A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
Facebook is the most popular Social Networking Site (SNS), with 93.4% of teenagers using it, followed by MySpace, with 26.6%. Many students use more than one SNS. A recent study carried out in Victoria, Teenagers, Legal Risks and Social Networking Sites, took 1,004 students aged 13 to 16 years old, 204 teachers and 49 parents [...]
The growing use of social media by young people has redefined how teenagers interact with each other and their community. For most teenagers it is a way of keeping in touch with friends, but for some it is a powerful tool capable of inflicting great pain and anguish. Social media networking sites such as Facebook, [...]
The Highfields Rugby League Club in Queensland has come under fire for running a fundraising evening with the theme of "Porn and Prawn". The event, held at Cabarlah Community Hall, included strippers, prostitutes and alcohol. The Queensland Rugby League is furious that the event was allowed to happen and have asked the club to explain [...]
Finally the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) in the UK has realised that advertising agencies who intentionally re-touch and alter images are sending the wrong message to young women. In this case the ASA has banned a series of Maybelline and Lancôme adverts (who are owned by L'Oreal) featuring Hollywood celebrity Julia Roberts and supermodel Christy [...]
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests extended periods of time spent on the internet and social network sites will ultimately affect how a young person’s developing brain works. UK neurologist and Oxford University scientist, Baroness Susan Greenfield has coined the term ‘mind change’ to explain these changes. She told the National Press [...]
Does my bum look big in this ad?, published by Wombat Books, This book is great for teenagers and a fabulous resource for teachers, parents and carers. It looks at the issues of body image and the media from a teenage friendly perspective. It is written in easy language that young people can understand with [...]
The Korn Group recently published a study, The Truth About Teens and Tweens, that looks at the lives of young people today and how much they are sharing with their parents. It seems that parents are the last to find out what their children are up to, fear of parental embarrassment and reactions means that [...]
Many alcohol promotions are youth targeted and have a huge impact on forming how accepting young people are of alcohol. But these campaigns contribute towards the damage alcohol consumption has on teenager's lives. Magazine ads for alcoholic beverages reached more readers who were 12-20 years of age than adult readers in 2001. 1 According to [...]
The pressure for young women to look sexy and hot all the time is making them wear shorter, tighter and more revealing clothes. This is fuelled by the images of what is perceived ‘hot, sexy, successful and independent’ celebrities like Paris Hilton, Katy Perry and Kim Kardashian. All of whom are presented to impressionable teenagers [...]
A study carried out in America, Binge drinking in the preconception period and the risk of unintended pregnancy: implications for women and their children, has shown that up to 14% of unintended pregnancies were associated with alcohol consumption. The Study’s objective was to investigate the relationship between unintended pregnancies and binge drinking. Binge drinking was [...]
