‘I fall asleep in class': New program to tackle teens' screen habits
Last night, Joanne Cervantes stayed up until 5am streaming a series on her phone. Scrolling in bed until she feels sleepy has become a part of the 17-year-old's nightly routine.
Feeling a bit tired during the day is now the norm for the year 12 student.
'I don't usually fall asleep during class,' the Sydney teen says. 'But it does affect how well I can take in what the teachers say.'
Cervantes' friend Natalie Lee, also 17, has a similar habit. Lee is often on TikTok until at least 1am, swiping away screen time notifications when they pop up.
'I fall asleep in class sometimes,' admits Lee.
Today, the Black Dog Institute has launched the Teens & Screens program across Australia.
A free evidence-based program developed in partnership with the Bupa Foundation, the hour-long session is aimed at students from years 7 to 9, when they typically get their own phone.
The interactive program, to be delivered in the classroom by school support officers or young Black Dog Institute facilitators, explores how to develop healthy screen habits, manage their digital wellbeing, and make better decisions about their digital habits.
They share, for instance, how tech companies use algorithms and monetise their platforms. A recent study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health showed that advertisements aimed at children and adolescents brought in almost US$11 billion across six popular social media apps.
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The Advertiser
15 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Casualties mount near US-backed aid sites in Gaza
Israeli gunfire and airstrikes have killed at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials say. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Wednesday as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded. A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations has said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low. The foundation said it was unaware of the incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions. "Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions. "There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment." The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards. Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports. On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site at Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been significant progress in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was too soon to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Israeli gunfire and airstrikes have killed at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials say. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Wednesday as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded. A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations has said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low. The foundation said it was unaware of the incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions. "Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions. "There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment." The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards. Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports. On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site at Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been significant progress in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was too soon to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Israeli gunfire and airstrikes have killed at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials say. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Wednesday as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded. A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations has said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low. The foundation said it was unaware of the incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions. "Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions. "There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment." The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards. Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports. On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site at Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been significant progress in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was too soon to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Israeli gunfire and airstrikes have killed at least 35 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them at an aid site operated by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation in the centre of the coastal territory, local health officials say. Medical officials at Shifa and Al-Quds Hospitals said at least 25 people were killed by Israeli gunfire on Wednesday as they approached the aid site near the former settlement of Netzarim, and dozens were wounded. A total of 163 people had already been killed and more than 1000 wounded trying to reach the handful of aid sites operated by the foundation since it began work two weeks ago after a three-month blockade, according to Gaza's health ministry. The United Nations has said the blockade brought the Palestinian enclave to the brink of famine and that food supplies remain critically low. The foundation said it was unaware of the incident but that it is working closely with Israeli authorities to ensure safe passage routes are maintained, and that it is essential for Palestinians to closely follow instructions. "Ultimately, the solution is more aid, which will create more certainty and less urgency among the population," it said by email in response to Reuters questions. "There is not yet enough food to feed everyone in need in Gaza. Our current focus is to feed as many people as is safely possible within the constraints of a highly volatile environment." The UN and other aid groups have refused to supply aid via the foundation, which uses private contractors with Israeli military backup in what they say is a breach of humanitarian standards. Gaza health officials said 10 other people were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the reports. On Tuesday, when Gaza health officials said 17 people were killed near another GHF aid site at Rafah in southern Gaza, the army said it fired warning shots to distance "suspects" who were approaching the troops and posed a threat. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday there had been significant progress in efforts to secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza, but that it was too soon to raise hopes that a deal would be reached. Despite efforts by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to restore a ceasefire in Gaza, neither Israel nor Hamas has shown willingness to back down on core demands, with each side blaming the other for the failure to reach a deal. Two Hamas sources told Reuters they did not know about any new ceasefire offers. The war erupted after Hamas-led militants took 251 hostages and killed 1200 people, most of them civilians, in an October 7, 2023, attack, Israel's single deadliest day. Israel's military campaign has since killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people.
Sydney Morning Herald
17 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
For Trump, LA is just the beginning. Soon, he'll monitor every move Americans make
In real time, we are watching the United States of America slide further into authoritarianism. As the administration's response to protests in Los Angeles escalates, President Donald Trump's handling of the issue must be understood in the context of his broader assault on democracy and the rule of law. If deploying the National Guard and the marines to control citizens exercising their democratic right to protest was not a clear enough message, on Monday, Trump said that 'it would be a great thing' if Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, was arrested over his opposition to the federal government's intervention. Another alarming example of encroachment on citizen's rights is the recent news that the Trump administration is engaging the US-based tech company Palantir to merge government data to create one enormous mega-centre of personal information on citizens. Here, it joins China and Russia in the use of mass surveillance to monitor and control its people. The notoriously secretive tech company already has deep connections to the US government, particularly to the Central Intelligence Agency and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement – the agency that provoked the protests in California as it carried out raids and mass arrests of illegal immigrants across Los Angeles late last week. In its contract with ICE, Palantir is developing a surveillance platform that will allow the government to prioritise people for deportation, track deportations, and streamline 'deportation logistics'. And in yet another government contract revealed last month, Palantir will scrape, consolidate and analyse federal data on the health, finances and education of Americans for the Trump administration. This could give the government what the New York Times has described as 'untold surveillance power'. Critics of the project argue that providing Trump with what amounts to detailed portraits of civilians could be used to silence or punish critics of the administration. This mass surveillance program potentially encompasses all of American life. And unlike the phone and internet records secretly collected by the National Security Agency (as revealed by Edward Snowden in 2013), this technology is far more sophisticated, far more wide-ranging in scope, less understood, and less regulated. In J.R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, the word 'palantir' refers to powerful crystal balls. Made by ancient elves and used to see events of the past and future, the empire-building Sauron had one, which he could use to corrupt all others. In the real world, Palantir was co-founded by billionaire activist Peter Thiel, Elon Musk's erstwhile mentor and a long-term supporter of Vice President J.D. Vance, as well as one of the many far-right tech bros currently propping up and profiting from the Trump administration.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Doctors' warning about ‘insidious' social media trend
It's no secret that young girls are obsessed with beauty — just look at the popularity of 'get ready with me' videos on social media. In a survey last year, more than three in four parents reported that their seven to 17-year-old girls have a 'skin care routine'. A groundbreaking new study out of Northwestern University warned that these girls are shelling out a lot of money for skin care that may cause redness and not protect them from the sun's harmful rays, New York Post reported. 'It's problematic to show girls devoting this much time and attention to their skin,' said corresponding study author Dr. Molly Hales, a postdoctoral research fellow and a board-certified dermatologist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. For this study, Hales and another researcher created their own TikTok accounts under the guise that they were 13. They collected 100 unique videos suggested in the 'For You' tab. They analysed the demographics of content creators, the products used and the total cost of routines, finding that girls 7 to 18 are applying an average of six facial products at once. Some girls use more than a dozen. Researchers estimated that these kids fork out an average of $A257 for about a month's worth of products. In the jaw-dropping cases, they are spending more than $A765. The products in the top viewed videos contained 11 active ingredients on average. In one clip, a creator rubbed 10 products on her face in six minutes. 'As she's applying the products, she begins to express discomfort and burning, and in the final few minutes, she develops a visible skin reaction,' said senior study author Dr. Tara Lagu, an adjunct lecturer of medicine and medical social sciences at Feinberg. Hales noted that the irritation stems from using products with clashing active ingredients, as well as applying the same active ingredient over and over again, not knowing it's in several products. Girls also face the risk of sun sensitivity and a skin allergy known as allergic contact dermatitis, which causes a rash. Only 26 per cent of daytime skin care regimens included sunscreen, the Northwestern study found, even though it's key to preventing skin cancer. The research — billed as the first peer-reviewed study to explore the pros and cons of teen skin care routines shared on social media — was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Beyond the health risks, mental distress is also a concern. Beauty videos on social media can contribute to lower self-esteem and pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Lagu noted that many videos 'emphasised lighter, brighter skin.' 'We're setting a very high standard for these girls,' Hales said. 'The pursuit of health has become a kind of virtue in our society, but the ideal of 'health' is also very wrapped up in ideals of beauty, thinness and whiteness,' she added. 'The insidious thing about 'skincare' is that it claims to be about health.' TikTok is only for users 13 and older, a rep reminded CNN, and creators who are too young are removed from the platform. The company also works with third-party adolescent development experts and doctors to establish safeguarding policies, the spokesperson added.
