost [...]
Dolly Doctor and Oral Sex: is advice to girls clear? Melinda Tankard Reist Dolly Doctor this issue deals with oral sex. Parents with younger Dolly readers in the family may want to be aware of that and be prepared to talk about it with them (Dolly has featured’ Readers of the month’ who are 11). [...]
Losing your virginity and double standards for men and women: Girlfriend October 2013 Melinda Tankard Reist The article ‘Like a Virgin’, in the October issue of Girlfriend, argues, quite rightly, that there is a double standard when it comes to men losing their virginity and women losing theirs. “It’s time we stopped talking like virginity [...]
With recent focus on emotional intelligence, it seems now is the perfect time to analyse whether we are doing enough in classrooms to support our children through the process of grief recovery. As an educator, I believe our Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary Institutions should be implementing (PGR) Proactive Grief Recover - addressing grief related [...]
An international review of published studies has found children and young people experience poor mental health, depression and anxiety following experiences of racism. University of Melbourne researchers say the study, which found 461 cases of links between racism and child and youth health outcomes, is the first of its kind. Lead researcher Dr. Naomi Priest [...]
Below are some ways to tell if your teen may need mental health treatment. Mood swings. How can you decipher a moody teen from a true set of mood swings that indicate mental illness? You know your child better than anyone else. Trust that you can recognize a shift in mood that is out of character [...]
The Impossible Goal of Pursuing Perfection: Dolly September 2013 Melinda Tankard Reist ‘The ultimate guide to being yourself’ is about self-acceptance. It offers girls three lessons in how to be themselves: Fall in love with you; Quit Faking It and Get inspired, not obsessed. The first encourages girls to recognise and love themselves for [...]
Eighty per cent of adult smokers start smoking before 18 years of age, at an average age of 15 years. (1) Young people assume that they will stop before they experience any serious health problems. However, nicotine dependence can develop very quickly and most regular teenage smokers are soon unable to quit, often before they [...]
In the weeks since that Miley Cyrus performance at the VMAs, more fuel has been poured onto the fiery debate around the overtly sexual messages our kids are receiving thanks to the media. Add this to the heady mix of alcohol, violence and drug use with the apparent rise of such related anti-social behaviour [...]
