Helping your child navigate current affairs, bad news, and graphic content Recently, we’ve spoken about how young people are at risk of being exposed to pornography as soon as they have access to a device. But what about other kinds of inappropriate or distressing content?  A lot is going on at the moment—from the Israel/Palestine conflict, the Referendum in Australia, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and other distressing issues like climate change. Younger children can be shielded more easily from the news and current affairs but this gets more difficult in upper primary and secondary sc ..read more

Young people’s LGBT+ experience is diverse: including their approach towards ‘coming out’ When Hulu announced the ‘first studio-produced, LGBT-centric holiday romantic comedy’ Happiest Season, starring the proudly bisexual Kristen Stewart, the loudest reaction seemed to be an exasperated ‘Finally!’. However, once the movie was released, its story arc, focusing on Kirsten Stewart’s on-screen girlfriend (played by Mackenzie Davis) ‘coming out’ to her parents, raised criticisms. Some viewers questioned the choice to ‘zoom in’ on what can be a traumatic experience for LGBT+ p ..read more

From ‘smut’ to ‘shipping’ to Harry Styles: here’s your guide to teen fanfic So what is fanfic? Fanfic is, in short, fiction written by fans. A lot of fanfic is read and written by teens, and it’s generally inspired by popular culture, including books, songs, celebrities, TV shows and movies with a large, dedicated, active fandom. Often, storylines are inspired by situations fans wish had happened in real life or a particular fictional universe—from Harry Styles falling in love with ‘Y/N’ (short for your ‘name’ and a prompt to the reader to insert themselves into the story) at a con ..read more

Talking to your child about porn: age-appropriate conversation starters Australian children increasingly have access to—or are exposed to—pornography from a very young age. However, according to the eSafety Commissioner, while 77% of Australian parents and guardians see themselves as responsible for speaking to their young person about pornography, less than half have actually discussed it. Rather than waiting until children are in high school or already exposed—and rather than avoiding the (understandably awkward) topic altogether—it’s up to parents and carers to discuss ..read more

How pornography changes our brain (and why our teens need to know about this) We’ve talked a lot about pornography in the past (you can read our article on pornography vs real-life here). It’s because it’s such a significant, inescapable aspect of adult – and now thanks to free pornography sites and the internet – teen life. Sadly, many young people are getting their sex education from mainstream pornography, which we know often is deeply problematic and shows unrealistic portrayals of sex. That’s why it’s so important that schools, parents and carers counteract this miseducation by talk ..read more

How to talk to a child or teen who doesn’t want to listen As a parent, having a child who won’t pay attention to what you’re saying – or downright ignores you – can be one of the most frustrating feelings in the world. This often comes with adolescence, as young people seek to separate themselves and their identity from the family unit. It can be exasperating, but to them, their own inner life and whatever is going on in their social circle/netball club/video game can just feel more important than what’s on your mind. Some tweens or teens may go through particularly rebellious phases where it ..read more

When topics become taboo, it breeds misinformation. And there are few topics more taboo – especially when it comes to talking with young people – than sex. But teenagers can and do have sex. And young people have a right to accurate, age-appropriate information about their bodies and relationships before they enter this part of adult life. Without it, they’re more likely to experience teen pregnancy, STIs and unpleasant sexual experiences. And because this topic is so shrouded in mystery, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. So much, in fact, we had to cover it in two blog posts. Here a ..read more

Our young people need to know they can always come to us to ask questions—especially ‘tricky’ ones—no matter how awkward it is in the moment. If parents and carers aren’t present and available to answer questions, correct misinformation, and give clear expectations, we’re leaving our kids alone to navigate the big job of growing up. In our ‘Tricky Questions’ podcast episodes, SEA founders Jenny and Justine discuss common questions our team hears in the classroom from children aged 10-12 years. Now, we’re taking the series to our blog, so you can easily save the advice for when these questions ..read more

So what is fanfic? Fanfic is, in short, fiction written by fans. A lot of fanfic is read and written by teens, and it’s generally inspired by popular culture, including books, songs, celebrities, TV shows and movies with a large, dedicated, active fandom. Often, storylines are inspired by situations fans wish had happened in real life or a particular fictional universe—from Harry Styles falling in love with ‘Y/N’ (short for your ‘name’ and a prompt to the reader to insert themselves into the story) at a concert, to a ‘femslash’ version of the recent Addams Family reboot, Wednesday where two of ..read more

Australian children increasingly have access to—or are exposed to—pornography from a very young age. However, according to the eSafety Commissioner, while 77% of Australian parents and guardians see themselves as responsible for speaking to their young person about pornography, less than half have actually discussed it. Rather than waiting until children are in high school or already exposed—and rather than avoiding the (understandably awkward) topic altogether—it’s up to parents and carers to discuss pornography with their children as soon as they have access to a device. Talking to our young ..read more