A social enterprise providing education and information to protect and enhance the mental health of young people
REVENGE porn has more than doubled over the past two years and now affects more than one in every five Australians, with teens and people who share “sexual selfies” at greatest risk of becoming victims. The most comprehensive research into the insidious trend, to be released by RMIT University on Monday, also found men and [...]
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 [...]
Pexel Images When girls come in for their physical exams, one of the questions I routinely ask is “Do you get your period?” I try to ask before I expect the answer to be yes, so that if a girl doesn’t seem to know about the changes of puberty that lie ahead, I [...]
Alamy I saw cuts on her leg and she told me she had fallen over on sharp grass during PE. I actually believed her at the time. I didn't think about it anymore until I saw cuts on her arm. That is when it clicked. That was at least 2 years ago now. [...]
Getty Images The same brain circuits that are activated by eating chocolate and winning money are activated when teenagers see large numbers of "likes" on their own photos or the photos of peers in a social network, according to a first-of-its-kind UCLA study that scanned teens' brains while using social media. The 32 teenagers, [...]
Stock Images Given current national statistics, we can safely assume there are very few young people who haven’t known someone who has deliberately injured themselves by cutting, self-battery, overdosing or intentionally participating in risky behaviour. In 2015 the Australian Child and Adolescent Survey reported that approximately 10% of 12 – 17 year olds have self-harmed, with 8% self-harming [...]
I first met alcohol in the late 1980s. It was the morning after one of my parents’ parties. My sister and I, aged nine or ten, were up alone. We trawled the lounge for abandoned cans. I remember being methodical: pick one up, give it a shake to see if there’s anything inside and, if [...]
An illustration of the human brain with the hippocampus in yellow. Photo: Supplied People who suffer from depression have long known of the devastation that it can cause in their personal lives. Now scientists have shown the damage that it also wreaks upon their brains. A global study of 9000 people has found [...]
DOES alcohol cause violence or do violent people cause violence? It’s a surprisingly complex question which has led to a furious war of words between rival health experts. And the answer could have severe ramifications for how, where and at what time Australians are permitted to have a drink. Last week, 18-year-old Cole Miller died [...]
Gallery Hip New research at the University of North Carolina has found that being lonely is as harmful to teenagers' health as not getting enough exercise. There have been many studies showing the health effects of social isolation on the elderly, but this is the first to look at the impact on the [...]
