Generation Next Blog

November 2013

Researchers find being exposed to fast food symbols makes it harder to appreciate everyday joys

By |2013-11-29T15:37:13+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Success, in the Western world, means “gaining time,” according to French philosopher Jean-Francois Lyotard. The faster we do things — work, eat, sleep, read — the more time we “gain.” But this focus on time efficiency could be making the small things in life harder to enjoy. A trio of Canadian researchers have discovered that [...]

Is it possible to have Internet addiction?

By |2013-11-29T15:29:18+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , |

Is there really such a disorder as "Internet addiction"? In my estimation, the short, honest answer is, "We don't know enough to say for sure." Part of the problem is the ambiguity in—and disagreement over—the terms "addicted" and "addiction." An even more serious problem is sorting out the role of "the Internet" (and other electronic [...]

Drugs and alcohol: the secret life of us

By |2013-11-29T15:16:46+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol|Tags: , , , , , , , |

Scores of middle-class Australians are drinking at dangerous levels and ending up in emergency departments with alcohol-related problems, the largest survey of Australians' present drug and alcohol use has found. Addiction medicine specialists say the Global Drug Survey of 22,000 people worldwide has identified a largely invisible group of professional Australians who are drinking excessively, [...]

Iodine, NAPLAN and the national IQ

By |2013-11-29T16:28:18+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Surprise and disappointment accompanied the recent publication of country by country test results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study when Australian children unexpectedly performed poorly. In the reading literacy test our children rated 27 out of the 49 countries tested and in the maths [...]

Many children play sport after concussion

By |2013-11-29T14:54:04+11:00November 29th, 2013|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Hundreds of children have been treated for sports-related head injuries at the Royal Children's Hospital in the past six months and many are returning to the field after a concussion, contrary to guidelines. About 300 children arrived at the hospital's emergency department with sports-related head injuries between May and November. They included 90 children who [...]

Drugs, depression and dealing with embarrassing parents: Girlfriend November 2013

By |2013-11-25T01:58:24+11:00November 25th, 2013|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Melinda Tankard Reist Girlfriend and Dolly can be commended this year for taking strong stands on alcohol and drugs. This issue of GF is no exception, with ‘The High Life’ exploring the harms of smoking marijuana. When celebs boast about it – such as Miley Cyrus posting a photo of herself smoking pot with the [...]

Education: Conservative vs Creative

By |2013-11-29T14:57:44+11:00November 25th, 2013|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

An article in The Age recently opened up, yet again, the discussion around education and the pros and cons of a conservative approach to teaching and learning or a more innovative, creative approach. It made for thought-provoking reading. I make no apology for being a huge fan of Sir Ken Robinson and his ideals of [...]

Why video games aren’t all bad

By |2013-11-25T02:03:14+11:00November 25th, 2013|Categories: Technology|Tags: , , , , , , |

Why do kids like playing video games so much? Is it because they’re violent, misogynistic or just plain mind-numbing?   Generation Next speaker Dr Wayne Warburton has conducted research that shows the impact of violent games on the adolescent brain has both short and long term effects. None of them good.   Let’s leave violent [...]

The gene machine

By |2013-11-25T01:04:40+11:00November 25th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

Scientists have discovered that the human body contains more than 25,000 genes, but what they do remains mostly a mystery. "We don't know the function of the vast majority of genes," says Nevan Krogan, PhD, director of the UC San Francisco branch of the California Institute for Quantitative Biosciences. via The gene machine.

How Casual Sex Can Lead To Mental Health Issues Later

By |2013-11-26T01:25:07+11:00November 25th, 2013|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , |

Poor mental health and casual sex contribute to each other over time among teen and young adults, a new study published in the Journal of Sex finds. Researchers at Ohio State University found that teens who showed symptoms of being depressed were more likely than others to have casual sex. It also discovered an inverse [...]

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