Teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media are at a higher risk of mental health issues (according to a 2016 study by US Department of Health and Human Service). Author Rachel Macy Stafford recently wrote an article about social media usage (Hands Free Mama). Here is a short excerpt:
While you are online, your mind, your thoughts, your core values are drifting to wherever tech companies want you to go. The remedy is to limit the time you spend drifting in the online world and tether yourself to real life. Tether yourself To real people, real conversations, and real scenery. Tether yourself To furry animals, interesting books, good music, the great outdoors. Tether yourself To spatulas, hammers, cameras, paintbrushes, and yoga mats. No-one is saying don't use social media, they're just saying don't use it too much - don't forget to connect to 'real' people and 'real' things. Also, be aware of the way it manipulates the way you think your body and life should look.
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ATAR results are out and some of you are elated and others are devastated. Regardless of how you did, https://year13.com.au has some some useful information on what to do next. There are lots of articles, advice and links to agencies and websites. Just remember not to panic. Every successful person has experienced failure to some degree - it makes them more determined. If you didn't get the score you wanted or needed there are plenty of alternate pathways to university and plenty of options other than university. Good luck.
The Carly Ryan foundation was started by Carly's mother after the 15 year old South Australian girl was killed by someone she met online. She thought she had met an 18 year old musician from Melbourne when in fact she was chatting to a 50 year old predator and paedophile. The foundation has information on how to stay safe online - you can find it here. According to the website, the first rule of online safety is to remain as anonymous as possible. You wouldn't give out your information to random strangers on the street and you shouldn't do it online either.
It was reported in our local paper recently that a 19 year old male is facing child sex charges over offences that occurred several years ago. He met a 14 year old girl online, persuaded her to send him sexually explicit photos of herself, then used them to blackmail her. He told her that he would release the photos unless she met him. She finally agreed to meet him and he sexually abused her. Your teachers and parents aren't paranoid freaks (at least not all the time). This does happen sometimes. There are several lessons we can learn from this unfortunate situation:
Many people are addicted to their smartphones. If you want to keep track of how many times you check your phone each day consider downloading the Checky app which will let you know. Perhaps you can reward yourself if you reduce the number of times you check it each day.
According to a poll in the UK, Instagram rated the worst for negative impact on young people aged 14-24. These impacts included social media's effect on sleep, anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-identity, bullying, body image and the fear of missing out. I'm not saying don't use Instagram. I'm saying remember that many of these images are retouched, or the subjects have undergone the preparation of a professional photo shoot before being photographed. Remember, it's being beautiful on the inside that counts and jealousy and envy are not attractive on anyone.
The Seven Minute workout app available from the App Store and Google Play. There are voice cues and instructions on how to do each exercise properly. Each exercise is repeated for 30 seconds with 10 second breaks in between. It is absolutely free but you can purchase other workouts. Check out the review below (I love her accent). For more information see their website here. BUF Girls is an Australian Fitness and Nutrition company. BUF stands for Beautiful, Unstoppable and Fearless. The founder, Libby Babet, is the new trainer on The Biggest Loser: Transformed. They run online programs as well programs at locations around the country. Their Girl Talk page has lots of articles about health, fitness and nutrition. You can find it here. If you sign up to their website now you can download their 10 Totally Buf Workouts ebook for free.
This ad from the USA has been around for a while but it's powerful. Never, never, never take pictures of yourself naked and share them, even if everyone else is doing it. Having an explicit picture on your phone of someone under the age of 18 is considered child pornography and can result in a jail term or being placed on the sex offender register. One 14 year old boy downloaded a video of a girl his age having sex and shared it with students at his school. He was charged with child pornography offences. For more information checkout the Lawstuff Australia website.
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