CYP Matters

Respect and listening

Best interests and targeting: Implementing the Privacy Act Review to advance children’s rights
This paper explores ‘targeting’ from a child rights framework, identifying some of the more common ways targeting, as defined in the 2022 Privacy Act Review, interacts with children’s rights. More >

‘Exactly what we need’: Indigenous bodies welcome creation of children’s commissioner
Indigenous advocates have welcomed the creation of a new national commissioner for Aboriginal children and young people, with one peak body saying the role is something they have been demanding for a long time. More >

Enjoying and achieving

An A to Z of connecting activities for families to share at home
This free resource contains a range of activities perfect for parents, carers and high school-aged kids to enjoy together. Whether you’re into arts and crafts, technology, or brain-teasing puzzles, there’s something for everyone. More >

Nearly a third of UK secondary pupils avoid school due to anxiety, survey finds
Findings from a sample of 1,025 young people include: 28% of 12-18 year olds had avoided school or college in the past 12 months due to anxiety; 48% said they were suffering mental health distress, and among those who said they were experiencing mental health issues, 50% had missed school because they were too anxious to go.  More >

The Reading Guarantee: How to give every child the best chance of success
In the typical Australian school classroom of 24 students, eight can’t read well. And it’s a preventable tragedy; the reason most of those students can’t read well enough is that we aren’t teaching them well enough. More >

Unlocking tomorrow: the intersection of digital literacy, wellbeing and children’s rights
Digital literacy is broadly defined as knowledge and skills across four dimensions including technical/operational, information navigation, communication and interaction, and content creation and production aspects. This study with over 10,000 children aged 11-16 years, across six European countries showed that children’s skills are unevenly distributed and influenced by individual, social, and country-specific factors.  More >

Study shows screen time is replacing vital language opportunities for toddlers
A first-of-its kind study has found that for every minute of screen time toddlers are exposed to at home, they hear fewer adult words, make fewer vocalisations and engage in fewer back-and-forth conversations with their parents. More >

Participation

‘Why can’t I wear a dress?’ What schools can learn from preschools about supporting trans children
For trans kids, starting school can be a daunting process. They have likely gone from preschools and daycare where they had the freedom to wear what they want and play what they want, whether that was dinosaurs, dolls, or dress ups. But school culture is much more cis-normative. This means schools tend to assume children can be sorted into boys and girls and everyone is comfortable in what category they are in.  More >

Prepared for adult life

Bridging the employment gap for youth with disabilities
Securing employment remains a significant challenge for young people living with disability, with 18% of school leavers not entering the labour force for up to seven years after leaving school, compared to 5% without disability.  More >

Youth Action Plan Consultation Report 2023
The South Australian Government is developing a new Youth Action Plan, to deliver fair and equitable access to opportunities, resources and supports to young people. The consultation utilised the Child Development Council’s South Australian Outcomes Framework for Children and Young People to seek responses from young people and youth stakeholders within five outcome areas.  More >

Health and wellbeing

State of the Nation: The state of wellbeing in Australian students
This 2023 report presents data from both primary and secondary student perspectives on aspects of mental health, hope and life satisfaction, learning engagement and healthy behaviours. More >

Looking through an Aboriginal lens
The unique strengths and resilience of Aboriginal families have been highlighted in this report. The findings also outline major lessons that should be embraced by the community sector to help end entrenched disadvantage in Perth.  More >

What Surrounds Us Shapes Us
This infographic explores how the influences from a child’s social, built, and natural environments, as well as systemic factors that shape those environments, interact with each other to shape early childhood development and lifelong health. More >

Review of the National Agreement on Closing the Gap: study report
The Productivity Commission’s report of the first three-yearly review of government action on Closing the Gap finds that governments around Australia have failed to fully grasp the nature and scale of change required to meet the obligations they signed up to.  More >

‘All good to take to school?’: Australian influencers promote flavoured nicotine pouches to vape-addicted youths
Australian social media influencers are promoting highly controversial and likely harmful flavoured nicotine pouches in viral videos claiming they are an effective tool to quit vaping, as public health experts warn the increasingly popular products could become the next youth epidemic. More >

Extreme Heat Affects Early Childhood Development and Health
This working paper explores how extreme heat can affect young children’s biological systems and disrupt development, as well as the many ways it can amplify the effects of systemic inequities. More >

New ‘guiding principles’ from WHO for online mental health content for young people
This report presents ten guiding principles centred on the need for content that is emotionally relevant, inclusive, and aligned with evidence-based practice to effectively support young individuals’ mental health in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. More >

No more BMI, diets or ‘bad’ foods: why changing how we teach kids about weight and nutrition is long overdue
People often use words such as ‘fat’ and ‘guilt’ to cast shame over their own or others’ body size and food choices. Evidence shows this sort of talk around children and young people can be very damaging, in some cases contributing to the development of disordered eating. More >

The influence of peer relationships in the middle years on mental health
The middle years (ages 8–14 years) of childhood are an important period of development. Their social experiences during the middle years can also have profound short- and long-term impacts on their health and wellbeing, learning and academic performance, and peer and family relationships. More >

Safe and nurtured

‘Looksmaxxing’ is the disturbing TikTok trend turning young men into incels
A new trend taking over TikTok is targeting vulnerable young people. The ‘looksmaxxing’ phenomenon, to maximise one’s looks, is aimed at young men and boys who want to change their appearance to become more attractive and gain social acceptance. Users may then be bombarded with videos on more harmful and extremist content.  More >

Australia’s child workers are vulnerable to injury, harassment and exploitation thanks to weak and inconsistent laws
Young workers under 18 years of age occupy a unique and poorly understood position in Australia’s labour market. They contribute to crucial industries and the economy, but are uniquely vulnerable. Compared to adults, child workers experience high rates of workplace injuries, bullying, sexual harassment, wage theft and unpredictable hours. More >

‘Suddenly it’s cool’: children believe use of influencers in gambling ads makes it seem fun
Children as young as 12 believe celebrities and influencers who are paid to promote gambling are making the practice seem safe, normal, attractive and fun, according to a new study.  More >