Generation Next Blog

April 2011

Net Savvy: Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre

By |2012-08-17T17:08:37+10:00April 15th, 2011|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) The Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre is dedicated to eradicating the sexual abuse of children and is part of the UK police force. The CEOP also overseas specialist areas such as their: Behavioural Analysis Unit Victim identification Child Trafficking Unit Most Wanted initiative In fact the [...]

Guest Post: Are teachers allowed to teach anymore?

By |2012-08-17T19:01:07+10:00April 14th, 2011|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

It would seem that today society is so keen to be seen as ‘politically correct’ that we have backed ourselves into a corner. We no longer have the freedom to play, educate, learn or relax as we would like for fear of ‘upsetting’ or ‘offending’ somebody, anybody. Tom Hodgkinson from The Independent (UK) recently wrote [...]

5 million people worldwide agree: ban sex offenders from social networking sites

By |2011-04-13T15:09:57+10:00April 13th, 2011|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A Facebook site created in Canada is calling for the banning of sex offenders on social networking sites and it has now reached 5 million members worldwide. On the site's discussion posts, several people talk of the horror of logging in and seeing a "friend suggestion" - generated by Facebook - of their abuser. The [...]

How children become desensitised to violence and consider it normal

By |2012-08-17T19:01:28+10:00April 12th, 2011|Categories: Science & Research, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

A recent study considered the longitudinal effects of exposing children to violence and aggressive behaviour.  It found that the more violence children are exposed to at a young age, the more they consider it to be normal behaviour and what’s more they are more likely to engage in aggressive behaviour towards others. The study said [...]

Porn sites prey on anorexic teenagers

By |2012-08-17T19:01:40+10:00April 8th, 2011|Categories: Mental Health & Wellbeing, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

84% of Pro-ana sites feature thinspiration: images or video montages of slim women, often celebrities, who may be anything from naturally slim to emaciated with visibly-protruding bones.* People, especially young people, who suffer from any sort of eating disorder, are extremely vulnerable. They are not only physically weakened by malnutrition but they are also mentally [...]

Smoking pot can lead to mental health issues

By |2012-08-17T17:04:33+10:00April 7th, 2011|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Uncategorized|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Many people, including regular cannabis users, argue that there is no link between using cannabis and the onset of mental health issues later in life. However a longitudinal study spanning 10 years has now shown that new users of cannabis, especially young people, are more likely to develop psychotic symptoms than those who never used [...]

Cybersmart: Teaching kids to be smart and safe online

By |2012-08-17T17:08:37+10:00April 5th, 2011|Categories: Cybersafety|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

To young people in Australia, the online world is a place where the virtual and the real collide. For many teenagers, the internet and mobile phone are their social lifeline. Online technologies are so important to them that teens’ online and offline friendships may be lost if they are not able to text or post [...]

Sitting in front of a screen can lead to heart problems later

By |2012-08-17T19:46:30+10:00April 5th, 2011|Categories: Cybersafety, Mental Health & Wellbeing|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

A recent study carried out by the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, looked at the link between screen-based entertainment time and cardiovascular events later in life. It seems that sitting in front of a screen (TV, computer games, internet etc) and viewing screen based entertainment for long periods of time can [...]

Protect our kids: Say No to child beauty pageants in Australia

By |2012-08-17T19:46:39+10:00April 4th, 2011|Categories: Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Child beauty pageant company Universal Royalty Beauty Pageant is planning to hold a 'Child Beauty Pageant' in Melbourne, Australia, in July. Many psychologists and child development authorities agree that child beauty pageants are not in the best interest of healthy child development. A study conducted by Anna Wonderlich et.al (2005) in the Journal of Treatment [...]

Alcohol at school fund raisers is a bad example

By |2012-08-17T19:46:48+10:00April 2nd, 2011|Categories: Drugs & Alcohol, Society & Culture|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

The Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) recently sent out an open letter to all principals, urging alcohol NOT TO be included at school fund raisers. Dear Principal I am writing to you as Chairman of the Australian National Council on Drugs (ANCD) to formally seek your assistance and co-operation in not permitting the use, [...]

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