Generation Next Blog

February 2013

Last week was Safer Internet Day

By |2013-02-10T17:03:18+11:00February 10th, 2013|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

It seems that the Internet is a constant source of stress for parents, particularly in regard to three main things.  Telstra released a report last week that stated Aussie kids spent on average, two hours per day online, and this was relatively high when compared to the rest of the world. The amount of time [...]

The inside story of how Julian Assange alienated his allies

By |2013-02-10T17:48:14+11:00February 7th, 2013|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , |

The problem is that WikiLeaks – whose mission statement was “to produce . . . a more just society . . . based upon truth” – has been guilty of the same obfuscation and misinformation as those it sought to expose, while its supporters are expected to follow, unquestioningly, in blinkered, cultish devotion. via Jemima [...]

Teens say social media a positive in their lives

By |2013-02-10T17:08:12+11:00February 7th, 2013|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

For the vast majority of teens, using social-media sites and texting has become a part of daily life, but they still prefer communicating face-to-face, according to a survey released Tuesday. Overall, the teens who participated in the study painted a positive picture of the influence of social media on their relationships and self-image. More than [...]

HPV Vaccine Does Not Raise Risk for Sexual Activity

By |2013-02-07T10:15:59+11:00February 7th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , , |

Adolescent girls who get the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine are no more likely to show signs they may be engaging in sexual activity than girls who do not get the vaccine, according to a new study that challenges a widely held belief. HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus, and some strains of the [...]

Barack Obama and the ’empathy deficit’

By |2013-02-07T10:26:28+11:00February 7th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , |

In 2011, researchers at the University of Chicago conducted a simple experiment to ascertain whether a rat would release another rat from a cage without being given a reward. The answer was yes. After several sessions, the rats learned intentionally and quickly to open the restrainer and release the caged rats. The rats also repeated [...]

Could PET scans detect brain injury caused by football?

By |2013-02-07T10:03:08+11:00February 7th, 2013|Categories: Science & Research|Tags: , , , , , |

For years, researchers have had to use tissue obtained posthumously to diagnose chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or C.T.E., the degenerative brain disease that has bedeviled athletes, soldiers and others who have sustained repeated head hits and concussions. via Study Suggests PET Scan May Identify C.T.E. in Living Patients - NYTimes.com.

How a teen’s iPod can tell you if they will be trouble

By |2013-02-07T09:48:17+11:00February 5th, 2013|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture, Technology|Tags: , , , , , , |

A new study shows a strong, early penchant for gothic, punk, heavy metal and hardcore dance music can be a predictor of teens who will go astray. Lovers of "deviant" music by age 12 were "more engaged in minor delinquency in late adolescence", the four-year study, published in the journal Pediatrics, found. The bad behaviour [...]

Meditation and youth mental health

By |2013-02-10T17:09:34+11:00February 4th, 2013|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

The emerging youth mental health crisis makes it clear to mental health professionals, educators and researchers that for some reason our young people are having ever-greater difficulty controlling their mental and emotional content, their inner world.  The situation reminds me of the iconic book by Maurice Sendak, Where the Wild Things Are.4 This book was published in 1963 and [...]

Great Teacher/Student Relationships

By |2013-02-04T09:51:17+11:00February 4th, 2013|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , |

Of course we all know that relationships are central to teaching, and of course we all know that good relationships are pre-cursor to good teaching. But I wonder if we can clarify what a good Teacher/Student relationship looks like? In my experience good relationships in the classroom don’t depend on likeability as such. By that [...]

High Sobriety

By |2013-02-07T09:32:24+11:00February 4th, 2013|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

My tilt at sobriety came after 20 years of partying that had left me physically and emotionally spent. It was ironic, given my job. Sunday Age readers may remember an article I wrote at the time, in which I outed myself as the binge-drinking health reporter. During the week I wrote about Australia's booze-soaked culture. [...]

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