Tessera
Folgen

Sarah Squire

@sarahsquire.bsky.social

Lived experience, public policy, research translation, mental health, social policy, gender equality. Own views expressed here. she/her

13 Posts299 Follower611 Folgt
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health@anzjph.bsky.social · last yr.

📢 A new large longitudinal study published today sheds new light on teens' mental health - showing that female teens and gender-diverse adolescents are the hardest hit. The authors break it down via @ConversationEDU: 🔗 theconversation.com/we-tracked-a...

We tracked Aussie teens’ mental health. The news isn’t good – and problems are worse for girls

In a new study, researchers tracked mental health symptoms in more than 6,500 Australian high school students from Year 7 to Year 10.

theconversation.com

Sarah Squire@sarahsquire.bsky.social · 2y ago

Fix or fixated? I provided some commentary to SBS News on new Flinders University research on the links between diet/fitness apps and body image concerns, disordered eating, and compulsive exercise habits. www.sbs.com.au/news/article...

Fit or fixated: Could health apps be doing more harm than good?

New Australian research has explored the impact of health and fitness apps, finding those who use these apps regularly were "more likely" to have problematic food and exercise habits.

sbs.com.au

Sarah Squire@sarahsquire.bsky.social · 2y ago

Butterfly Foundation launched our Cost of Appearance Ideals report today. More than 4.1 million people in Australia are significantly affected by body dissatisfaction, while over 3.1 million experience appearance-based discrimination, costing $36.6 billion and $27.6 billion per year.

Body dissatisfaction and weight-based discrimination are key contributors to the development of eating disorders and increase the risk of other mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, substance use disorder, suicide attempts as self-harm.More than 4.1 million people in Australia are significantly affected by body dissatisfaction. More than 3.1 million experience appearance-based discrimination - 49% on the basis of their weight.Appearance-based discrimination is more common among teenagers, same-sec attracted and Indigenous people, as well as people born with a sex variation, people identifying as LGBTQIA+, and those who speak languages other than English. It is estimated that each person with body dissatisfaction costs the Australian community $2,685 per year. Women and girls, and the LGBTQIA+ community experience the highest rates of body dissatisfaction.
Sarah Squire@sarahsquire.bsky.social · 2y ago

User safety and rights need to be embedded in the design and operation of all social media platforms. Prioritising unrestricted speech over user safety threatens to undo years of progress in creating healthier, more positive online spaces. See Butterfly Foundation statement ➡️  lnkd.in/gEsh5Fj3

“I believe that online platforms have a responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our communities are protected. This includes not just limiting harmful content, but actively promoting resources that support those in need of help. As someone who has navigated recovery, I know how critical it is to have access to supportive content and safe spaces, and how detrimental it can be when the opposite is allowed to flourish” Jennifer Hamer, lived experience of an eating disorder
Nicholas Procter@nicholasprocter.bsky.social · 2y ago

Australians living in the most disadvantaged areas experience the highest levels of mental distress, they appear to have the least access to mental health services. theconversation.com/for-richer-b...

For richer, but not for poorer: how Australia’s mental health system fails those most in need

Most Australians might expect more mental health services to be delivered to those who need them the most, which would be many in the lowest income areas. We found the opposite occurs.

theconversation.com

Aaron Smith@aaronsmith333.bsky.social · 2y ago

Watching the Social Media Minimum Age inquiry. This is colossal failure by the Labor government. Unsupported by evidence, nearly impossible to enforce, riddled with privacy risks, unworkable exceptions, and exposes major flaws in Labor's capability and competence.

Bild