"This day contributes to suicide prevention efforts by encouraging all people to invest more time in their personal relationships and building their informal support networks. By having conversations and being alert to those around us, we can help identify signs of distress."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
"Social media influencers often present a highly curated and filtered version of their lives, showcasing only the positive aspects. This can create unrealistic beauty standards, success and happiness for children. Constant exposure to this may lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth and dissatisfaction."
Dr Emma Woodward
"Critics argue that there is no evidence that a mobile phone ban is effective. However, this is a mischaracterisation of evidence. Peer reviewed literature shows that there would be a number of positive impacts for students relating to such bans at school."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
"Harmony Week is all about celebrating the fact that Australia is one of the most multicultural countries in the world. Our diversity is a great strength and helps us do things in different ways, reduce discrimination and accept difference."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
"Teenage gatherings provide important opportunities for young people to mix and gain experiences in social situations. However, it is possible for the best young person to get carried away by their peers and the euphoria of the moment."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
"A sense of belonging involves more than simply knowing other people. It is also focused on gaining acceptance, attention, and support from others as well as having the opportunity to provide the same to other people."
Dr Emma Woodward
"You may not have heard the term before, but you must understand what it is. There has been a 400% increase in this type of crime being reported to police now involving adolescent males at a terribly high rate."
Susan McLean
“Resilience is the capacity to face, overcome, be strengthened and transformed by adversity. Never before, have parents needed the skills, the knowledge and the strategies to build resilience in their children as much as they do now."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
“The evidence show us that having a supportive discussion about a stressful event can actually decrease a young person’s distress. Answering their questions honestly will help them process any difficult emotions that may arise."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
“If you swear at someone, or about someone, you are actually committing an act of verbal violence. You transgress the usual rules of social interaction, impinging upon someone's self-image and their sense of dignity."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
“As human beings, our brains haven’t evolved fast enough to adapt to the digital world that we now live in. This means that the overload of messages that we receive through ever-present media platforms often results in stress, anxiety, and overwhelm."
Dr Emma Woodward
“Even if your family has not experienced as many lockdowns as some areas, the social, economic and psychological impacts over the coming months are uncertain. For many young people, it means that acquiring the skills for future independence remain in the balance."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
“Parents can help instil hope by encouraging their kids to see life as it is. Human beings, particularly young ones, hate uncertainty and often their natural response is to exhibit varying degrees of fear and anxiety."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
“I’m seeing more depression and anxiety in all age groups, but in adolescents it seems to be on steroids. When they look into the future now, they’re looking at one that wasn’t what they envisioned before."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
“Mothers play a critical role in the family, which is a powerful force for social cohesion and integration. In essence, the mother-child relationship is vital for the healthy development of children and in their journey to independence."
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg