A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Keith M. Bellizzi, University of Connecticut We’re all exhausted and pushed to the limit by months of social distancing, and the recent news that cases are climbing in many states is especially scary. While you may feel like ripping off your mask and heading for a bar, there are more productive ways to deal with [...]
Milena Heinsch, University of Newcastle; Dara Sampson, University of Newcastle, and Frances Kay-Lambkin, University of Newcastle We’ve now been social distancing for several weeks. While these measures have allowed us to slow the spread of COVID-19, they’ve also upended our day-to-day lives. If you’ve found yourself experiencing feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, boredom, anger, frustration [...]
Associate Professor Nicola Reavley and Dr Amy Morgan The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed devastating effects on people and communities, with more than 10 million cases and more than half a million deaths globally. In addition to the health impacts, the United Nations has warned of a major mental health crisis worldwide as a result of [...]
Mandie Shean, Edith Cowan University As COVID-19 lockdown measures are lifted, some children may experience social anxiety about the prospect of returning to school. People with social anxiety may fear embarrassment or the expectation to perform in social situations, or worry exceedingly about people judging them poorly. In certain situations, people with anxiety may find [...]
There are of course not many upsides to a global pandemic, but one of them may be that the single biggest threat to youth wellbeing is lessened. Founders of free-play advocacy organisation Let Grow, Lenore Skenazy and Peter Gray, point out that anxiety is an already huge problem for young people that has also been [...]
Schools have been progressively moving classes online due to the COVID-19 pandemic and there is uncertainty over what the next months may bring. This has thrown many year 12 students’ lives into chaos. States and territories are yet to determine what will happen with final year exams. More than 180,000 students are expected to complete [...]
Don't be afraid to talk to your kids about the pandemic. They need to hear from you. Professor Jennie Hudson, Director of Macquarie University's Centre for Emotional Health, has advice that will help. Your children have definitely heard about coronavirus, and right now they are looking to the adults in their life for guidance. Importantly, [...]
Snapchat has announced a new feature called “Here For You” that promises to “provide proactive in-app support to Snapchatters who may be experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis”. The popular youth-oriented app is the latest to join a wave of social media platforms setting out to monitor and improve the well-being of their users. [...]
New Australian research into body image and eating disorders in adolescents has found an alarming rise in the prevalence of chewing and spitting out food. More than one in ten of the cohort of over 5,000 11- to 19-year-olds reported having spat out food at least once per week, with 2.5% having done so four [...]
More than 600 schools have been closed, and some damaged, in recent days as bushfires rage across Queensland and New South Wales. Some students have been urgently evacuated while in school. People have lost homes and animals and are experiencing significant distress. Research shows somewhere between 7% and 45% of children suffer depression after experiencing [...]
