SBS News

Australian teenagers as young as 14 are taking extreme measures including vomiting or taking laxatives to control their weight.

A new government study found, while a very small minority of mid-adolescents met the criteria for anorexia or bulimia, significant numbers had taken action to try and control their weight.

Social media apps like Instagram and Snapchat were considered the most persuasive on young minds.

Cyber safety expert Ross Bark said the role of social media influencers, who post their desirable, but often unrealistic lives online, are a new phenomenon impacting young consumers.

“They’re effectively being driven to be like these influencers when in fact it’s impossible for them to do so. So we’re seeing a dramatic upturn in kids that a lot of anxiety and mental health issues because of that,” Mr Bark said.

For further details on the SBS News story click here

Annabel Hennessy, The Daily Telegraph

FACEBOOK is no longer considered cool by Australian teens with its popularity among youngsters plummeting 70 per cent in two years.

A new survey by Best Enemies Education of 800 Australians aged 13-18 has revealed just 11.57 per cent say the Mark Zuckerberg site is their most used app — a dramatic decline from two years ago when it was ranked number one.

Meanwhile, Instagram and Snapchat’s popularity is soaring, with more than half of teens saying Instagram is their most used app and about one in four saying they use Snapchat the most.

Best Enemies director Ross Bark, who runs cyber-safety courses in NSW schools, conducted the research and said teens no longer wanted to be on Facebook because it had been taken over by their parents.

“They want to use apps where they’re not going to be monitored,” Mr Bark said.

“Even on Instagram a lot of teens have two accounts; one which they get their family members to follow and another where they’ll be … posting risqué content.”

Read the full article in The Daily Telegraph here

The Project – Channel 10

Social media giant Instagram has come under fire for a parents’ guide which suggests that not allowing kids to join social media increases their risk of social marginalisation.

Click here to see further details on the story shown on The Project

The Daily Telegraph

KIDS who play video games are being encouraged to take caffeine-loaded “supplements” to boost their reaction times and help them stay up all night playing.

Best Enemies director Ross Bark, who runs cyber-safety courses in NSW schools, said “gaming supplements” were a growing problem parents needed to be aware of.

“Schools are having issues with students crashing in class after spending all night playing games,” Mr Bark said.

“It can have a real impact on their school work, their relationships and mental health. I think one of the issues is with teenager boys in particularly. They don’t see taking large amount of caffeine as a serious thing or something that carries health risks.”

Read the full article in The Daily Telegraph here

A Current Affair – Channel 9

Image-based abuse is a growing problem, particularly for young people! Tough new laws now protect victims if their intimate photos are shared online.

Check out my comments from last weeks A Current Affair.