A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
An anonymous website where children can report harmful behaviour is uncovering self-harm clubs, drug dealing, bullying and illegal activity at an increasing rate. Former Sunshine Coast teacher Rachel Downie started Stymie several years ago to provide a safe space for bystander children to speak up without fear. After a school signs up to the program, students can [...]
Being a parent can be terrifying. You spend your days trying to protect tiny humans when every instinct in their body is telling them to rebel against your good advice. Toddlers have a meltdown when forced to hold hands while crossing the road and teenagers sulk when you tell them they cannot have a phone or [...]
For many parents the world of cyberbullying is unchartered territory - something they’ve never dealt with firsthand and may find difficult to address with their child. To mark Stand Up To Bullying Day on Wednesday 21 June, The Diana Award, a charity set up in the memory of Diana, is calling for “cyber lessons” in [...]
It’s difficult for parents to know if their teen is a victim of cyberbullying. Many teens choose not to tell, worried their device will be taken away. Instead, your daughter might complain of “drama at school.” Or maybe your son feels embarrassed or ashamed. Bullying makes most people feel weak and powerless. According to Bark, [...]
Perhaps Facebook should carry a health warning. A study has revealed that the children who spend more time on online social networks feel less happy in almost all aspects of their lives. The research by a team of economists at the University of Sheffield, to be presented at this week’s Royal Economic Society annual conference [...]
Not everything online is evil, nor does danger lurk behind every new app that comes to market. But keeping up with your teens' and preteens' online activities is much like trying to nail jelly to the barn door - frustrating, futile and something bound to make you feel inept. Keep in mind that no app poses [...]
Parents of teens know how tricky it is to keep their kids physically safe while balancing their need for greater independence, but when it comes to keeping them safe online, it can be even trickier. Horror stories of social media harassment and exposure to explicit content leading to teen suicide or even murder abound. Yet [...]
As a pediatrician, I get questions from parents almost weekly about how to monitor and moderate their children’s screen time, especially their use of social media. Parents want their kids to spend less time on their phones and more time connecting in real life. However, parents don’t seem as concerned about their own use of [...]
Cyberbullying can feel overwhelming to young people, parents and professionals, and it’s common to feel helpless or like there’s nothing in your control to deal with the situation. It can be difficult to know when to seek help, and who to get help from. So let’s take a step-by-step look at when and how to [...]
Children are twice as likely to suffer bullying at school as opposed to online or at work, according to a new study. The survey of 1000 young people aged 14-25 also found that 23 per cent of respondents had been bullied in the past 12 months, but only half had sought help. Bullying ranged from [...]
