A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
45 leading academics, doctors and psychologists from around the world have signed a research paper detailing how pictures of airbrushed (digitally enhanced) models in advertisements can cause serious harm to viewers. The report titled "The Impact of Media Images on Body Image and Behaviours: A Summary of the Scientific Evidence" summarises the research of the [...]
In many cases, drinking too much alcohol will make you sick and you will stop drinking. There are many old wives’ tales about why someone vomits after drinking, but the real reason is quite simple- you’ve been poisoned. Your brain actually has specialised poison-control cells that detect when you have had too much alcohol and [...]
This Thursday you have the opportunity to be part of the web-cast audience for the youTHINK: Live and Online forum. Part of the National Conversation organised by the Australian Government, the forum will run from 1pm-3pm Eastern Daylight Savings Time and encourages the audience to provide live feedback to the conversation. The forum will focus [...]
An American study has linked television use to aggression in three-year-olds, even if the child wasn't watching the TV. The study which collected survey data from over 3,000 mothers found that indirect exposure, such as the TV use by other members of the household, increased aggression in the children and could have a detrimental impact [...]
Earlier this week a new cyberbullying educational campaign titled Cyber Bullying Affects Real Lives was launched. The interactive multimedia campaign aims to raise awareness of cyberbullying and the impact it can have. Featuring a two-minute YouTube video and an interactive online game called Web Warriors, the campaign hopes to engage with and educate children on [...]
We can’t forget that not all young people are the same, and this is particularly true when it comes to attitudes and values of around drugs. Even when it comes to alcohol use, young people are not one homogenous group. When I talk to groups of teenagers I usually divide them into three key categories, [...]
Helga Dittmar (2007) In this study, 87 girls aged 16-19 were asked to either watch music videos or listen to music for 10 minutes. The group who watched the music videos exhibited a significant increase in body dissatisfaction. A key piece of advice parents should take from this study is to minimise your child's exposure [...]
Our kids trust us to instil in them values and ethics that will help them navigate the difficult terrain of school, friendship and, later, personal and professional relationships. Values that will help them turn out to be well-rounded, functional human beings. To do this, they need to know that material goods, like fashion, do not [...]
Late last week the Minister for Early Childhood Education, Child Care and Youth released The State of Australia's Young People Report, examining youth aged from 15-24 years of age. The report was commissioned earlier this year by the Office for Youth to complete the State of Australia’s Young People report and will later be used [...]
Over the years I have attended a number of Schoolies Week celebrations and although there have always been incidents, usually linked to excessive alcohol consumption, for the most part I have found the young people to be very well behaved and reasonably sensible. The most concerning aspect of the event is the social pressure on [...]
