A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
A new study has linked the size of the pituitary gland to the onset of early puberty and depression in young people. Orygen Youth Health (OYH) is Australia’s largest youth-focused mental health organisation. They carried out research on 155 adolescents over a three year period. All participants were Melbourne high school students. The findings of [...]
40% of 2 to 4 year olds and 52% of 5 to 8 year olds using smartphones, video iPods, iPads A new study in the US by Common Sense Media Research has documented the use of digital media among young children. The startling results; toddlers today spend twice as much time in front [...]
A new book Too Much, Too Soon? looks at the way children are being robbed of their carefree childhood days when important foundations should be laid that will prepare them for the coming years. Too Much, Too Soon? is edited by Richard House and has contributions by many leading UK experts in the [...]
For many children, naming an emotion or behaviour helps them to process that feeling or experience. However, naming a gene that might explain the hostile and destructive behaviour displayed by some pre-teenagers might be of little consolation to many parents. It might give them a better understanding or a peg on which to hang the [...]
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a byproduct of plastics that are used for food and drink packaging. There is growing concern that exposure to BPA may have adverse health effects especially in children. This study assessed the association of BPA exposure on young children while they were still in the womb (ie during gestation). and found [...]
Teenagers need 9-10 hours sleep every night. Most get only 7-8 hours.* No night time stories here; just great tips on how to make sure kids get the sleep they need. Children and young people who do not get enough sleep may suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. This can affect their lives in many ways both [...]
In America the University of California, Berkeley has carried out a study (Thin-slicing study of the oxytocin receptor (OXTR) gene and the evaluation and expression of the prosocial disposition) on the body's receptor gene oxytocin; a gene commonly associated with bonding, empathy expressions of love. They found that we are hardwired to recognise empathetic strangers [...]
BBC News - IQ 'can change in teenage years'. Hi, fascinating article that explains a lot about teenagers and provides some scientific basis for not being too quick to judge our young people: "We have a tendency to assess children and determine the course of their education relatively early in life. "But here we have [...]
Children's bed time is getting later and later. The old rule of no TV during the week and early nights because of school the next morning no longer seem to apply. With the distractions of TV, computer games, internet, texting friends and Facebook, many children are staying up way past their bedtime. When children sleep [...]
It seems that it is not how long or how much sleep a young person gets but rather when they go to bed that is important. Children who go to bed early and get up early seem to be more active and spend less time as a whole in front of electronic media. This is [...]
