A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Linda J. Graham, Queensland University of Technology and Callula Killingly, Queensland University of Technology New data shows 27.2% of Australian students are receiving an adjustment for disability at school. This is up from 25.7% in 2024 and 18% in 2015. An educational adjustment helps students participate on the same basis as their peers [...]
Fotini Vasilopoulos, University of Sydney Pretend play is a significant and often magical part of childhood. Children have huge imaginations and use these to turn rocks into spaceships, tables into forts or pens into fairies. They might pretend to be “mum” or to “cook dinner”. Or they may invent their own characters, worlds [...]
Brendon Hyndman, Charles Sturt University and Vaughan Cruickshank, University of Tasmania For Year 12 students, final exams are getting closer and applications for university and other courses are opening. So naturally, conversations at home and with wider family and friends are turning to what’s going to happen next year. Some young people will [...]
Books and brain development: why reading is much more than a pastime for children and teens Lucía B Palmero Jara, Universitat de València; Eva Mª Rosa Martínez, Universitat de València; Javier Roca, Universitat de València; Marina Pi-Ruano, Universitat de València, and Pilar Tejero Gimeno, Universitat de València While some of us enjoy curling [...]
Are we really programmed to be lazy? Nathalie André, Université de Poitiers For decades, psychology and neuroscience have suggested that if humans and animals naturally try to make as little effort as possible, it is because putting in the effort is not enjoyable. Another possible interpretation: is that it’s not the actual effort that [...]
School hours have barely changed since the 1800s. This doesn’t suit teenagers’ sleep Ken Purnell, CQUniversity Australia This year, students at The King’s School in Sydney are starting lessons later on Wednesdays. The start of the usual day has been pushed back from 8.50am to 9.40am. This is to allow students to do self-directed learning [...]
Margherita Malanchini, Queen Mary University of London Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is arguably the most celebrated child prodigy in history, composing his first pieces of music aged five, his first symphony at eight and his first opera at 11. After a study in 1993 found that listening to Mozart could improve spatial IQ – prompting [...]
Shane Rogers, Edith Cowan University Students’ mental health is one of the biggest challenges facing schools. In Australia, half of all adult mental health challenges emerge before the age of 14. It is also estimated that more than 50% of children experiencing mental health challenges are not receiving professional help. Schools are increasingly being [...]
Annabel Blake, University of Sydney; Eduardo Velloso, University of Sydney, and Marcus Carter, University of Sydney In 2022, the founders of chatbot startup Character.AI launched a platform where anyone could create interactive characters powered by artificial intelligence (AI). The app exploded, quickly growing to more than 20 million users who created more than 10 [...]
Yaqoot Fatima, University of the Sunshine Coast; Danielle Wilson, University of the Sunshine Coast; Jasneek Chawla, and Nisreen Aouira, University of the Sunshine Coast For many families, the holidays mean sleep routines go out the window. Bedtimes drift later, screens stay on into the late evening, sleep-ins become the norm. But as term time [...]
