Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problems experienced by young people.  In Australia, anxiety disorders are estimated to affect one in ten young people aged between 12 – 24 years old.  Anxiety affects more females than males, which I think is interesting considering the social pressure girls feel in relation to their appearance and relationships.

Now they are teenagers they are faced with new threats, which they remain similarly unaware of.  They think they know about cyber bullying, sexting, pornography, identity theft and the like, but they really haven’t lived long enough to understand the full impact of any of them.  With the same intention, effort and dedication I had when they were young, I am now focusing my efforts on keeping them safe online.

I’d like to introduce you to a young lady who has been a client of mine for some time.  She is strong, smart, creative and a bit cheeky.  You’ll know exactly what I mean when you read the below Facebook message, which she sent to her boyfriend who was pressuring her to have sex.

This blog post has been inspired by a local high school teacher who has children of her own.  She was having an interesting conversation with her son.  Her initial question was “Why don’t teenagers read as much as they used to?” His response wasn’t that he didn’t want to, but that he didn’t have the luxury to be able to.  He felt that there was too much pressure on teenagers to always be busy and productive.

This blog post is specifically written for parents who have just discovered their child or teenager is viewing pornography regularly.  Put yourself in their shoes for a minute.  How would you feel if your daughter or son was in this position?  What would you do next?