"Social media influencers often present a highly curated and filtered version of their lives, showcasing only the positive aspects. This can create unrealistic beauty standards, success and happiness for children. Constant exposure to this may lead to feelings of inadequacy, low self-worth and dissatisfaction."

Dr Emma Woodward

"Parents may experience a sense of disconnection from their child’s daily activities. However, with the right approach, you can still support your child effectively. Maintaining a strong and healthy relationship during their time away is crucial."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

“The recent floods have touched the lives of many. If your child or teenager is exposed to a natural disaster, either directly through lived experience or indirectly through the media, then your support is vital."

Dr Emma Woodward

"Teenage gatherings provide important opportunities for young people to mix and gain experiences in social situations. However, it is possible for the best young person to get carried away by their peers and the euphoria of the moment."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

"Young people will absorb their new surroundings with curiosity, self-assurance, and kindness when diversity and inclusion are practised. It teaches them to identify with people who are different from themselves."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

"A sense of belonging involves more than simply knowing other people. It is also focused on gaining acceptance, attention, and support from others as well as having the opportunity to provide the same to other people."

Dr Emma Woodward

"The importance of celebrating Matariki as a country, for tamariki Māori, cannot be understated. When your culture is seen and valued by the wider populace, it is uplifting and fills our tamariki with a sense of pride."

Myles Ferris

“Resilience is the capacity to face, overcome, be strengthened and transformed by adversity. Never before, have parents needed the skills, the knowledge and the strategies to build resilience in their children as much as they do now."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

“Although all transitions are tricky, they’re also an invitation to grow. There may be occasions when your child may try to push your buttons, making you feel guilty and worry about them, but homesickness is a very human emotion."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

“The evidence show us that having a supportive discussion about a stressful event can actually decrease a young person’s distress. Answering their questions honestly will help them process any difficult emotions that may arise."

Dr Emma Woodward

“If you swear at someone, or about someone, you are actually committing an act of verbal violence. You transgress the usual rules of social interaction, impinging upon someone's self-image and their sense of dignity."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

“As human beings, our brains haven’t evolved fast enough to adapt to the digital world that we now live in. This means that the overload of messages that we receive through ever-present media platforms often results in stress, anxiety, and overwhelm."

Dr Emma Woodward

“Even if your family has not experienced as many lockdowns as some areas, the social, economic and psychological impacts over the coming months are uncertain. For many young people, it means that acquiring the skills for future independence remain in the balance."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

“Parents can help instil hope by encouraging their kids to see life as it is. Human beings, particularly young ones, hate uncertainty and often their natural response is to exhibit varying degrees of fear and anxiety."

Dr Michael Carr-Gregg

“Since the pandemic, the number of young people presenting with eating disorders has increased significantly, with demand for services in New Zealand more than doubling since 2020. Essentially, eating disorders are serious mental health problems."

Dr Emma Woodward