Generation Next Blog

October 2018

Tim Cook Blasts ‘Weaponisation’ of Personal Data and Praises GDPR

By |2021-02-22T18:14:27+11:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Technology|Tags: , , , |

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has demanded a tough new US data protection law, in an unusual speech in Europe. Referring to the misuse of "deeply personal" data, he said it was being "weaponised against us with military efficiency". "We shouldn't sugar-coat the consequences," he added. "This is surveillance." The strongly-worded speech presented a striking [...]

Mindfulness is Fine, but Staring at a Raisin Won’t Cure Anxiety

By |2021-03-02T18:51:48+11:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Anxiety, Depression, Mental Illness|Tags: , , |

The blurb on the back of the book had an enticing promise: "Take a few minutes out of your day and colour your way to peace and calm". After decades of grappling with acute anxiety, perhaps this mindfulness colouring book would be my magic bullet. I bought a pack of fancy pencils and got to [...]

‘Bloody Awesome’: How Melatonin is Helping Children Fall Asleep

By |2021-03-03T18:05:03+11:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Sleep|Tags: , , , |

Many parents will be only too familiar with the problem of children tossing and turning for hours before they finally go to sleep. Rather than put up with it, a growing number of families are turning to prescribed melatonin to help children fall asleep. For many it’s a revelation. “It’s amazing!” said Alison Guille from [...]

Trash Talk in Junior Footy Can Damage Kids

By |2018-10-29T10:55:47+11:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , |

It should be one of the happy rituals of parenthood. You drag yourself out of bed early on a weekend, stand by the side of a sports field and with a bit of good natured grumbling about the cold, the heat or the hour, cheer your child on in sport. But for one Melbourne mother [...]

An Open Letter on the Dangers of Normalising Sex Dolls & Sex Robots

By |2018-10-30T09:14:29+11:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Society & Culture, Technology|Tags: , , , |

We are a coalition of humanists, parents, women’s groups, survivors, academics, and activists campaigning against commercial objectification of human beings who are concerned with the normalisation of “sex robots”. These technologies are developed and backed by academic and business robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) communities who have to date, the loudest voices shaping the policy [...]

The NDIS is Delivering ‘Reasonable and Necessary’ Supports for Some, but Others are Missing Out

By |2021-03-02T18:52:08+11:00October 29th, 2018|Categories: Mental Illness|Tags: , , , |

The National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is required by law to provide “reasonable and necessary supports” to help eligible people with a disability live more independently. Determining what supports are reasonable and necessary involves subjective assessments by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA), which administers the scheme, or its contractors. This makes for a tricky process. The [...]

Three Common Misconceptions About Anxiety

By |2021-03-02T18:52:59+11:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Anxiety, Mental Illness|Tags: , , , |

Stigma marks a person as ‘different’. The World Health Organisation defines stigma as “a mark of shame, disgrace or disapproval which results in an individual being rejected, discriminated against, and excluded from participating in a number of different areas of society.” Unfortunately, stigma often arises when people who don’t have a full understanding of someone [...]

Gay Conversion Therapy is Happening in Secret in Australia, Report Finds

By |2018-10-22T19:13:00+11:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , |

The report on LGBT conversion in Australia includes anonymous interviews with 15 people who went through conversion therapy. One was going through therapy up until 2016. "We need stronger laws signalling it's harmful, inappropriate and unethical," La Trobe University's Dr Timothy Jones said. The report was released only days after part of the Ruddock review [...]

Undoing the ‘OK to Be White’ Vote May Not Undo the Damage

By |2018-10-22T10:01:49+11:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , |

The Morrison government has put more than its own clumsiness on display by voting for a motion in the Senate that it is “OK to be white”. The big myth of this absurd vote was that the government made an “administrative error” and did not realise its mistake until it was too late. What is [...]

‘I Was Having Panic Attacks’: Online Gaming Addiction is Real

By |2021-03-02T18:53:26+11:00October 22nd, 2018|Categories: Anxiety, Depression, Mental Illness, Suicide, Technology|Tags: , , , |

Like most teenage boys, Cam Adair played computer games. He would play the games – Starcraft: Brood War, World of Warcraft –with his cousin, or to unwind after school or hockey practice. "Then I started to experience a lot of bullying," the Canadian recalls. "And that bullying meant the gaming went from something that I [...]

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