A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Newington College has joined a growing number of schools banning mobile phones, saying they lead to lower concentration, higher stress and "warped views on reality". The inner west school told students to keep phones in their lockers from the beginning of term four after an attempt to encourage boys to use them responsibly failed. But [...]
The Gambling Commission study suggests that 450,000 children aged 11 to 16 bet regularly, more than those who have taken drugs, smoked or drunk alcohol. Bets with friends, slot machines, and scratchcards, were most popular. A campaigner on the issue, Bishop of St Albans Right Reverend Alan Smith, called it a "generational scandal". "Today's findings [...]
The official NHS report found young women aged 17 to 19 were twice as likely as young men to have problems, with 23.9% reporting a disorder. Problems are less common in younger age groups, but are rising, albeit slowly. In children aged five to 15, one in nine had a disorder, up from one in [...]
Adolescence is the life stage when mental illnesses are most likely to emerge, with anxiety disorders being the most common. Recent estimates suggest that over 30 percent of teens have an anxiety disorder. That means about one of every three teenagers is struggling with anxiety that significantly interferes with their life and is unlikely to [...]
One year ago, 13-year-old Shamanii avoided other kids and suffered such severe anxiety she didn't want to go to school. Now, in the words of her mother Alma, Shamanii is "loving school, absolutely loving it". "She’s putting herself out there, auditioning for productions. She’s made a whole lot of new friends." All because of a [...]
Most teachers would give anything for a few quiet minutes in the classroom, but one teacher on the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE Facebook group is facing a different problem this year. “I have a little girl who spoke maybe four words all last year while in kindergarten and now that she’s in first grade is not yet [...]
Our lives can easily fill up with, well … life. When everything on our to-do lists feels both urgent and important, pleasure reading can seem a luxury. For many children and teens, as their lives get busier with new obligations and increasing distractions, the idea of curling up with a book can appear to be [...]
A recent survey1 of 2000 working parents showed that mental health and wellbeing issues experienced by their children is a major cause of absenteeism. Stress, anxiety, depression, bullying and school issues are major factors for which these children need parental support. Similarly, a study by The Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI)2 showed that 76% of employee [...]
The transition from Year 11 to Year 12 can be challenging. The workload increases, expectations change and it’s easy to become overwhelmed. While some students find they are well prepared for the transition, other students can find it much more difficult. No matter how one finds the transition, looking back in hindsight, all students realise [...]
I started teaching in 2009. At that time, public school was very much the way I remembered it. That’s not the case anymore. Smartphones and social media have transformed students into creatures craving one thing: content. It’s a sad state of affairs. But there’s hope. Over the last few years, my students have become increasingly [...]
