A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Owning your own smartphone or tablet is now the new normal for Australian children, new research released today shows. The latest Australian Child Health Poll has found that almost all Australian teenagers, two- thirds of primary school-aged children and one-third of pre-schoolers now own their own tablet or smartphone. As well as owning their own [...]
The loss of a pet is often a child’s first experience with death. Understanding the unique ways that children view pets and respond to their passing can help parents to ease the grieving process. Joshua Russell, an assistant professor of environmental science at Canisius College in Buffalo, who has studied the effects of pet loss [...]
The term demoralization was originally coined in the 1970s by a psychiatrist who was seeing patients that didn’t quite meet full criteria for major depression. Nonetheless, they were suffering – in a shared state of emotional distress and sense of incompetence. For many Americans, we are experiencing this now. Events such as the recent terrorist [...]
Earlier this week, Harvard University revealed that it had rescinded admissions offers to at least 10 students who shared offensive images within what they thought was a private Facebook group chat. The students posted memes and images that mocked minority groups, child abuse, sexual assault and the Holocaust, among other things. It is easy for [...]
In August, Treasurer Scott Morrison warned that “Australia has a generation growing up expecting government handouts”. Researchers have labelled this the “Me Generation”. Some even say we are facing a “me, me, me epidemic”. So why have today’s young people become more narcissistic? According to research, the decrease in young people’s levels of empathy is [...]
If Australia is to be genuinely committed to reducing rates of suicide, problematic substance use, and aggression and violence (including alcohol related and family violence), then we must have a coordinated plan for young men's mental health. Only a small proportion of young men who have a need for care access services receive appropriate treatment [...]
Remember a world before smart phones, when you actually knew dozens of numbers off by heart and would physically dial them into a handset to make a phone call? Chances are you now outsource that knowledge to your contacts list and rarely, if ever, take the time to learn a number by rote. While this [...]
Every evening around the world, parents put their children to bed, hoping they’ll go to sleep easily. For most parents that’s exactly what happens. But for some kids, sleep does not come easily and evenings are a battle. Children with ADHD are much more likely than other kids to struggle getting to sleep, and staying [...]
Depression is usually considered an issue parents have to watch out for starting in the turbulent teenage years. The CW channel, full of characters with existential angst about school, friends and young love, tells us so, as do the countless parenting books about the adolescent years in every guidance counselor's office. But what if by that time it's already too late? A [...]
Severe mental illness is challenging enough for adults to manage. Many spend years seeking treatment before they find something that works. For children, the picture is even grimmer. New research suggests that the rate of suicide and suicidal thoughts among children is skyrocketing. What’s behind this crisis in child mental health? Here are five key [...]
