tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/youth-1596/articlesYouth – The Conversation2024-03-18T21:40:07Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2227962024-03-18T21:40:07Z2024-03-18T21:40:07ZMentorship is key to improving social and economic outcomes for Black youth<p>Black youth in Canada experience <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">poorer educational achievement than other children and youth</a>, which leads to subsequent poor economic outcomes. </p>
<p>A series of problems and barriers <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ644352">contribute to poor educational outcomes</a>. These include negative attitudes of teachers towards Black youth, lack of African-Canadian history and culture in the educational curriculum, low teacher expectations of Black children, alienating school environments <a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">and a lack of Black teachers</a> and mentors.</p>
<p>These, coupled with systemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-011-0344-3">discrimination and bias in hiring processes</a>, translate to poorer economic outcomes. </p>
<p>By being mentored by Black people, Black youth are able to see that they have potential to achieve what their mentors have achieved. This is especially important for Black youth whose families have faced socio-economic disadvantage or downward occupational mobility.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/582016/original/file-20240314-28-a13s7d.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The presence of Black teachers and mentors is important for Black students.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDU images)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<h2>Improving outcomes</h2>
<p>Black children suffer disproportionate discipline at school. They are more likely to be <a href="https://www.bcg.com/publications/2020/reality-of-anti-black-racism-in-canada">suspended or expelled from school</a> — and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">bias or anti-Black racism creates hostile environments</a> for them, contributing to student disengagement. They are also less likely than other youth to attain <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/pub/75-006-x/2020001/article/00002-eng.pdf?st=H0dPj5oE">a post-secondary qualification</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/voices-of-black-youth-remind-adults-in-schools-to-listen-and-act-to-empower-them-210849">Voices of Black youth remind adults in schools to listen — and act to empower them</a>
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<p>This is despite the higher educational aspirations and <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/89-657-x/89-657-x2020002-eng.htm">resilience of Black children compared to other similarly aged racial or ethnic groups</a>.</p>
<p>Several factors improve Black children’s educational outcomes: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0268580909334503">support from their parents</a>, parental values related to education, pride in one’s heritage, use of a minority language at home and having a strong sense of <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ734489">trust in and knowledge of one’s culture</a>. </p>
<h2>Education strategies needed</h2>
<p>However, despite Black parents’ interest in supporting their children, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9493.1994.tb00222.x">structural and systemic constraints</a> disrupt children’s flourishing. These constraints are based on differential privileges and positions of power that families face related to diverse racialized, class and gender-based social locations. </p>
<p>The United Nations <a href="https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/wg-african-descent">Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent</a> recommends that Canada “<a href="https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v44i1.5117">implement a nationwide African Canadian education strategy</a> … [and] strengthen Afrocentric education curricula.”</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/581428/original/file-20240312-30-j6bxo2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Black youths’ outcomes improve when they are taught by Black teachers or can study their history.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
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<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">Black youths’ outcomes improve</a> when they can study their history <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">and are taught or</a> <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w25254">mentored by Black teachers</a>. Mentorship is a central strategy to improve the educational and economic experiences of Black youth. </p>
<p>Mentorship is also effective for countering negative effects of racism on Black youth, and has been <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40894-017-0074-z">identified as having a stronger impact on addressing racism than education alone</a>. </p>
<p>Black-focused education can improve the <a href="https://ojs.library.queensu.ca/index.php/encounters/article/view/5285">economic outcomes of Black youth</a>.</p>
<h2>Afrocentric programs, communities</h2>
<p>Strong evidence indicates mentorship is effective across behavioural, social, emotional and academic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0033447">domains of youth development</a>. </p>
<p>Proponents of Afrocentric educational programs assert that Black youth suffer from low self-esteem, which leads to low school performance, but that they can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38277-3_38">be motivated to achieve by studying their history</a>. </p>
<p>Research also shows alienation and expulsion rates decrease and self-esteem and university attendance rates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2015.01.007">increase when Black students are taught by Black teachers</a>. <a href="https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2022/01/20/11014">Afrocentric supplementary educational programs</a> have proven to be effective in improving the educational success of Black youth.</p>
<p>The personal experience of the first author of this article (Bukola Salami) attending a mentorship program for Black youth and delivering one highlight the potential positive impact of mentorship on the lives of Black youth. </p>
<p>Bukola writes: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In 1998, I was a student of a mentorship program for Black youth in Canada. For me, attending this program indicated the potential strong effect of the program on fostering a positive identity. Having mentors of similar background inspired my confidence to succeed.” </p>
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<h2>Potential to contribute to positive outcomes</h2>
<p>In 2019, an interdisciplinary university-based mentorship program was created through Bukola’s leadership after she received funding from the Government of Canada’s Department of Canadian Heritage. </p>
<p>The <a href="https://ucalgary.ca/news/empowering-future-black-youth-mentorship-and-leadership-program-transforms-lives#">Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program</a> seeks to socially and economically empower Black youth to contribute to Canadian society. The program was initially created for students about to enter Grade 11 and 12 (but has also engaged university students with a modified curriculum). </p>
<p>Black youth are paired with Black faculty and professionals from whom they gain valuable experience and skills. Evaluations of the program indicate it cultivated a positive <a href="https://www.ualberta.ca/nursing/media-library/research/health-immigration/black-youth-mentorship-program-final-report.pdf">sense of cultural identity among Black youth and improved their sense of community belonging, sense of responsibility, leadership skills and economic outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>Lessons learned from the Black Youth Mentorship and Leadership Program, alongside other research, indicate the potential of mentorship programs to contribute to improved social and economic outcomes for Black youth. This will serve as a key ingredient to addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222796/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span> Bukola Salami receives funding from Policywise for Children and Families for a project on mental health of Black youth named in this article.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Aloysius Nwabugo Maduforo and Myra Kandemiri do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Mentorship programs serving Black youth are an important part of addressing anti-Black racism in Canada.Bukola Salami, Professor, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryAloysius Nwabugo Maduforo, Research Manager, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of CalgaryMyra Kandemiri, Academic Teaching Staff Assistant Lecturer, Faculty of Education, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2242382024-03-10T13:17:33Z2024-03-10T13:17:33ZCanada is falling behind other countries in meeting the needs of former youth in care<p>Can we do better in Canada to meet the needs of former youth in care?</p>
<p>Young adults across Canada continue to struggle with the <a href="https://leger360.com/surveys/2023-youth-study-report-millennials-and-gen-zs-employment-finances-and-future/">high cost of living</a>. Statistics Canada highlights a 20-year trend <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/220713/g-a005-eng.htm">of Canadians aged 20-34 remaining in their familial home with at least one parent</a>. </p>
<p>In contrast, young adults aging out of government care (those with lived experience in child welfare systems) are expected to rapidly transition to adulthood much earlier, many <a href="https://rcybc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/relationships_matter_research_report_fall_2018_final_0.pdf">without the support of their families</a>.</p>
<h2>OECD data</h2>
<p>While Canada is among 38 member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) working toward developing policy standards in relation to economic development, Canada is failing to meet the social, educational and economic realities facing people with lived experience in child welfare systems. </p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/1939a9ec-en">OECD data indicate that</a> people who have had experience in care as children have worse mental health, greater levels of homelessness, higher incarceration rates and higher rates of suicide. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/health-of-former-youth-in-care-could-be-bolstered-by-stronger-tuition-waiver-programs-189056">Health of former youth in care could be bolstered by stronger tuition waiver programs</a>
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<p>Collectively, these indicators suggest the need for greater attention to youth leaving care. In particular, we need to do better at evaluating which types of interventions provide for positive long-term effects on youth’s education, mental health and employment after they leave care. </p>
<p>Available data suggest Canada is falling behind other countries in terms of meeting the unique needs of former youth in care. </p>
<p>This has direct implications for the individuals, their communities and the economy, and yet we continue to see a patchwork approach taken by the federal and provincial governments. </p>
<h2>Patchwork approaches</h2>
<p>Existing aging-out-of-care policies continue to have very real consequences for youth, including barriers <a href="https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/education/education-at-a-glance-2023_e13bef63-en">to access to education</a>, employment and housing — all of which are <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/health-promotion/population-health/what-determines-health.html">key determinants of health</a>.</p>
<p>The consequences of continued inaction will inevitably result in worse health, social, economic and other life outcomes for thousands of people. </p>
<p>These consequences <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/46-28-0001/2023001/article/00004-eng.htm">will be felt for generations</a>, with many former youth in care experiencing continued cycles of poverty. </p>
<h2>Worse labour market outcomes</h2>
<p>We know that many former youth in care have intersecting <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2013.767370">experiences and identities</a>. Many face adversity or oppression related to class, gender identity, sexual orientation or racism that can limit their life chances and attainment in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15548732.2017.1347551">terms of education, employment</a> and health outcomes. </p>
<p>Former youth in care are more likely to be from groups that have worse educational and labour market outcomes to begin with, and youth who are <a href="https://42bf8e9c-2414-4457-bac7-f47eccf53bff.filesusr.com/ugd/6548f4_7ba391d9a4b54e7a972c1314de2cefca.pdf">from Black, Indigenous and 2SLGBTQIA+ populations remain over-represented</a> in care systems. </p>
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<img alt="People seen walking on a campus path." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579318/original/file-20240301-51556-jndcqr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Access to education, employment and housing are all key determinants of health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Perhaps not surprisingly, given these disadvantages and lack of opportunities afforded to youth with experience in care, former youth in care are more likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.08.027">be involved in criminal activity</a>, particularly for those placed by agencies <a href="https://www.justice.gc.ca/socjs-esjp/en/Youth/yij">in group care settings</a>. </p>
<p>Given that individuals with criminal records, particularly women and Indigenous applicants, can find it almost impossible to find work, this can lead <a href="https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/2021-r002/index-en.aspx#sA">to a life of economic dependence on social welfare services</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/high-school-dropouts-cost-countries-a-staggering-amount-of-money-115396">High school dropouts cost countries a staggering amount of money</a>
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<h2>Quality education?</h2>
<p>In terms of Canada’s standing in relation to United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), <a href="https://www.undp.org/sustainable-development-goals/quality-education">particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education)</a>, SDG 1 (no poverty) and SDG 3 (good health and well-being) is also at issue.</p>
<p>The UNSDG data indicates that education is widely regarded as a key factor in mitigating the impacts of experiences in care as well as other related childhood traumas. </p>
<p>Our recently published review of research about barriers to post-secondary education among former youth in care found <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2023.100303">that more attention is needed in the intersecting system-level factors that impact access to education</a>. These barriers include poverty, as well as adverse health and well-being. Many <a href="https://bit.ly/3InfGdn">of these circumstances</a> begin in care, and well before high school or post-secondary studies. </p>
<h2>Barriers to post-secondary study</h2>
<p>Of the 58 studies that met our inclusion criteria, the majority cite issues of highly variable requirements for funding supports for post-secondary education. These variables include: </p>
<ul>
<li>differing provincial and institutional age caps;</li>
<li>verification processes to determine who is eligible;</li>
<li>limitations on program duration;</li>
<li>eligible program types and level of study.</li>
</ul>
<p>These varied requirements limit financial supports, and can result in financial gaps. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Mural of a hand holding a growing plant." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=676&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=676&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=676&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/579316/original/file-20240301-51515-hsbkv7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=850&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A focus on trauma-informed policy approaches is needed.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Noemi Macavei Katocz/Unsplash)</span></span>
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<p>Many studies noted the need for greater attention to how existing policies may inadvertently exclude former youth in care. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-taking-a-trauma-and-violence-informed-approach-can-make-sport-safer-and-more-equitable-213349">focus on trauma-informed</a> policy approaches, including a greater level of psycho-social supports in higher education, is urgently needed. </p>
<p>As <a href="https://www.cwlc.ca/post/equitable-standards-for-transitions-to-adulthood-for-youth-in-care-evaluation-model">noted in research we covered</a>, once youth age out of care, they are expected to find their way in an adult world that often renders them invisible. </p>
<h2>Need to track and monitor youth</h2>
<p>To fully understand and address the interconnected and systemic issues facing former youth in care, Canada needs to focus on tracking, monitoring and evaluating the economic, health and social outcomes of these youth. This is the case especially as they transition from government care into adulthood. </p>
<p>As it now stands, Canada’s national statistics agency and most provincial agencies do not provide the longitudinal data needed to systematically track after-care outcomes like education, employment, income and health among people with experience in child welfare systems.</p>
<p>This in turn makes it highly challenging to know which types of policies, programs and supports are truly meeting the needs of former youth in care. It also makes it difficult to know which are helping Canada achieve its <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/goals">commitments to the SDGs</a> and the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/national-child-day/united-nations-convention-rights-of-the-child.html">United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child</a>.</p>
<p><em>Sue McWilliam, Trauma Informed Care Research and Evaluation Lead in Mental Health and Addictions at IWK Health co-authored this story.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224238/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jacquie Gahagan receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), and Research Nova Scotia (RNS). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dale Kirby receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Steven Smith receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Mitacs, and Research Nova Scotia.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kristyn Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Canada needs to focus on tracking, monitoring and evaluating the economic, health and social outcomes of former youth in care, especially as they transition from government care.Jacquie Gahagan, Full Professor and Associate Vice-President, Research, Mount Saint Vincent UniversityDale Kirby, Professor, Faculty of Education, Memorial University of NewfoundlandKristyn Anderson, PhD candidate (health), Dalhousie UniversitySteven Smith, Professor of Psychology, Saint Mary’s UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2219392024-03-08T13:38:13Z2024-03-08T13:38:13ZTeenagers often know when their parents are having money problems − and that knowledge is linked to mental health challenges, new research finds<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576103/original/file-20240216-28-neuioj.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=120%2C77%2C5609%2C3736&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teens are more clued in to family finances than many people think.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/single-working-mother-and-her-teenage-girl-talking-royalty-free-image/1457103190">Olga Rolenko/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When parents try to shield their kids from financial hardship, they may be doing them a favor: Teens’ views about their families’ economic challenges are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579423001451">connected to their mental health and behavior</a>.</p>
<p>That’s the main finding of a study into household income and child development that I recently conducted with my colleagues.</p>
<p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&oi=ao&user=--zcHSQAAAAJ">professor of psychology</a>, I know there’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01210-4">a good deal of research</a> showing that young people who experience more household economic hardship <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s13524-019-00833-y">tend to have more behavioral problems</a>.</p>
<p>But most studies on this issue rely heavily on caregiver reports – that is, what adults say about their kids. Fewer researchers have asked young people themselves. </p>
<p>To fill this gap, my colleagues and I asked more than 100 Pittsburgh-area teenagers, as well as their parents, about their family income, their views about their financial challenges, and their mental health. We checked in with them multiple times over nine months. </p>
<p>Doing this, we found a few important things. First, we found that many families’ economic situations varied over time – they were doing fine with money in some months and struggling during others. And second, we found that when teenagers said they and their family were experiencing hardship, those teens had more behavioral problems.</p>
<p>For example, many teens said that they couldn’t afford school supplies or that their caregivers worried because they lacked money for necessities. In the months when teens reported experiencing these hardships, they were more likely to feel depressed and get in trouble at school.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Other researchers have found that economic hardship is related to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.00986.x">differences in parenting</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/children9070981">academic achievement</a> and many <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106400">other developmental outcomes</a> – but prior studies haven’t always captured the complexities and challenges that struggling families face. </p>
<p>For example, researchers studying links between economic hardship and youth behavioral development have historically looked at family income on a yearly basis. But bills come due weekly or monthly. Our work shows that looking at the annual data alone risks missing an important part of the story: Many families experience brief spells of financial instability.</p>
<p>Our work also shows that teens are acutely affected by economic conditions in their daily lives and understand their families’ circumstances. This has important implications for research. Given that adolescence is a time of major emotional and cognitive changes, our team believes that researchers should center on the perspectives of young people directly affected by economic challenges. For example, we have previously found that how young people view stress and support in their lives may have <a href="https://theconversation.com/positive-parenting-can-help-protect-against-the-effects-of-stress-in-childhood-and-adolescence-new-study-shows-208268">implications for their brain development</a>.</p>
<p>This work also has important implications for public policy. For example, lawmakers assume that economic hardship is fairly stable and set anti-poverty policies accordingly. Our research offers fresh evidence that many people see <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/05/31/business/31-volatility.html">large income swings throughout the year</a>. This kind of economic instability has been found to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-016-0181-5">affect child development</a>, especially when families <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579419001494">lose large amounts of income</a>. To lessen the impact of poverty, policymakers may need to think about economic hardship more dynamically.</p>
<h2>What’s next</h2>
<p>Our research team wants to continue putting young people’s voices front and center. We’re also interested in more complex ways to make sense of socioeconomic status. While we know that income matters for families, we’re increasingly focused on household wealth, which is a household’s assets minus its debts. Wealth may influence child development in ways that are different from income. We’re just starting to collect data for a new project examining how both of these factors <a href="https://sanford.duke.edu/story/nichd-awards-grant-sanford-partnership-focused-adolescent-wellness-factors/">affect teen mental health</a>.</p>
<p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take on interesting academic work.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221939/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jamie Hanson and his colleagues receive funding from the National Institutes of Health. Hanson is also a board member of the Pittsburgh Non-Profit, Project Destiny.</span></em></p>A study of more than 100 teens and their caregivers showed a unique link between hardship and behavior problems.Jamie Hanson, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of PittsburghLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2224652024-03-03T14:27:50Z2024-03-03T14:27:50ZNavigating special education labels is complex, and it matters for education equity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578488/original/file-20240228-24-s7p4c5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C87%2C3631%2C2583&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Racialized immigrant parents in a study had to find ways to navigate the education system as newcomers, while also addressing intended and unintended effects of special education programs for their children.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Mche Lee/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The Ontario Ministry of Education’s <a href="https://files.ontario.ca/edu-special-education-policy-resource-guide-en-2022-05-30.pdf">special education policy and resource guide</a> provides instructions <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/document/special-education-ontario-policy-and-resource-guide-kindergarten-grade-12">to school boards and schools</a> on administering special education programs. </p>
<p>It also emphasizes the importance of education equity, and involving parents in special education designations. </p>
<p>As researchers, we explored the rights of Latin American and Black Caribbean youth when it comes to special education in our project: the <a href="https://rcypartnership.org/en/">Rights for Children and Youth Partnership</a>. </p>
<p>To better understand newcomer experiences, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2023.2255837">we interviewed</a> 32 parents, 12 of whom indicated having a first-hand experience with special education in Ontario schools.</p>
<p>We learned that despite the special education policy’s commitment to involving parents, many parents felt excluded from decision-making processes surrounding assessments for their child’s learning needs, and faced language barriers. </p>
<h2>Identifying need for special education</h2>
<p>In Ontario, students presenting learning needs may be identified as exceptional within one or more special education categories. These categories are intended to address conditions affecting their learning. </p>
<p>Special education can benefit students to ensure an equitable educational experience. However, <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1277996.pdf">researchers have also raised concerns</a> about the efficacy of special education programs for equitable learning because of how <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2016.1248821">social factors such as racism and classism result in discriminatory framings of disability and the perception of special needs</a>.</p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/too-busy-for-the-pta-but-working-class-parents-care-104386">Too busy for the PTA, but working-class parents care</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In Ontario’s largest school boards, Black and Latin American youth have been disproportionately <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Portals/research/docs/reports/Intersection%20of%20Disability%20Achievement%20and%20Equity.pdf">placed in special education programs</a>, compared to students in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818813303">other racial-ethnic groupings</a>. </p>
<p>Research from the Peel District School board, serving the western Greater Toronto Area, reports <a href="https://www.peelschools.org/documents/16.2b_Directive9-EquityAccountabilityReportCard-UnderstandingtheEquityGapinSpecialEducation.pdf/16.2b_Directive9-EquityAccountabilityReportCard-UnderstandingtheEquityGapinSpecialEducation.pdf">Black students are three times more likely to be identified with a behavioural exceptionality</a> and streamed into special education programming. </p>
<p>Similarly, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/i-was-very-isolated-report-documents-hispanic-students-alienation-in-ontario/article_21d6d9fd-1b13-57c3-8f26-94d545a80556.html">Latin American youth have reported arbitrarily being placed in English as a Second Language courses</a> and labelled with communicational exceptionalities, despite proficiency in English. These labels carry <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0895904818812772">long-lasting impacts on their educational journey</a>.</p>
<h2>Complex special education processes</h2>
<p>In Ontario, the special education placement process is complex and can include many parties (like teachers, principals, special education staff, school board officers, parents or guardians and, if requested, interpreters).</p>
<p>These parties engage in consultations to evaluate the student’s learning needs. Assessments are then reviewed by a board’s <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/identifying-students-special-education-needs">Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC)</a>, consisting of at least three members, one of whom must be a principal or supervisory officer of the school board.</p>
<p>According to the guide, educators should encourage and invite parents to participate throughout this evaluation process and the IPRC meeting, though their attendance isn’t required. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A blurred person seen in a corridor of file folders and records on shelves." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/574794/original/file-20240211-26-iklod6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Special education labels and categorizations are documented in student records.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Redd F)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Lack of required parental input</h2>
<p>Parents are, however, required to sign and agree to the IPRC’s statement of decision. They have a right to appeal the findings, and are given 30 days. If parents don’t appeal, the board instructs the principal to implement the committee’s decision, including <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/page/individual-education-plans">individual education plans (IEP)</a>. </p>
<p>The child’s provincial student record documents the outcomes of the decision, including the various labels, or “exceptionalities” identified, and the IEP. These records follow students throughout primary and secondary education.</p>
<p>Lack of required parental input throughout the process indicates that early on, educators alone can make decisions involving a child. </p>
<h2>Language barriers</h2>
<p>In our study, one parent, Mariela, described the challenges of learning a new educational system. This was compounded by the technical language educators used: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“The language that is used is very strategic. It’s language that doesn’t welcome parents’ feedback [and] parents don’t know they have the option to say no. […] It’s like, ‘This is what happens; this is what we do. We need you to sign this.’ And that’s the language; it isn’t welcoming for parents to ask [questions].”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>Specialized language</h2>
<p>Parents also recognized that a sense of pressure to accept educators’ decisions was discriminatory based on their limited abilities to keep up with the discourse and to have input in decision-making. Scarlett described feeling intimidated:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“It was always so traumatic and intimidating dealing with the school; it would be me and five school officials, you know? […] It’s like, you’re coming into this space, and decisions may already have been made.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Scarlett’s son was identified as having behavioural issues as early as Grade 2. She insisted her son be tested for gifted learning, recognizing that he was experiencing behaviour difficulties because he was bored and not being academically challenged. </p>
<p>Her son was not placed in a gifted class until Grade 7. During what she called “lost time,” the school involved the police in instances when he was “acting out,” and recommended her son be sent to a treatment facility for high-risk youth.</p>
<h2>Pressure to accept decisions</h2>
<p>Special education meetings also illuminated imbalances we observed in our study between parents who understood they had the right to ask for an interpreter or bring a representative — and parents who were unaware of this. </p>
<p>Claudia voiced concern about a special education label for her son in elementary school, saying educators had mistaken his speech difficulties for low intelligence. She was told her son’s speech delay would impact his ability to go to college or university.</p>
<p>She later recalled learning about her right to bring someone with her to IPRC meetings. She detailed the impact of having her son’s daycare supervisor there with her, saying: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I wanted to bring that person to support [me], probably for emotional support, for the English support, for the systematic barrier that I knew that I could face.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>With the support of someone who educators also considered an “expert,” Claudia withdrew her son from special education programs — and instead sought additional support outside the school system.</p>
<p>Notably, only a few parents mentioned knowing their right to bring someone to the meetings, and all said the information came from sources outside the education system.</p>
<h2>Lack of guidance</h2>
<p>The Toronto District School Board has made the effort to increase access to parents’ rights to special education, offering the <a href="https://www.tdsb.on.ca/Learning-Equity-and-Well-Being/Special-Education-and-Inclusion/Parent-Guides-to-Special-Education-and-Inclusion"><em>Guide to Special Education and Inclusion for Parents/Caregivers/Guardians</em></a> in various languages.</p>
<p>However, for immigrant parents in our study who had no prior experience in Ontario’s schooling system, the lack of concrete information about their rights was a barrier to them being true participants in decision-making. </p>
<p>System accountability is needed to ensure immigrant racialized students and families are effectively provided support and understand the special education process. This support must be tailored to better address the needs of parents, so that their children are equitably positioned for successful academic pathways.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222465/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Henry Parada: This study received funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC- 895-2015-1014). Toronto Metropolitan University Ethics Committee approved this study (2018-200).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Laura Perez Gonzalez and Veronica Escobar Olivo do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A study of newcomer Latin American and Black Caribbean parents in Ontario schools found many parents felt excluded from processes surrounding assessments for their child’s learning needs.Laura Perez Gonzalez, Research Assistant, School of Social Work, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityHenry Parada, Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Social Work and the Immigration and Settlement (ISS) Graduate Program and Graduate Program Director, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityVeronica Escobar Olivo, Research Associate, School of Social Work, Toronto Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2242342024-02-29T22:55:50Z2024-02-29T22:55:50ZBeyond the cafeteria: The economic case for investing in school meals<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578771/original/file-20240228-18-mnuihk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=66%2C8%2C5492%2C3692&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">An investment in a national school food program today is an investment in a stronger Canada tomorrow.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The return on investing in universal school meals is clear. According to our new report, universal free school meals (breakfast and lunch for students regardless of income) have <a href="https://amberleyruetz.ca/assets/uploads/ruetz-consulting_the-economic-rationale-for-investing-in-school-meal-programs-for-canada.pdf">2.5 to seven times the return</a> in human health and economic benefits in comparable high-income countries. </p>
<p>The quality of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2017-0125">student diets in Canada across all socio-economic backgrounds is poor</a>, with only a small fraction meeting <a href="https://food-guide.canada.ca/en/">Canada’s Food Guide recommendations</a>. </p>
<p>Studies have shown that school-provided meals offer higher nutritional quality compared to home-packed lunches in many countries, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/s1368980012000699">Canada</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1941406411399124">United States</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/s0007114510001601">United Kingdom</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/jns.2018.29">Denmark</a>. </p>
<p>A national school food program would join <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/campaigns/child-care.html">Canada’s universal child care program</a> and the <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/child-family-benefits/canada-child-benefit-overview.html">Canada child benefit</a> as a crucial social support, bringing immediate relief to families while also delivering several short to long-term economic and social benefits. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustrated graphic titled 'the missing piece in existing social policies: national school food program'" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578738/original/file-20240228-16-1t0o6e.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Universal free school meals have 2.5 to seven times the return in human health and economic benefits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexandra Sawatzky/Arrell Food Institute)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Immediate relief to household budgets</h2>
<p>Healthy food has become unaffordable for many Canadian families. In 2023, Canadians <a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sites/agri-food/Canada%27s%20Food%20Price%20Report%202023_Digital.pdf">spent less on food</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/inflation-is-down-overall-so-why-are-my-grocery-bills-still-going-up-210122">despite rampant cost increases</a>, and this is only predicted to get worse.</p>
<p>The 2024 Canada’s Food Price Report anticipates <a href="https://cdn.dal.ca/content/dam/dalhousie/pdf/sites/agri-food/EN_CANADA%27S%20FOOD%20PRICE%20REPORT%202024.pdf">an annual increase of $701 in food costs</a> per four-person household, which means Canadian families can expect to spend $16,297 on groceries this year.</p>
<p>Universal school meals could <a href="https://amberleyruetz.ca/assets/uploads/ruetz-consulting_the-economic-rationale-for-investing-in-school-meal-programs-for-canada.pdf">save families between $129 and $189 per child per month on grocery bills</a>, according to our report. </p>
<p>Universal school meals would put more money back into the pockets of Canadians, helping them keep up with the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/the-grind-submissions-1.7043269">increased cost of living</a> and allowing them to afford healthy meals when their children are not in school.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578646/original/file-20240228-22-s5xddp.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Universal school meals could save families between $129 and $189 per child per month on grocery bills.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexandra Sawatzky/Arrell Food Institute)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In Sweden, one study found that participation in a universal free school lunch program led to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdab028">permanent household income increase of 2.6 per cent</a>. </p>
<p>Importantly, this permanent increase was not attributed to reduced household food expenditures, meaning school meals can help increase affordability in the short-term and increase household incomes in the mid-term. </p>
<h2>Supporting women in the workforce</h2>
<p>Preparing healthy school lunches is tough when parents work long hours. Universal free school meals support parents — particularly <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/10/31/1209763245/globally-women-are-cooking-twice-as-many-meals-as-men">women, who often spend more time making meals</a> — <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13030911">by saving money and time, reducing financial stress, and guaranteeing kids eat well at school</a>. </p>
<p>This allows women to focus better at work, reduces interruptions and helps them achieve a healthier work-life balance, leading to increased productivity and career advancement opportunities.</p>
<p>In fact, the same Swedish study that was previously mentioned found that access to a universal free school lunch program increased mothers’ labour market participation by five per cent.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustrated graphic that lists the benefits of universal food programs on housholds and families" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=464&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578634/original/file-20240228-22-bph0sr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=583&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">School food programs support families and especially women, who often spend more time making meals than men do.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexandra Sawatzky/Arrell Food Institute)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In China, the introduction of school lunches led to a <a href="http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11956/185233">nine to 14 per cent increase in mothers’ working hours per week</a>, with the greatest increases among low-income mothers and mothers in rural communities.</p>
<p>Overall, this means that in addition to increasing household income, universal free school meals can increase women’s workforce participation, thereby supporting gender equality, individual economic prosperity and national economic growth. </p>
<h2>Increasing earnings, reducing inequality</h2>
<p>In the long-term, universal free school lunches can also improve children’s health, academic performance and subsequent economic outcomes throughout life. </p>
<p>The previously mentioned Swedish study found that students exposed to a school lunch program throughout the entirety of primary school had <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/restud/rdab028">three per cent higher lifetime earnings</a> compared to students that did not participate due to improved nutritional health and education outcomes. </p>
<p>Among children from households in the lowest income bracket, access to free school lunches led to a six per cent increase in lifetime earnings. The program had the greatest positive impact on students from low-income households, showcasing the role school meals can play in reducing socioeconomic inequalities in adulthood.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustrated graphic of a bar graph demonstrating that students’ lifetime earnings when they have access to a universal school food program" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578630/original/file-20240228-16-amimj7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In Sweden, access to universal free lunch increased students’ lifetime earnings, creating more equitable societies.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexandra Sawatzky/Arrell Food Institute)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Growing Canada’s agri-food economy</h2>
<p>Universal school meals can also support the Canadian agri-food sector. A national program has the potential to stimulate the <a href="https://sciencepolicy.ca/posts/national-school-food-program-a-short-term-opportunity-for-jobs-creation-and-economic-growth-2/">creation of as many as 207,700 jobs</a>. </p>
<p>Investments in school meal programs in <a href="https://www.choicesmagazine.org/UserFiles/file/cmsarticle_565.pdf">the U.S.</a> have led to the creation of jobs in food service, agriculture and nutrition and program administration, fuelling economic growth while curbing unemployment. </p>
<p>Furthermore, by adopting a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/chi.2012.0023">farm-to-school approach similar to that in the U.S.</a>, Canada could support local farmers and suppliers. According to estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, every dollar allocated to such programs generates an additional <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.338161">$1.30 to $2.60 in local economic activity</a>. </p>
<p>Similarly, in British Columbia, every dollar allocated to procuring provincially grown food for public institutions yields a <a href="https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriculture-seafood/growbc-feedbc-buybc/feed-bc-and-the-bc-food-hub-network#">twofold return to the economy</a>, showcasing the significant economic benefits of supporting local agriculture.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="An illustrated graphic of a school with a farmer on one side and a vegetable stand on the other, with arrows leading from the school to both" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=463&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578625/original/file-20240228-18-s0zoch.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=582&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">School food programs can support local farmers and food businesses and contribute to Canada’s agrifood sector.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Alexandra Sawatzky/Arrell Food Institute)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>School food programs are recognized internationally as <a href="https://executiveboard.wfp.org/document_download/WFP-0000038526">one of the most successful drivers of health and education among schoolchildren and increased productivity</a> when they become working adults, as reported by the World Food Programme. </p>
<p>Our new research summarizes the <a href="https://amberleyruetz.ca/assets/uploads/ruetz-consulting_the-economic-rationale-for-investing-in-school-meal-programs-for-canada.pdf">strong economic rationale for investing in school meal programs</a> in Canada. Universal school meals can not only provide immediate relief to families, but also build a legacy of improved public health and economic prosperity for generations to come. </p>
<p>An investment in a national school food program today is an investment in a stronger Canada tomorrow.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/224234/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amberley T. Ruetz receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Arrell Family Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Flora Zhang receives funding from the Arrell Family Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabrielle Edwards receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Arrell Family Foundation. </span></em></p>From reducing families’ grocery bills to boosting the economy, school meals offer far-reaching benefits, fostering both immediate well-being and long-term economic prosperity.Amberley T. Ruetz, Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, University of SaskatchewanFlora Zhang, Master of Public Health Student, University of TorontoGabrielle Edwards, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Food and Nutrition and Sport Science, University of GothenburgLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2235332024-02-29T13:38:58Z2024-02-29T13:38:58ZHow teens benefit from being able to read ‘disturbing’ books that some want to ban<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578696/original/file-20240228-24-s5xddp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=47%2C59%2C7892%2C5190&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Young readers report becoming more thoughtful after reading stories that feature characters who face complex challenges.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/student-choosing-a-book-on-library-royalty-free-image/959761242?phrase=teens+books&adppopup=true">FG Trade via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Should we worry, as <a href="https://pen.org/report/book-bans-pressure-to-censor/">massive book-banning efforts</a> imply, that young people will be harmed by certain kinds of books? For over a decade and through hundreds of interviews, my colleague, literacy professor <a href="https://www.albany.edu/education/faculty/peter-johnston">Peter Johnston</a>, and I have <a href="https://www.tcpress.com/teens-choosing-to-read-9780807768686">studied</a> how adolescents experience reading when they have unfettered access to young adult literature. Our findings suggest that many are helped rather than harmed by such reading.</p>
<p>For one study, we spent a year in a public middle school in a small, mid-Atlantic town, observing and talking to eighth grade students whose teachers, rather than assigning the “classics” or traditional academic texts, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.46">let students choose what to read</a> and gave them time to read daily in class. To support student engagement, they made available hundreds of contemporary books that are relevant to the students’ lives. The books included many of the <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1a6v7R7pidO7TIwRZTIh9T6c0--QNNVufcUUrDcz2GJM/edit#gid=9827573720">titles currently being challenged</a>, according to PEN America, which is a nonprofit that advocates against censorship, among other things. The titles include Ellen Hopkins’ “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.net/books/Identical/Ellen-Hopkins/9781416950066">Identical</a>,” Jay Asher’s “<a href="https://penguinrandomhousehighereducation.com/book/?isbn=9780451478290">Thirteen Reasons Why</a>,” Patricia McCormick’s “<a href="https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/sold">Sold</a>,” and others that were banned because of themes of sex and violence.</p>
<p>We were interested in what the students perceived to be the consequences of reading young adult literature. They tended to read books they described <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2024.2317944">as “disturbing</a>.” At the end of the school year, we interviewed 71 of the students about changes in their reading and relationships with peers and family. </p>
<p>We also asked open-ended questions about how, if at all, they had changed as people since the beginning of the year. Beyond reading substantially more than they had previously, they reported positive changes in their social, emotional and intellectual lives that they attributed to reading, the kinds of books they read and the conversations those books provoked.</p>
<p>Here are six ways students told us they had been changed by reading and talking about edgy young adult books. </p>
<h2>1. They became more empathetic</h2>
<p>The students chose mostly fiction, with characters whose life circumstances in many cases differed from their own, including those associated with race, gender, sexuality, culture, language, mental health and household income. Because fiction <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.06.002">provides windows into the minds of others</a>, it has the <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.1239918">potential to improve empathy</a>, which becomes <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0055341">more probable when readers get emotionally involved in stories</a>.</p>
<p>This is consistent with what the students reported. As one student explained after reading a book about a bullied character, “Like when you see people … you think, well, they don’t have problems or whatever, but then some of the ones I’ve read, you can just understand people better.”</p>
<h2>2. They improved relationships</h2>
<p>The books contained stark realities about humanity. For instance, some books dealt with how children and teens might be exploited by adults or how mental illness might radically affect a person’s behavior.</p>
<p>Students shared that as they read, they were encountering some of this information for the first time. Their initial instinct, they said, was to find someone else who had read the book and talk about it. </p>
<p>Consequently, students who rarely talked to each other came together over books. In the process, they learned about each other, became friends or at least developed greater appreciation for each other. They also talked to family members, including parents, some of whom they convinced to read the books. </p>
<p>Relationships in books made teens rethink their own relationships. “Her mom was all rude to her,” one student recalled about a character. “It kind of had me feeling bad, ‘cause I was rude to my aunt, and my situation could have been worse.” </p>
<p>Students shared that reading about characters in dire circumstances changed how they thought about their own families. For instance, several admitted that reading a book about a girl their age who was abducted and abused by an adult male made them more likely to listen to their parents’ advice about safety. Others reading that same book reported becoming more protective of siblings.</p>
<h2>3. They became more thoughtful</h2>
<p>Reading about the decisions characters made gave the teens a chance to see the potential consequences of their own future choices.</p>
<p>Some described positive characters as role models. Others described using characters who made questionable decisions as cautionary tales and tools of self-reflection. </p>
<p>Statements such as one student’s comment that “I have changed because I think more about things before I do them” were common and were related to problems teens were already facing or could see on the horizon. These problems included toxic relationships, substance abuse, gang-related activity and risky sexual behaviors. </p>
<h2>4. They were happier</h2>
<p>Despite the fact that many students chose books with serious and unsettling content, students claimed reading made them feel better.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A girl lies on her back on a bench reading a book that she is holding." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/578709/original/file-20240228-26-6snxit.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teens say reading books can boost their mood.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/teenage-girl-reading-book-outdoors-royalty-free-image/1223187399?phrase=teens+books&adppopup=true">Westend61 via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Some explicitly attested to the pleasure of reading. “It’s the happiest I’ll get,” one student stated about the time she spent with the books.</p>
<p>More frequently, students described how mental trips through books helped them reconsider their own worries compared with characters with much harder lives.</p>
<p>“You do get an appreciation for what you do have, and, like, for being thankful for the happiness and joy in your life,” one explained. “Some of those books, it’s crazy what’s in there.”</p>
<h2>5. Books helped students heal</h2>
<p>Some students reported that books helped them heal from depression and grief.</p>
<p>“When I was younger, I lost my best friend,” one student shared after reading about a character whose mother died. “It was really hard for me, but books like that really take me back and help me remember her but without getting really upset.” </p>
<p>Many pointed to good feelings they got from meaningful book conversations with peers. That is not surprising given the link between <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-007-9083-0">positive social relationships and young people’s happiness</a>.</p>
<h2>6. They became better readers</h2>
<p>Some of the books were difficult for students to read, but they persisted even though they had to work harder to understand them. Other research has found that this persistence is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00220973.2010.481503">related to the interest</a> that students had in the subjects of the books.</p>
<p>Students reported rereading large chunks of books or even entire books to clear up confusion about storylines, and asking teachers and peers for help with problems such as unfamiliar vocabulary. Their scores on <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.46">end-of-year reading tests improved</a>, whereas scores for other students remained flat. That is not surprising, since the students in our study <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.404">read so much</a>. Also, they read mainly fiction, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/berj.3498">which is correlated with better reading skills</a> compared with other genres.</p>
<p>Students said they started visiting public libraries and bookstores. Declarations like “I’m a bookworm now” suggested they began viewing themselves as readers. They also reported larger changes. “I think I got smarter,” one student remarked. </p>
<p>The positive transformations reported by students we interviewed cannot be generalized, but experimentally controlled studies yield related findings. For instance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2019.101216">adolescents who read and talk to each other</a> about stories with social themes report greater motivation to read, greater use of reading strategies, such as rereading what they don’t understand, and insight into human nature than those who do not.</p>
<p>Our research left us reflecting on why we want young people to read in the first place. Do we want them to reap the social, emotional, moral and academic benefits that reading confers? If so, preserving their access to relevant books – even the “disturbing” ones – matters a lot.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223533/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gay Ivey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Amid calls to ban certain books from libraries and schools, research shows that students benefit when they have the ability to choose which materials they want to read.Gay Ivey, Professor of Literacy, University of North Carolina – GreensboroLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2238242024-02-26T20:01:36Z2024-02-26T20:01:36ZPink Shirt Day must become a call to meaningful action against bullying<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/577459/original/file-20240222-20-4iqxbx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C44%2C5000%2C3270&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The calls to action haven’t resulted in much change. We need to do better. The stakes are enormous.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the last few days of February draw near, we will soon be called to think about bullying on <a href="https://www.pinkshirtday.ca/">Pink Shirt Day</a> on the last Wednesday of the month. Pink Shirt Day was started by Grade 12 Nova Scotia students David Shepherd and Travis Price who wanted to show their solidarity for a victim of bullying who was targeted, in part, for wearing a pink shirt.</p>
<p>This initial show of solidarity has been a recognized day of action in Canada since 2007, and was adopted in New Zealand in 2009.</p>
<p>This means that we’ve had over 15 Pink Shirt Days. What have they done beyond raising awareness? Sadly, the answer is not much. Research shows that <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/science-research-data/youth-findings-health-behaviour-school-aged-children-study.html#ch10">the number of youth who report being a victim of bullying hasn’t changed at all</a>. The calls to action haven’t resulted in much change. We need to do better. The stakes are enormous.</p>
<h2>Impacts of bullying</h2>
<p>First the bad news: Bullying is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05083-1">notoriously difficult to prevent or reduce</a>. Bullying is too often viewed as a rite of passage — the ability to overcome harassment and bad peer interactions. And it’s true that <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/016502598384388">some stress is helpful in forging stronger social and emotional skills</a>. </p>
<p>The same thing is true for bones that benefit from stressful exercise. But too much stress causes a bone to break, leaving behind a permanent weakness. The same is true for too much social and emotional stress. </p>
<p>Children are suffering decades-long negative <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1323641111">physical</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22270">mental health</a> outcomes because of stress caused by bullying. It changes the way the body reads its own <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2017.08.025">DNA in response</a> to stress <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291715000653">well into one’s 50s</a>. </p>
<p>These effects are actually worse for children in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0954579423001384">classes that otherwise have low levels of bullying</a>. Those lone victims heartbreakingly feel even more isolated and to blame for their sole victimization. And for some, it can tragically result in <a href="https://www.amandatoddlegacy.org/">taking their own lives</a>. </p>
<h2>Why people bully</h2>
<p>Bullying, appears to be, at least in part, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09703-3">an evolutionary adaptation</a> that can offer its users important benefits. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21418">First up</a> are material benefits like the best spot on the playground, lunch money or a coveted scholarship. Even more appealing are the strong, consistent, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-013-9759-3">longitudinal</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025416679743">cross-cultural ties</a> between bullying and popularity. Bullying leads to gains in popularity and, sadly, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2020.1850462https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2020.1850462">popularity tends to lead to bullying</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps most salient of all, for both boys and girls, and both younger and older adolescents, bullying is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1474704915613909">increased dating and sexual opportunities</a>. Material benefits, popularity and sex are difficult motives to fight against. It gets even harder when we recognize that bullies are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-022-09703-3">not socially unintelligent, they do not have lower self-esteem and they may not even lack emotional empathy</a>. </p>
<p>They are often simply <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00182-4">individuals who willingly choose to use power for their own benefit and to the detriment of others</a>. And unfortunately, they get plenty of examples from adults about how bullying can <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/vladimir-putin-is-a-classic-schoolyard-bully-who-must-be-stopped-not-appeased/article_4a333027-003d-5b2e-b070-199dbbc9ce06.html">get you what you want with few consequences</a> so long as you’re powerful, rich or famous.</p>
<p>So if bullying is really so awful why has Pink Shirt Day not led to meaningful change?</p>
<h2>Tackling bullying</h2>
<p>Bullying is a facultative adaptation — that means it depends on the costs and benefits an environment affords. So even if it has a biological basis, its expression depends on the environmental context. And we know that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00038-009-5413-9">different cultures</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-014-9949-7">different classrooms</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2021.1926231">different peers</a> can all change the equation of bullying so that its costs start to outweigh its benefits. </p>
<p>Critically, while data indicates bullies gain popularity and dominance, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dr.2023.101073">the same data shows that they lose out on being liked</a> and on being sought out as a friend. People respect and fear a bully’s ability to violently wield power, but they don’t like it. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/082957359801300205">While bullying is hard to catch and harder to punish</a>, we can look at changing the carrot instead of the stick. If <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0165025411407457">peers stop rewarding bullies</a>, and if adults create environments that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.12243">foster prosocial co-operation rather than selfish competition</a>, we can make bullying less appealing.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/bullying-wont-be-curbed-until-we-figure-out-what-fuels-it-128031">Bullying won't be curbed until we figure out what fuels it</a>
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<p>Doing so is hard. It requires real work from youth, teachers, schools, parents, governments and the general public. We can’t expect youth to stop rewarding bullying if we continue to reward bullies as adults. We can’t expect youth to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2013.10.004">stand up to the most popular kids on their own</a>. </p>
<p>We need to find the right ways to encourage the positive uses of power. Bullying may be an evolutionary adaptation, but it’s not genetically determined, so we should not accept it as an inevitable rite of passage. </p>
<p>This Pink Shirt Day, do more than just think about bullying. Think about how you can get involved and make a positive difference. Talk to your children, talk to their schools, talk to teachers that you know, stand up to bullies in your workplace. Pink Shirt Day started as a gesture of solidarity, as a means of taking back some of the power from bullies. </p>
<p>If we can view Pink Shirt Day as a call to action, instead of just another reminder, we can start changing things so that bullying becomes associated with another evolutionary term — extinction.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223824/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tony Volk does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Canada has marked Pink Shirt Day since 2007, but meaningful progress in tackling bullying requires solidarity from youth, teachers, schools, parents, governments and the general public.Tony Volk, Professor, Child and Youth Studies, Brock UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2230842024-02-25T19:05:37Z2024-02-25T19:05:37ZNicotine pouches are being marketed to young people on social media. But are they safe, or even legal?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576964/original/file-20240221-30-zpsdc9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C5024%2C3357&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/male-hands-hold-hand-box-snus-2134161211">Piskova Photo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Flavoured nicotine pouches are <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/07/all-good-to-take-to-school-australian-influencers-spruik-flavoured-nicotine-pouches-to-vape-addicted-youths">being promoted to young people</a> on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. </p>
<p>Although some viral videos have been taken down following a series of reports in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/feb/08/albanese-government-condemns-widespread-marketing-of-nicotine-pouches-to-young-people">The Guardian</a>, clips featuring <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@anabolicgabe/video/7300486987331472641">Australian influencers</a> have claimed nicotine pouches are a safe and effective way to quit vaping. A number of the videos have included links to websites selling these products.</p>
<p>With the rapid rise in youth vaping and the subsequent <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-today-new-regulations-make-it-harder-to-access-vapes-heres-whats-changing-218816">implementation of several reforms</a> to restrict access to vaping products, it’s not entirely surprising the tobacco industry is introducing more products to maintain its future revenue stream.</p>
<p>The major trans-national tobacco companies, including Philip Morris International and British American Tobacco, all manufacture nicotine pouches. British American Tobacco’s brand of nicotine pouches, Velo, is a leading sponsor of the <a href="https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.mclaren-new-livery-reveal-2024-f1-season.216OAbbqt6SWUjIio6GLqP.html">McLaren Formula 1 team</a>.</p>
<p>But what are nicotine pouches, and are they even legal in Australia?</p>
<h2>Like snus, but different</h2>
<p>Nicotine pouches are available in many countries around the world, and their sales are <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372463/9789240079410-eng.pdf?sequence=1">increasing rapidly</a>, especially among <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10203764/">young people</a>.</p>
<p>Nicotine pouches look a bit like small tea bags and are placed between the lip and gum. They’re typically sold in small, colourful tins of about 15 to 20 pouches. While the pouches <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9915420/">don’t contain tobacco</a>, they do contain nicotine that is either extracted from tobacco plants or made synthetically. The pouches come in a wide range of strengths. </p>
<p>As well as nicotine, the pouches commonly contain plant fibres (in place of tobacco, plant fibres serve as a filler and give the pouches shape), sweeteners and flavours. Just like for vaping products, there’s <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/who-fctc-cop10-source/Supplementary%20information/nicotine_pouch_paper.pdf">a vast array</a> of pouch flavours available including different varieties of fruit, confectionery, spices and drinks.</p>
<p>The range of appealing flavours, as well as the fact they can be used discreetly, may make nicotine pouches particularity attractive to young people.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two teenage girls vaping on a blanket in a park." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/576966/original/file-20240221-22-1haedq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Vaping has recently been subject to tighter regulation in Australia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/vape-lgbt-teenagers-bisexual-lesbian-young-1535887709">Aleksandr Yu/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Users absorb the nicotine in their mouths and simply replace the pouch when all the nicotine has been absorbed. Tobacco-free nicotine pouches are a relatively recent product, but similar style products that do contain tobacco, <a href="https://tobaccotactics.org/article/snus/">known as snus</a>, have been popular in Scandinavian countries, particularly Sweden, for decades.</p>
<p>Snus and nicotine pouches are however different products. And given snus contains tobacco and nicotine pouches don’t, the products are subject to quite different regulations in Australia.</p>
<h2>What does the law say?</h2>
<p>Pouches that contain tobacco, like snus, have been banned in Australia since 1991, as part of a <a href="https://www.productsafety.gov.au/products/health-lifestyle/personal/tobacco-related-products/smokeless-tobacco-products">consumer product ban</a> on all forms of smokeless tobacco products. This means other smokeless tobacco products such as chewing tobacco, snuff, and dissolvable tobacco sticks or tablets, are also banned from sale in Australia.</p>
<p>Tobacco-free nicotine pouches cannot legally be sold by general retailers, like tobacconists and convenience stores, in Australia either. But the reasons for this are more complex.</p>
<p>In Australia, under the <a href="https://www.legislation.gov.au/F2024L00095/latest/downloads">Poisons Standard</a>, nicotine is a prescription-only medicine, with two exceptions. Nicotine can be used in tobacco prepared and packed for smoking, such as cigarettes, roll-your-own tobacco, and cigars, as well as in preparations for therapeutic use as a smoking cessation aid, such as nicotine patches, gum, mouth spray and lozenges.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/from-today-new-regulations-make-it-harder-to-access-vapes-heres-whats-changing-218816">From today, new regulations make it harder to access vapes. Here's what's changing</a>
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<p>If a nicotine-containing product does not meet either of these two exceptions, it cannot be legally sold by general retailers. No nicotine pouches have currently been approved by the <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub/nicotine-pouches">Therapeutic Goods Administration</a> as a therapeutic aid in smoking cessation, so in short they’re not legal to sell in Australia.</p>
<p>However, nicotine pouches can be legally imported for personal use only if users have a prescription from a medical professional who can assess if the product is appropriate for individual use.</p>
<p>We only have anecdotal reports of nicotine pouch use, not hard data, as these products are very new in Australia. But we do know authorities are increasingly <a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/more-than-1-million-in-vapes-nicotine-products-seized-in-raids-across-sydney/e86beb9b-437f-4904-b0cc-d1c46bfb2ef3">seizing these products</a> from retailers. It’s highly unlikely any young people using nicotine pouches are accessing them through legal channels.</p>
<h2>Health concerns</h2>
<p>Nicotine exposure <a href="https://adf.org.au/drug-facts/nicotine/">may induce effects including</a> dizziness, headache, nausea and abdominal cramps, especially among people who don’t normally smoke or vape.</p>
<p>Although we don’t yet have much evidence on the long term health effects of nicotine pouches, we know nicotine is addictive and <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372463/9789240079410-eng.pdf?sequence=1">harmful to health</a>. For example, it can cause problems in the cardiovascular system (such as heart arrhythmia), particularly at high doses. It may also have negative effects on <a href="https://www.tga.gov.au/products/unapproved-therapeutic-goods/vaping-hub/nicotine-pouches">adolescent brain development</a>.</p>
<p>The nicotine contents of some of the nicotine pouches on the market is alarmingly high. Certain brands offer pouches containing more than <a href="https://truthinitiative.org/research-resources/emerging-tobacco-products/what-zyn-and-what-are-oral-nicotine-pouches">10mg of nicotine</a>, which is similar to a cigarette. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/3724%20yes63/9789240079410-eng.pdf?sequence=1">report</a>, pouches deliver enough nicotine to induce and sustain nicotine addiction.</p>
<p>Pouches are also being marketed as a product to use when it’s not possible to vape or smoke, such as <a href="https://www.velo.com/gb/en/blog/post/flying-with-nicotine-products">on a plane</a>. So instead of helping a person quit they may be used in addition to smoking and vaping. And importantly, there’s <a href="https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.34JC8Q2">no clear evidence</a> pouches are an effective smoking or vaping cessation aid.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Velo product display at Dubai airport in October 2022." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/575503/original/file-20240214-30-khf94f.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Velo product display at Dubai airport in October 2022. Nicotine pouches are marketed as safe to use on planes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Becky Freeman</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Further, some nicotine pouches, despite being tobacco-free, still contain <a href="https://tobaccocontrol.bmj.com/content/early/2022/08/05/tc-2022-057280.abstract">tobacco-specific nitrosamines</a>. These compounds can damage DNA, and with long term exposure, can cause cancer. </p>
<p>Overall, there’s limited data on the harms of nicotine pouches because they’ve been on the market for only a short time. But the WHO <a href="https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/372463/9789240079410-eng.pdf?sequence=1">recommends a cautious approach</a> given their similarities to smokeless tobacco products.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-missing-ingredient-australia-needs-to-kick-its-smoking-addiction-for-good-167973">The missing ingredient Australia needs to kick its smoking addiction for good</a>
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<p>For anyone wanting advice and support to quit smoking or vaping, it’s best to talk to your doctor or pharmacist, or access trusted sources such as <a href="https://www.health.gov.au/contacts/quitline">Quitline</a> or the <a href="https://www.icanquit.com.au/">iCanQuit website</a>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/223084/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Becky Freeman is an Expert Advisor to the Cancer Council Tobacco Issues Committee and a member of the Cancer Institute Vaping Communications Advisory Panel. These are unpaid roles. She has received relevant competitive grants that include a focus on e-cigarettes/vaping from the NHMRC, MRFF, NSW Health, the Ian Potter Foundation, VicHealth, and Healthway WA; relevant research contracts from the Cancer Institute NSW and the Cancer Council NSW; relevant personal/consulting fees from the World Health Organization, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Department of Health, BMJ Tobacco Control, the Heart Foundation NSW, the US FDA, the NHMRC e-cigarette working committee, NSW Health, and Cancer Council NSW; and relevant travel expenses from the Oceania Tobacco Control Conference and the Australia Public Health Association preventive health conference.</span></em></p>Nicotine pouches are placed between the lip and gum, and users absorb the nicotine in their mouths. Although these products don’t contain tobacco, this doesn’t mean they’re safe.Becky Freeman, Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2215042024-02-20T14:27:38Z2024-02-20T14:27:38ZLagos: drugs, firearms and youth unemployment are creating a lethal cocktail in Nigeria’s commercial capital<p>Lagos is the <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/1218259/largest-cities-in-africa/#:%7E:text=Lagos%2C%20in%20Nigeria%2C%20ranked%20as,living%20in%20the%20city%20proper.">most populous</a> city in Africa and a regional economic giant, having west Africa’s busiest seaport. It is the centre of commercial and economic activities in Nigeria.</p>
<p>The city’s <a href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/april-2019-july-2019/africa%E2%80%99s-megacities-magnet-investors">population</a> is estimated to be 20 million people. The existence of informal settlements makes it difficult to come up with a more precise number.</p>
<p>Lagos has <a href="https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ACRC_Lagos_City-Scoping-Study.pdf">grown</a> rapidly since Nigerian independence in 1960, when its estimated population was 763,000 people. In the 1980s, its population reached 2.7 million. The government of Lagos state estimates that <a href="https://insidebusiness.ng/18245/rapid-urbanization-86-migrants-enter-lagos-every-hour-ambode/">86 young migrants</a> arrive every hour.</p>
<p>This rapid urbanisation has been poorly managed. The result is crumbling public infrastructure, poor sanitation, poverty, and shortages of employment opportunities, food, social services, housing and public transport. </p>
<p>These challenges combine to make the city susceptible to criminal activities. Organised crime and violent conflicts are a public safety and security challenge. </p>
<p>The issue of crime has been with Lagos for years. In 1993, the Nigerian government <a href="https://ludi.org.ng/2023/07/10/crime-prevention-through-public-space-design-a-lagos-story/#:%7E:text=The%20rapid%20population%20growth%20without,leading%20to%20high%20crime%20rates.">described</a> Lagos as the “crime capital of the country” with the emergence of the “<a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/nigeria/nigeria-area-boys-growing-menace-streets-lagos">Area Boys</a>”, a group of social miscreants. </p>
<p>The 2017 <a href="https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/786">statistics</a> on reported crime incidences in Nigeria by the <a href="https://www.nigerianstat.gov.ng/">National Bureau of Statistics</a> shows that Lagos has remained in a class of its own. Lagos State had the highest percentage share of total cases reported with <a href="https://nigerianstat.gov.ng/elibrary/read/786#:%7E:text=Lagos%20State%20has%20the%20highest,205(0.2%25)%20cases%20recorded.">50,975</a> (37.9%) cases recorded. </p>
<p>I have been <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=jDncA6MAAAAJ&hl=en">researching</a> various aspects of crime and insecurity in Nigeria, particularly in the country’s south-west. I currently lead the <a href="https://www.african-cities.org/">African Cities Research Consortium</a> safety and security domain research in Lagos.</p>
<p>I contributed to a recent <a href="https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ACRC_Working-Paper-7_February-2024.pdf#page=26">paper</a> about residents’ experiences and perceptions of safety in six African cities: Nairobi, Bukavu, Freetown, Mogadishu, Lagos and Maiduguri. </p>
<p>My research identified various drivers of insecurity in Lagos. They included youth migration and unemployment; inequality and poverty; the visible network of organised youth criminal groups; proliferation of small arms and drugs; inadequate preparedness of the city government; police corruption; the high rate of out-of-school children; and poor urban planning.</p>
<p>I argue that for residents to feel secure, the government needs to include these drivers in approaches to solving security challenges in Lagos. </p>
<h2>Unemployment, firearms and drugs</h2>
<p>In my African Cities Research Consortium safety and security domain research in Lagos, unemployment and the proliferation of small firearms and drugs stand out as trends. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://medium.com/@olaoyeleye09/navigating-unemployment-in-lagos-nigeria-1a55c2a5e0b5">survey</a> on Navigating Unemployment in Lagos, Nigeria revealed that 48.31% of the respondents were unemployed and the majority were between 25 and 34 years old.</p>
<p>In Lagos, youth of 18-40 years make up about half of the <a href="https://www.urbanet.info/youth-employment-in-lagos/#:%7E:text=In%20Lagos%2C%20youth%20are%20believed,equalling%20over%2010%20million%20people.">population</a>, equalling over ten million people facing high rates of unemployment. I do not have current unemployment data but in its fourth quarter 2020 nationwide survey, the National Bureau of Statistics <a href="https://mepb.lagosstate.gov.ng/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/2022/02/MACRO-ECONS-FLYER-DECEMBER-2021-edition-1.pdf">estimated</a> a 37.14% unemployment rate in Lagos, and 4.52% underemployment rate.</p>
<p>According to my research participants, drug abuse and illicit arms have become serious issues. Some of the city precincts in communities such as Ikorodu, Somolu, Agege, Bariga, Ojo, Oshodi, Mushin and Badagry have become warehouses and destinations for firearms and drugs. </p>
<p>A <a href="https://enactafrica.org/research/ocwar-t/silencing-the-guns-in-cities-urbanisation-and-arms-trafficking-in-bamako-and-lagos">recent survey</a> published by <a href="https://enactafrica.org/research/organised-crime-index#:%7E:text=The%20ENACT%20Africa%20Organised%20Crime,organised%20crime%20across%20the%20continent.&text=The%20ENACT%20Index%20is%20a,organised%20crime%20on%20the%20continent.">ENACT Transnational</a> on organised crime in Africa has shown that between 2010 and 2017, the largest supply of live ammunition transported into Nigeria illegally was intercepted at Lagos. This was made up of 21,407,933 items of live ammunition and 1,100 pump action guns.</p>
<p>Most of the illegal weapons pass through ports in west Africa; some are imported over land borders. While the country’s <a href="https://omaplex.com.ng/an-overview-of-the-gun-regulations-in-nigeria-the-current-stance-and-the-way-forward/">law forbids</a> random possession of firearms, my research respondents say it is surprisingly common for young miscreants to carry firearms in Lagos.</p>
<p>The police have <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-west/409520-blacksmith-two-others-arrested-for-illegal-firearms-fabrication.html">confirmed</a> that hooligans acquire illicit firearms from local blacksmiths who make them, and from corrupt security officers. </p>
<p>In 2022, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency <a href="https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2022/09/23/the-lagos-drug-bust">discovered</a> a warehouse in a residential estate in Ikorodu with 1.8 tonnes of cocaine. This was the largest single cocaine seizure in the country’s history.</p>
<p>In November 2023, security agents <a href="https://leadership.ng/navy-intercepts-boats-with-n200m-illicit-drugs-in-lagos/">intercepted</a> cannabis in Ibeshe, Iworoshoki and Badagry, and in January 2024, the drug law enforcement agency <a href="https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/656790-nigerian-authorities-intercept-hard-drugs-from-us-arrest-suspect-official.html">intercepted</a> cannabis at Ikeja.</p>
<h2>Impacts of unemployment, small arms and drugs in Lagos</h2>
<p>Findings from <a href="https://www.african-cities.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/ACRC_Working-Paper-7_February-2024.pdf#page=26">my research</a> in Lagos show respondents perceive high levels of violent crime in the city. Youth aged 13 to 40 are mostly the perpetrators.</p>
<p>While there are no accurate statistics of daily violent crime incidences, residents are <a href="https://punchng.com/daredevil-daylight-robbers-return-to-lagos-streets/">complaining</a>. </p>
<p>In 2022, the police <a href="https://securityandsafetymatters.wordpress.com/2022/11/24/lagos-police-says-over-three-hundred-people-brutally-murdered/">reported</a> that no fewer than 345 people were murdered in Lagos – the highest number in years. </p>
<p>Young people have formed themselves into street gangs. My research respondents spoke of violent encounters in which their assailants used firearms and were often under the influence of alcohol or drugs or both. This was the experience of 18 respondents, out of a sample of 50 randomly selected respondents.</p>
<p>Some respondents described street gangs in Lagos who are constantly high on drugs and have no regard for human life. Other respondents said drugs were accessible and affordable even for unemployed youth. Respondents believed that a combination of a large youth population, unemployment and easy access to drugs and illicit firearms was proving deadly.</p>
<h2>Preventing and treating the issues</h2>
<p>The crime triangle in Lagos – youth unemployment, drugs and illicit arms – requires urgent attention. </p>
<p>My study in Lagos shows that a widespread sense of economic hopelessness exacerbates the use of drug and firearms by young people in Lagos. Youth who embrace this culture of violence are those who feel that they have no stake in the city and no trust in the government to provide opportunities for them.</p>
<p>Thus, the state and communities must address the lack of opportunities and alternatives, reaching out to marginalised youth and providing them with an environment in which they can lead a fulfilling life. An effective strategy is one that provides legitimate activities and job opportunities for them. </p>
<p>Government action is required to ensure that opportunities exist for training in a trade or life skill. This would enable youth to make better choices and find productive employment. They could be socially responsible and play an active role in the city rather than becoming a threat in their communities.</p>
<p>Government has the authority to control the supply and use of firearms and drugs. </p>
<p>Special operations should be directed at drug addicts and unlicensed firearms carriers. The approach should be to disrupt the market for illicit arms and drugs. </p>
<p>Security agencies can work with communities to discover new dealing locations and make buyers feel vulnerable and uncomfortable through sting operations – pretending to be dealers or users. </p>
<p>Urban planning approaches could also be applied such as inclusive planning of informal settlements, installation of security cameras and street lighting, limiting access to problematic streets through road changes, removal of transport stops used by drug and firearms users and their dealers, and improved signage.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221504/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adewumi I. Badiora does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Youth migration, unemployment, proliferation of small arms and drugs are some of the drivers of violent crimes in Lagos.Adewumi I. Badiora, Senior Lecturer, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Olabisi Onabanjo UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2209252024-01-31T18:28:57Z2024-01-31T18:28:57ZFear of ageing is really a fear of the unknown – and modern society is making things worse<p>For the first time in human history, we have entered an era in which reaching old age is taken for granted. Unlike in ages past, when living to an older age was a luxury afforded mainly to the privileged, globally around <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TO65.FE.ZS?locations=1W">79% of women</a> and <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TO65.MA.ZS?locations=1W">70% of men</a> can expect to reach the age of 65 and beyond.</p>
<p>Despite longer life expectancy, many people in the contemporary west see growing old as undesirable and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/apr/02/ageing-and-the-mortality-alarm-i-started-panicking-about-future-me">even scary</a>. Research shows, however, that anxiety about ageing may in fact be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0164027500225004">fear of the unknown</a>. </p>
<p>Society’s <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/articles/199409/learning-love-growing-old">focus on youthfulness</a> and <a href="https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psychology-teacher-network/introductory-psychology/ableism-negative-reactions-disability">capability</a> can cause anxiety about becoming weak and unwanted. Adverts for anti-ageing products <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-20th-century-rejuvenation-techniques-gave-rise-to-the-modern-anti-ageing-industry-133569">are everywhere</a>, reinforcing the idea that growing older is inherently unattractive. </p>
<p>Some people fear ageing so much that it becomes a pathological condition <a href="https://mind.help/topic/gerascophobia/">called gerascophobia</a>, leading to irrational thoughts and behaviour, for example, a fixation on health, illness and mortality and a preoccupation with hiding the signs of ageing.</p>
<p>We frequently hear about attempts to reverse ageing, often by the super rich. For example, <a href="https://fortune.com/well/2023/01/26/bryan-johnson-extreme-anti-aging/">Bryan Johnson</a>, a 45-year-old American entrepreneur, is spending millions of dollars a year to obtain the physical age of 18. </p>
<p>While the desire to reverse ageing is not a new phenomenon, advancements in biomedicine have brought it closer. </p>
<p>Work published by genetics professor <a href="https://lifespanbook.com/">David Sinclair</a> at Harvard University in 2019 suggests that it may be possible to challenge the limits of cell reproduction to extend our lifespan, for example. His <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s43587-023-00527-6">information theory of ageing</a> argues that <a href="https://epigeneticsandchromatin.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1756-8935-6-3">reprogramming DNA</a> can improve damaged and old tissues, and delay or even reverse ageing. However, these new possibilities can also heighten our fear of ageing.</p>
<h2>From the unproductive to undervalued</h2>
<p>People haven’t always dreaded growing older. In many societies, older people used to be widely regarded as wise and important – and in some they still are. </p>
<p>In ancient China, there was a <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/605890">culture</a> of respecting and seeking advice from older family members. There is still an ethos of <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6363941/">filial piety</a> (showing reverence and care for elders and ancestors) today, even if it’s not as pronounced as it used to be. The same went for <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/ageing-and-society/article/abs/old-age-in-the-dark-ages-the-status-of-old-age-during-the-early-middle-ages/3699DC4100DE852BDA1E1B3BBF33DDBC">medieval Europe</a>, where older people’s experiences and wisdom were highly valued. </p>
<p>However, the industrial revolution in the west from the 18th century led to a cultural shift where older people <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1014358415896">became excluded from society</a> and were considered unproductive. People who had surpassed the age to work, alongside those with incurable diseases, were regarded by society as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13607860903228762">“evils”</a> in need of assistance.</p>
<p>The treatment of older people has taken a different form since the early 20th century. The introduction of <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/30/business/retirement/why-the-world-needs-to-rethink-retirement.html">universal pension systems</a> made ageing a central concern in welfare systems. But as the demands for social and health care have increased, journalists increasingly portray ageing as a <a href="https://www.ageuk.org.uk/latest-news/archive/older-people-feel-a-burden-to-society/">burden</a> on society. </p>
<p>Consequently, growing older is often associated with managing the risk of ill health and alleviating the onus of care from younger relatives. This can result in the <a href="https://utpjournals.press/doi/abs/10.3138/utq.90.2.09">institutionalisation</a> of older people in residential facilities that keep them hidden, sequestered from the awareness of younger generations.</p>
<p><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0164027500225004">Research</a> analysing the responses of 1,200 US adults from the American Association of Retired Persons’ Images of Ageing survey shows that much of the perceived fear of ageing is closely aligned with the fear of the unknown, rather than the ageing process itself. This fear is only exacerbated by the largely separate lives lived by older and younger generations.</p>
<p>The prevalence of nuclear families and the decline of <a href="https://www.cpc.ac.uk/docs/BP45_UnAffordable_housing_and_the_residential_separation_of_age_groups.pdf">traditional mixed-generational communities</a> have deprived younger people of the opportunity to more fully understand the experiences of older people. Plus, the rapid increase in <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/why-its-more-difficult-for-young-people-to-buy-a-house-now-than-it-was-fifty-years-ago-12537254">house prices</a> means many young people cannot afford to live near their older relatives.</p>
<p>The separation of older people from children and young people has sparked generational conflicts that seemingly continue to <a href="https://www.economist.com/britain/2017/05/04/britains-generational-divide-has-never-been-wider">grow wider than ever</a>. Older people are frequently portrayed in the media as conservative and privileged, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/jan/12/old-young-gap-britain-generation-dysfunctional-family">making it difficult</a> for younger generations to comprehend why older people act and think the way they do. </p>
<h2>Intergenerational interactions</h2>
<p>Academics suggest that creating <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.996520/full">a system</a> for older and younger generations to interact in everyday settings is vital. </p>
<p>A set of three <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5031197/#bjso12146-bib-0004">UK-based studies</a> in 2016 analysed and compared the effects of direct contact, extended contact and interactions between younger (aged 17 to 30) and older people (65 and over). The findings indicated that good quality direct intergenerational contact can improve young people’s attitudes towards older adults (especially when sustained over time). </p>
<p>Intergenerational programmes have been adopted globally, including mixed and <a href="https://www.cohousing.org/multigenerational-cohousing/">intergenerational housing</a>, <a href="https://www.nurseryinbelong.org.uk/intergenerational-choir-hits-high-note-at-belong-chester/">community choirs</a> and <a href="https://www.shareable.net/how-sharing-can-bring-japans-elderly-and-youth-together/">senior volunteers reading to young children in nurseries</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10433-018-00497-4">Studies show</a> that these activities can not only enhance the wellbeing of older people but also help younger people gain an appreciation of ageing as a valuable and fulfilling life stage. </p>
<p>Getting worried about growing older is normal, just as we experience anxieties in other stages of life, such as adolescence and marriage. But here’s the thing – instead of seeing ageing as a looming figure, it is important to realise it is just a part of life.</p>
<p>Once we understand ageing as a regular experience, <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/changepower/202106/do-you-have-fogo-taming-the-fear-getting-old">we can let go</a> of these worries and approach the journey through different life stages with a positive attitude and a fortified will to enrich our lives and the lives of those around us.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220925/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Anxiety about ageing is also often a fear of the future.Chao Fang, Lecturer in Sociology, Deputy Director of the Centre for Ageing and the Life Course, University of LiverpoolAlastair Comery, PhD Candidate, Sociology, Centre for Death and Society, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2219692024-01-31T17:25:34Z2024-01-31T17:25:34ZSuffering in silence: Men’s and boys’ mental health are still overlooked in sport<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/572001/original/file-20240129-29-fhg8bb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=17%2C26%2C5973%2C3961&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are severe problems with the culture of masculinity in men’s sport — one that means men and boys must adapt rather than seek help.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/suffering-in-silence-mens-and-boys-mental-health-are-still-overlooked-in-sport" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>For men and boys, caring about sport typically conjures images of passionate competition and fighting for the win. This understanding of care leaves little room for self-care, health and safety, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09540253.2020.1716956">emotional vulnerability</a> — topics that are fraught with risks for boys and men in a sport culture of hypermasculinity. </p>
<p>The National Hockey League Players’ Association recently released its <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/nhlpa-unveils-first-line-program-designed-to-support-mental-health-of-nhl-players">First Line Program</a> to support player mental health. It signals that men’s hockey is finally acknowledging the long-known fact that “a hockey player struggling with mental health would have done so in silence.” </p>
<p>Flames Head Coach Ryan Huska recently told the <em>Calgary Herald</em> that talking openly about mental health is “<a href="https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/flames-hockey-mental-health">kind of becoming the norm now, that people aren’t afraid to voice it</a>.” Corey Hirsch, a retired goaltender recently told CBC News, “the game itself wasn’t the issue, the issue is <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2298635843758">the stigma of having to be a tough man</a>.”</p>
<p>Similarly, in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aivpDPCP7Q8">recent interview on the <em>Diary of a CEO</em> podcast</a> France and Arsenal soccer legend, Thierry Henry, spoke of the depression he suffered throughout his career:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I’m a human being. I have feelings. Throughout my career and since I was born, I must have been in depression. Did I know it? No. did I do something about it? Obviously not, but I adapted.” </p>
</blockquote>
<figure>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Thierry Henry talks about his experience with mental health as an elite athlete on the ‘Diary of a CEO podcast.’</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What we are seeing, then, is an overdue shift towards normalizing men and male athletes seeking help and gradually speaking more openly and vulnerably about mental health. </p>
<h2>A culture of silence</h2>
<p>There are severe problems with the culture of masculinity in men’s sport — one that means men and boys must adapt rather than seek help and tough it out rather than take a step back. This <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2023.2277087">culture of silence and bullying</a> means men and boys have been reluctant to speak up and speak out about safety and sexual assaults. It has created an environment where men and boys feel pressured to be silent about their own mental health.</p>
<p>On the same podcast, Henry said:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“You’ve been told since you were young, whether at home or in your job, ‘Don’t be that guy, don’t show that you’re vulnerable.’ If they cry, what are they going to think.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is a culture that sporting organizations are up against in their implementation of initiatives like the First Line Program.</p>
<p>We need to redefine what it means to care in men’s sport. And progress has been made. In addition to the NHLPA’s First Line Program, in September 2023 Hockey Canada hosted the <a href="https://www.hockeycanada.ca/en-ca/news/summit-agenda-unveiled-2023-news">Beyond the Boards Summit</a>. This was an attempt to address “toxic masculinity” while simultaneously struggling to understand it.</p>
<p>Then, in October 2023, Hockey Canada issued a <a href="https://cdn.hockeycanada.ca/hockey-canada/Hockey-Programs/Safety/Downloads/dressing-room-policy-faq-e.pdf">Dressing Room Policy</a> to “enhance inclusion and safety” and “minimize occurrences of maltreatment, bullying, and harassment.” </p>
<p>While this is a sign of progress, there remains some reluctance to name issues such as sexual assault and homophobia when they occur.</p>
<p>On World Mental Health Day 2023, Norwich City Football Club launched a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tX8TgVR33KM">campaign, #youarenotalone</a> prompting us all to check in on those around us. </p>
<p>Initiatives such as these speak to a form of caring masculinity that is vital if men’s sport is to be the space of support and mental health that it can be.</p>
<h2>A complex relationship</h2>
<p>At times, novel ideas are borne in times of crisis; only now are we starting to make sense of the socio-cultural impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The complex relationship between sport and boys’ mental health became apparent when sport facilities closed for social distancing measures, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2023.102211">negatively impacting their social, mental and emotional health</a>. </p>
<p>One boy from our study described his struggles during the pandemic: “I just kind of felt sad… not being able to go rock-climbing.” In a similar vein, Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri spoke in October 2023 about how many of his players — including young academy players — were <a href="https://football-italia.net/allegri-juventus-working-on-players-depression-in-post-covid-era/">suffering with depression in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic</a>.</p>
<p>But this disruption has also forced boys to engage with their emotions. One boy told us: “I became way more in touch with myself and my emotions.” The same sentiment is echoed by Henry, who said of the pandemic: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Something like that had to happen for me to understand vulnerability, empathy, and crying. Understand that anger and jealousy are normal… I was crying every day for no reason… it was weird, in a good way.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>What does this tell us about sport and mental health? Primarily that sport in its traditional guise does not provide space for men’s and boys’ vulnerability and mental health. </p>
<h2>Cultivating care in men’s sport</h2>
<p>We can reimagine sport to be inclusive, diverse and safe, in order to tap into the positive potential of sports. But it requires redefining what it means to care. This does not mean discarding the importance of sporting competition, but rather recognizing and developing the potential for self-care and mutual support in men’s sport.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/18902138.2023.2277087">our research with male athletes</a>, we found that creating diverse sporting spaces facilitated open and vulnerable conversations, and promoted a culture of care and support that was important to these athletes. </p>
<p>These attempts at inclusion and diversity were not without their pains. The traditional culture of men’s sports sometimes reared its head making some men — particularly queer men — feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902211014037">excluded, marginalized and unsafe</a>. But the creation of spaces of emotional vulnerability and support nevertheless showed what is possible if the power of sport is harnessed and reimagined in novel ways.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michael Kehler receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabriel Knott-Fayle does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We are witnessing an overdue shift towards normalizing male athletes seeking help and gradually speaking more openly and vulnerably about mental health.Michael Kehler, Werklund Research Professor, Masculinities Studies, University of CalgaryGabriel Knott-Fayle, Postdoctoral Scholar of Masculinities Studies in Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2211712024-01-28T13:53:55Z2024-01-28T13:53:55ZDeepfakes: How to empower youth to fight the threat of misinformation and disinformation<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571710/original/file-20240126-23-6oiuw5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C73%2C8171%2C4464&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Deepfakes pose a profound social threat, and education along with technology and legislation matters for containing and addressing this. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/deepfakes-how-to-empower-youth-to-fight-the-threat-of-misinformation-and-disinformation" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>The <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf">World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2024</a> has issued a stark warning: misinformation and disinformation, primarily driven by <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deepfake">deepfakes</a>, are ranked as the most severe global short-term risks the world faces in the next two years.</p>
<p>In October 2023, the Innovation council of Québec <a href="https://conseilinnovation.quebec/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/CIQ_Impacts_societe_IA_EDS-1.pdf">shared the same realization</a> after months of <a href="https://conseilinnovation.quebec/intelligence-artificielle/publications-de-la-reflexion-collective/">consultations</a> with experts and the public.</p>
<p>This <a href="https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.10913.pdf">digital deception</a>, which leverages artificial intelligence and, more recently generative AI, to create hyper-realistic fabrications, extends beyond being a technological marvel; it <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/corporate/publications/the-evolution-of-disinformation-a-deepfake-future/democracys-new-challenge-navigating-the-era-of-generative-ai.html">poses a profound societal threat</a>. </p>
<p>In response to the gap in effectively combating deepfakes with technology and legislation alone, a <a href="https://pedagogienumerique.chaire.ulaval.ca/en/projets/lagentivite-numerique-pour-contrecarrer-la-desinformation-exploration-du-cas-des-hypertrucages/">research project</a> led by my team and I sheds light on a vital solution: human intervention through education.</p>
<h2>Technological solutions alone are inadequate</h2>
<p>Despite ongoing development of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23742917.2023.2192888">deepfake detection tools</a>, these <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10489-022-03766-z">technological solutions</a> are racing to catch up with the rapidly advancing capabilities of deepfake algorithms. </p>
<p><a href="https://repository.uclawsf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2150&context=hastings_constitutional_law_quaterly">Legal systems</a> and <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/security-intelligence-service/corporate/publications/the-evolution-of-disinformation-a-deepfake-future/deepfakes-a-real-threat-to-a-canadian-future.html">governments</a> are struggling to keep pace with this swift advancement of digital deception.</p>
<p>There is an urgent need for education to adopt a more serious, aggressive and strategic approach in equipping youth to combat this imminent threat.</p>
<h2>Political disinformation concerns</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_The_Global_Risks_Report_2024.pdf">potential for political polarization is particularly alarming</a>. </p>
<p>Nearly three billion people are expected to vote in countries including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/world/as-social-media-guardrails-fade-and-ai-deepfakes-go-mainstream-experts-warn-of-impact-on-elections">the United States</a> within the next two years. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-we-learn-from-the-history-of-pre-war-germany-to-the-atmosphere-today-in-the-u-s-220730">What can we learn from the history of pre-war Germany to the atmosphere today in the U.S.?</a>
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<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/ai-deepfake-election-canada-1.7084398">Disinformation campaigns</a> threaten to undermine the legitimacy of newly elected governments. </p>
<p>Deepfakes of prominent figures like Palestinian American supermodel <a href="https://www.newarab.com/news/pro-israel-activists-deep-fake-bella-hadid-palestine-video">Bella Hadid</a> and <a href="https://www.boomlive.in/fact-check/video-of-jordans-queen-rania-supporting-israel-is-a-deepfake-23493">others</a> have been manipulated to falsify their political statements, exemplifying the technology’s capacity to sway public opinion and skew political narratives. </p>
<p>A deepfake of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/greta-thunberg-vegan-grenades-tv-interview-is-deepfake-2023-10-30/#">Greta Thunberg</a> advocating for “vegan grenades” highlights the nefarious use of this technology. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.france24.com/en/technology/20230930-counterfeit-people-the-dangers-posed-by-meta-s-ai-celebrity-lookalike-chatbots">Meta’s unveiling of an AI assistant featuring celebrities’ likenesses</a> raises concerns about misuse and spreading disinformation. </p>
<h2>Financial fraud, pornographic harms</h2>
<p><a href="https://ca.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/ripple-ceo-warns-of-deepfake-scams-93CH-3178269">Deepfake videos</a> are also, unsurprisingly, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/business/voice-deepfakes-bank-scams.html">being leveraged</a> to commit <a href="https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/2024-01-22/hypertrucage-audio/berne-par-la-fausse-voix-de-son-fils.php?fbclid=IwAR3J0MTmXOhx8tAus2Z_4_F72Xh_6WC65bg01FzwYK9i40BMfyYjM5IDcC4">financial fraud</a>.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1724139272884883936"}"></div></p>
<p>The popular YouTuber <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66993651">MrBeast was impersonated in a deepfake scam on TikTok</a>, falsely promising an iPhone 15 giveaway that led to financial deceit. </p>
<p>These incidents highlight vulnerability to sophisticated <a href="https://www.engadget.com/taylor-swift-deepfake-used-for-le-creuset-giveaway-scam-123231417.html">AI-driven frauds and scams</a> targeting people of all ages.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.wired.com/story/deepfake-porn-is-out-of-control/">Deepfake pornography</a> represents a grave concern for young people and adults alike, where individuals’ faces are <a href="https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/tiktok-model-mortified-by-ai-deepfake-video-showing-her-getting-dressed-2392928">non-consensually superimposed onto explicit content</a>. Sexually explicit deepfake images of Taylor Swift <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2024/01/26/ai-deepfakes-taylor-swift-nude/">spread on social media before platforms took them down</a>. One was viewed over 45 million times.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cyberbullying-girls-with-pornographic-deepfakes-is-a-form-of-misogyny-217182">Cyberbullying girls with pornographic deepfakes is a form of misogyny</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Policy and technology approaches</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67366311">Meta’s policy</a> now mandates political advertisers to disclose any AI manipulation in ads, a move mirrored by Google.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.rochester.edu/newscenter/audio-deepfake-detective-developing-new-sleuthing-techniques-573482/">Neil Zhang</a>, a PhD student at the University of Rochester, is developing detection tools for audio deepfakes, including advanced algorithms and watermarking techniques.</p>
<p>The U.S. has introduced several acts: the <a href="https://clarke.house.gov/clarke-leads-legislation-to-regulate-deepfakes/">Deepfakes Accountability Act of 2023</a>, the <a href="https://dean.house.gov/2024/1/representatives-dean-and-salazar-introduce-bipartisan-legislation-to-protect-americans-images-online">No AI FRAUD Act</a> safeguarding identities against AI misuse and the <a href="https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2023/05/05/representative-joe-morelle-legislation-bans-deepfakes/7981683327579/">Preventing Deepfakes of Intimate Images Act</a> targeting non-consensual pornographic deepfakes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/campaign/online-disinformation.html">In Canada</a>, legislators <a href="https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-27">have proposed</a> <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovation-better-canada/en/canadas-digital-charter/bill-summary-digital-charter-implementation-act-2020">Bill C-27</a> and the <a href="https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/innovation-better-canada/en/artificial-intelligence-and-data-act-aida-companion-document">Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA)</a> which emphasize AI transparency and data privacy.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q5V0yap77yg?wmode=transparent&start=2" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">‘Disinformation can cause harm’ video from the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), a Canadian federal agency devoted to security and intelligence.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/2442119/uk-adopts-law-forcing-big-tech-to-rein-in-child-pornography-and-deepfakes/">United Kingdom adopted its Online Safety Bill</a>. The EU recently announced a provisional deal surrounding <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/12/11/1084942/five-things-you-need-to-know-about-the-eus-new-ai-act/">its AI Act</a>; the EU’s <a href="https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/739342/EPRS_BRI(2023)739342_EN.pdf">AI Liability Directive</a> addresses broader online safety and AI regulation issues. </p>
<p>The Indian government announced <a href="https://www.nationalheraldindia.com/science-tech/india-sixth-most-susceptible-country-to-deepfakes-can-laws-tackle-the-menace">plans to draft regulations</a> targeting deepfakes. </p>
<p>These measures reflect growing global commitments to curbing the pernicious effects of deepfakes. However, these efforts are insufficient to contain, let alone stop, the proliferation of deepfake dissemination.</p>
<h2>Research study with youth</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10720537.2023.2294314">Research I have conducted with colleagues</a>, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Canadian Heritage, unveils how empowering youth with digital agency can be a force against the rising tide of disinformation fueled by deepfake and artificial intelligence technologies.</p>
<p>Our study focused on how youth perceive the impact of deepfakes on critical issues and their own process of constructing knowledge in digital contexts. We explored their capacity and willingness to effectively counterbalance disinformation.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZFcBZVUwm38?wmode=transparent&start=3" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Author Nadia Naffi shares some results of a study on youth digital agency and deepfakes.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The study brought together Canadian university students, aged 18 to 24, for a series of hands-on workshops, in-depth individual interviews and focus group discussions. </p>
<p>Participants created deepfakes, gaining a firsthand understanding of easy access to and use of this technology and its potential for misuse. This experiential learning proved invaluable in demystifying how easily deepfakes are generated.</p>
<p>Participants initially perceived deepfakes as an uncontrollable and inevitable part of the digital landscape. </p>
<p>Through engagement and discussion, they went from being passive deepfake bystanders to developing a deeper realization of their grave threat. Critically, they also developed a sense of responsibility in preventing and mitigating deepfakes’ spread, and a readiness to counter deepfakes. </p>
<p>Students shared recommendations for concrete actions, including urging educational systems to empower youth and help them recognize their actions can make a difference. This includes:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>teaching the detrimental effects of disinformation on society;</p></li>
<li><p>providing spaces for youth to reflect on and challenge societal norms, inform them about social media policies and outlining permissible and prohibited content;</p></li>
<li><p>training students in recognizing deepfakes through exposure to the technology behind them;</p></li>
<li><p>encouraging involvement in meaningful causes while staying alert to disinformation and guiding youth in respectfully and productively countering disinformation.</p></li>
</ul>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students seen at a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/571715/original/file-20240126-19-bl9u4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Educational systems have an important role empowering youth and helping them recognize their actions can make a difference.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Multifaceted strategy needed</h2>
<p>Based on our research and the participants’ recommendations, we propose a multifaceted strategy to counter the proliferation of deepfakes. </p>
<p>Deepfake education needs to be integrated into educational curricula, along with nurturing critical thinking and digital agency in our youth. Youth need to be encouraged in active, yet safe, well-informed and strategic, participation in the fight against malicious deepfakes in digital spaces. </p>
<p>We emphasize the importance of hands-on collaborative learning experiences. We also advocate for an interdisciplinary educational approach that marries technology, psychology, media studies and ethics to fully grasp the implications of deepfakes. </p>
<h2>The human element</h2>
<p>Our research underscores a crucial realization: The human element, particularly the role of education, is indispensable in the fight against deepfakes. We cannot rely solely on technology and legal fixes. </p>
<p>By equipping younger generations, but also every single member of our society, with the skills to critically analyze and challenge disinformation, we are nurturing a digitally literate society resilient enough to withstand the manipulative power of deepfakes. </p>
<p>To do so, we must equip people to understand they have roles and agency in safeguarding the integrity of our digital world.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/221171/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nadia Naffi receives funding from the National Bank to support the work of her Chair in Educational Leadership (CEL) on Innovative Pedagogical Practices in Digital Contexts. Her project on disinformation is funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and Canadian Heritage.
Naffi is affiliated with the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of AI and Digital Technology (OBVIA), the Institute Intelligence and Data (IID), the Centre de recherche et d'intervention sur la réussite scolaire (CRIRES), the Centre de recherche interuniversitaire sur la formation et la profession enseignante (CRIFPE) and the Centre de recherche et d'intervention sur l'éducation et la vie au travail (CRIEVAT).</span></em></p>Youth in a study went from being passive deepfake bystanders to developing a sense of responsibility and readiness to help prevent deepfakes’ spread.Nadia Naffi, Assistant Professor, Educational Technology, Chair in Educational Leadership in the Innovative Pedagogical Practices in Digital Contexts - National Bank, Université LavalLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2205372024-01-22T22:32:59Z2024-01-22T22:32:59ZYoung Black men in Canada face racism, ageism and classism when looking for work<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569965/original/file-20240117-19-skld11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=8%2C0%2C5372%2C3581&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black people in Canada continue experiencing oppression and dehumanization because of how their skin colour is viewed and represented.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/young-black-men-in-canada-face-racism-ageism-and-classism-when-looking-for-work" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Youth employment in Canada continues to be a concern. Young people between the ages of 15 and 30 <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/42-28-0001/2021001/article/00002-eng.htm">are less likely to find and sustain employment compared to an older population of Canadians</a>.</p>
<p>According to Statistics Canada, around 11 per cent of youth aged 15-24 are unemployed. Among young Black Canadians that number is around <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/240105/dq240105a-eng.htm">17.5 per cent</a>.</p>
<p>Black people in Canada continue experiencing oppression and dehumanization <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/cars.12400">because of how their skin colour is viewed and represented</a>.</p>
<p>Impoverished Black male youth in particular encounter racism, ageism, classism and gender biases when looking for work. These are stereotypes which encourage many Canadian employers to view them as not good for business and unemployable.</p>
<h2>Intersecting oppressions</h2>
<p>As a sociocultural anthropologist who is dedicated to uncovering the nuances in Black youth un(der)employment, I have found that impoverished Black youths’ inability to find employment is due to <a href="https://www.dukeupress.edu/intersectionality-as-critical-social-theory">intersectional oppressions</a> such as ageism and classism, which is also tied to their Blackness. </p>
<p>The challenges they face vary among different Canadian cities. In my <a href="https://repository.library.carleton.ca/concern/etds/xg94hq41j">doctoral study</a> about impoverished Black male youth in Montréal, Ottawa and Toronto, I found these youth are denied employment opportunities for multifaceted reasons. These include discrimination based on a person’s address, age, classism and gender biases — particularly about the negative stereotypical ideas that surround Black manhood. </p>
<p>The sociological study focused on Black male youth between the ages of 15 to 29 who live in low income areas between Montréal, Toronto and Ottawa. The qualitative study gathered data from 21 young Black men through semi-structured interviews and focus groups. </p>
<p>Political philosopher <a href="https://groveatlantic.com/book/toward-the-african-revolution/">Frantz Fanon</a> warned us of the dangers of recognizing Black people’s experiences as one. Black people have differences that contribute to their humanness, which the colonizer has denied.</p>
<p>Similarly, when we presume all youth have the same experiences, we fail to take diversity seriously and may be falsely interpreting the lived experiences of many youth. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young Black man working on a laptop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569950/original/file-20240117-21-xa58hw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young Black men face overlapping forms of discrimination based on racist and classist views of Black masculinity.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>There was never one reason, such as anti-Black racism, which was the cause of employment barriers among these young people. The reality is these youth experience overlapping discrimination that are tied to anti-Black racism, such as classism, which varied based on different encounters with various employers.</p>
<p>My study found that impoverished Black male youth are tied to a socially manufactured hierarchical system that considers race, gender, sexuality, ability, age, social class and education. Unfortunately, employers excluded them because of the many intersections that make up their identities.</p>
<p>Although the Canadian government recognizes Black youth face barriers to employment, <a href="https://www.miragenews.com/minister-marci-ien-supports-black-youth-955894/">few politicians recognize that more needs to be done to create inclusivity in the workplace</a>. The lived experiences of impoverished Black male youth and their ability to access employment are not the same nationwide. </p>
<h2>Secularism laws impact opportunities</h2>
<p>My study also found that many Black male youth in Montréal are also at the mercy of Québec’s <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-supposed-benefits-of-quebec-secularism-bill-dont-outweigh-the-costs-114907">secularism law</a>. Black male youth in the city must deal with classism and constantly being tied to the unworthy idea that they do not serve many employees’ needs. This is based on the stereotypical ideas of what their Black masculinity represents. </p>
<p>Some of these young people adorn religious clothing, which has complicated their job-seeking strategies. Many young Black men living in the province <a href="https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/february-2023/elghawaby-quebec-double-standard/">face discrimination based on their religious values</a> and their clothing or attire was a reason they were overlooked for employment.</p>
<p>These secularism laws are an added issue for impoverished Black male youth seeking employment, as many of them do not feel a sense of belonging, and are constantly faced with intersecting social oppressions where they are overlooked for employment opportunities. </p>
<p>We must realize that some laws and policies may be suitable for some Canadians. But in an effort to create legislation, there is a disregard for the social concerns of those who have been othered. Creating laws without considering them adds to a sense that they do not belong in this country.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Black teenage boy carrying a backpack poses for a photo." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570411/original/file-20240119-17-moluuo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Black men and boys must continuously confront racist narratives that impact their future prospects.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Thinking through Black masculinity</h2>
<p>For years, Black Canadian scholars such as <a href="https://edu.yorku.ca/edu-profiles/index.php?mid=2196">Carl James</a>, <a href="https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/sociology/people/tamari-kitossa/">Tamari Kitossa</a> and myself have discussed Black masculinities in Canada and how Black men are seen as dangerous, untrustworthy men undeserving of a sense of belonging in the white settler nation-state. </p>
<p><a href="https://ualbertapress.ca/9781772125436/appealing-because-he-is-appalling/">These historical narratives continue to inform our present day society</a>, which has complicated how impoverished young Black men seek and obtain employment. Failing to recognize these tensions among young Black men is distancing ourselves from the lived experiences rooted in history, which are playing out in our contemporary moments.</p>
<p>The young Black men I spoke to courageously shared what it means to seek employment while having to negotiate your right to be treated fairly. When these young men do eventually obtain employment, they are often trapped in low-paying, menial labour positions reflective of unfair stereotypes about Black masculinity.</p>
<p>This type of work degrades their humanity and selfhood. The dehumanization faced by these youth when they attempt to seek employment demonstrates how they are othered not solely by their race.</p>
<p>For there to be equitable hiring practices, governments and employers must understand anti-Black racism in light of the intertwined forms of discrimination that often accompany it. </p>
<p>Homogenizing the lived experiences of Black youth can cause harm and promote misconceptions about their lived experiences. I urge people to refrain from thinking about racialized people based on their race alone. Instead, we should intentionally focus on the individuality of people. We must practice cultural competency which invites us to appreciate people and their different lived experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220537/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Warren Clarke does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Young Black men are being denied employment for multifaceted reasons, and when they do find work, are often trapped in low-paying jobs.Warren Clarke, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, University of ManitobaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2179862024-01-18T17:30:42Z2024-01-18T17:30:42ZExcessive social media use during the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated adolescent mental health challenges<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569404/original/file-20240115-19-cpvqvk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2695%2C1517&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows a strong link between screen time and mental health concerns, including anxiety and depression.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>How does time spent online, and especially social media, affect the brains and behaviours of children and youth?</p>
<p>Social media platforms are seemingly designed to capture the attention of users and produce habitual checking of apps and notifications. In recent years, our lives have become increasingly dominated by social media, either as a source of information, entertainment, or just a way to connect with others. </p>
<p>In Canada alone, <a href="https://madeinca.ca/social-media-statistics-canada/#:%7E:text=Social%20Media%20Statistics%20for%20Canadians,with%20over%2026%20million%20users.">more than 30 million social media accounts</a> are currently registered, with <a href="https://doi.org/10.25318/36280001202100300004-eng">teenagers one of the highest user groups</a>. </p>
<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, young people were drastically affected by the sudden shift to a digital world and the explosion of a reliance on screens. School closures, coupled with social isolation, led to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadr.2021.100217">dramatic increases in daily screen time use</a> and exacerbated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01240-0">mental health challenges</a> for many young people. </p>
<p>Research shows strong links between screen time and mental health concerns, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851">anxiety and depression</a>, although few longitudinal studies have been conducted in the pandemic or post-pandemic eras to determine causal relationships. The stress of lockdowns and the absence of typical support networks left adolescents more vulnerable than ever to the negative effects of social media. </p>
<p>Now, in the years following the pandemic lockdowns, it’s imperative that we study and address the impact excessive screen time can have on brain development.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a teen girl wearing a face mask makes a peace sign to her phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569606/original/file-20240116-25-l42kqm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">During the pandemic, social media provided distraction and a way to maintain contact with friends.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Reward and punishment</h2>
<p>A key facet of social media is that it engages brain systems involved in reward and punishment, which could place children and adolescents at risk for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.4924">adverse brain development</a>. During childhood and adolescence, our brains are still going through <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cercor/bhz279">dramatic periods of development</a>, making them more susceptible to the impact of excessive screen time.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-time-do-kids-spend-on-devices-playing-games-watching-videos-texting-and-using-the-phone-210118">How much time do kids spend on devices – playing games, watching videos, texting and using the phone?</a>
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<p>Children and youth have very active reward systems in the brain. Natural rewards can cause a brief release of “feel good” chemicals in the brain like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pneurobio.2021.101997">dopamine</a>. Social media can offer constant levels of rewards that are higher than normal and affect brain chemistry, leading to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40473-023-00261-8">children seeking out more rewards</a>, even to addictive levels. </p>
<p>The part of our brain that monitors risky but rewarding activity — <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-04554-y">the prefrontal cortex — does not fully mature until we reach our 30s</a>. The fact that this brain area has not fully developed in children and teens might affect their ability to control scrolling behaviours and monitor emotional triggers.</p>
<p>Coupled with changes in brain chemistry, this could lead to excessive screen time use. The timeline of the prefrontal cortex’s development could also explain why adults are less likely to face the same consequences of the negative effects of social media. </p>
<p>Additionally, some studies have reported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-03126-x">changes in cortical and subcortical brain activation and structure in children and teenagers</a> that were associated with high screen time use. These studies have reported changes in the brain’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.4924">reward and punishment centres</a>. </p>
<p>Another example of this comes from a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2022.101088">longitudinal study that followed children for three years</a>, showing delayed development of regions involved in social connectedness and understanding the thoughts and feelings of others.</p>
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<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jR59s2mv24Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">CBC News looks at the impact of social media on teens.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Different impacts</h2>
<p>However, not all research points to screen time as being associated with changes in brain development. A large-scale imaging study that was designed to examine childhood experiences throughout the United States — including smoking, video games and sleep — in nearly 12,000 children showed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2023.09.009">no association between screen time and brain development</a>. </p>
<p>There may be several explanations for the dissonance between the large-scale child development study and smaller studies that were designed to look at screen time. For example, potentially heavy users of screen time chose to participate in smaller, more focused studies. In turn, children who are most at risk for the adverse effects of screen time may represent a smaller fraction of the data in a large cohort. </p>
<p>Given the widespread use of social media, it’s no surprise that not all children and youth are impacted in the same way. Adolescents and young adults who have pre-existing mental health concerns, particularly anxiety, may be most at risk to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.08.040">harmful effects of social media use on the brain and behaviour</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.06.038">Those who experience anxiety may use social media more frequently</a> to seek validation and reassurance, or as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2013.06.038">maladaptive coping mechanism to avoid in-person interactions and real-world stressors</a>. </p>
<p>More longitudinal research is needed to better understand mental-health risk factors for adverse outcomes associated with excessive social media use as well as the long-term effects on brain development.</p>
<h2>Adapting to a digital world</h2>
<p>As we move forward and adapt to an increasingly digital world, clear guidelines are needed concerning the amounts, types and content of screen time that are most harmful to children’s development, as well as the associated risk and resilience factors, which are informed by science. </p>
<p>For this reason, it is more important than ever that researchers design studies that allow us to understand what is happening to children’s and adolescents’ brains and their behaviours, and how that is affecting long-term outcomes. </p>
<p>In the meantime, educators and parents should engage in open dialogue to help children and teenagers understand the consequences that excessive screen time might have on brain development and mental health. Teenagers should also be given strategies and learn about setting boundaries to help them manage screen time responsibly. </p>
<p>It is crucial that we encourage healthy relationships with technology to minimize the potential for long-term societal issues and concerns in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217986/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emma Duerden receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs, Brain Canada, and the Children's Health Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Michaela Kent does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>During the pandemic, many people relied on social media for distraction and social connection. However, excessive social media use can negatively affect mental health, especially for young people.Emma G Duerden, Canada Research Chair, Neuroscience & Learning Disorders, Assistant Professor, Western UniversityMichaela Kent, PhD Candidate, Neuroscience, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2170402024-01-17T19:50:11Z2024-01-17T19:50:11ZBig dreams and high demands: The mental health challenges of elite youth athletes<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569667/original/file-20240116-25-tskkz8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=215%2C17%2C5775%2C3889&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A recent study found that 41 per cent of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes met the criteria for one or more mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Elite sport poses several unique pressures that can impact athletes’ mental health. </p>
<p>Demanding travel schedules and intense <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410500131480">competition pressures</a> can lead to negative emotional experiences. Athletes can <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2016-096731">become injured</a>, or they may be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsams.2017.04.018">uncertain about their future career</a> in sport. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, some athletes may also face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605211045096">physical, psychological or sexual abuse</a> in their sport. </p>
<h2>Pressures of elite sport</h2>
<p>Research has shown that elite athletes can experience mental health issues at rates equal to or higher than the general population. A <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2021.102018">recent study</a> found that 41 per cent of Canadian Olympic and Paralympic athletes surveyed met the criteria for one or more mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety or eating disorders. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-020-01266-z">Another study</a> involving Australian elite athletes revealed that they were nearly twice as likely to experience significant psychological distress compared to the broader community.</p>
<p>Even though elite athletes often have many resources to support them, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/spy0000319">they may feel it is hard to reach out and ask for help</a>. When left untreated, mental health challenges and performance pressures can lead to athletes feeling burned out or wanting to drop out of their sport, and they may even experience <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2019-101386">feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts</a>. </p>
<p>Young people engaged in elite sport might be at even greater risk. </p>
<h2>Who are elite youth athletes?</h2>
<p>Reaching the highest levels of performance often requires athletes to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16184742.2017.1324503">specialize</a> in their sport during their teenage years, and <a href="https://olympics.com/en/news/age-number-youngest-olympians-2021-tokyo-2020-athletes">several athletes competing at the Olympic Games are adolescents</a>. There are numerous clubs, leagues and <a href="https://sportpourlavie.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Sport-Schools-in-Canada.pdf">schools</a> that focus on elite youth sport specialization, and there will be 1,900 athletes taking part in the <a href="https://olympics.com/en/gangwon-2024/">Youth Olympic Games</a> Jan. 19 to Feb. 1, 2024. </p>
<p>Clearly, youth athletes are already competing at elite levels or hope to reach elite levels in their sport.</p>
<p>While the term “elite youth athlete” can be tricky to define, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/19417381231219230">we use the term</a> to describe youth athletes who are training in sport settings that have a primary focus on achieving superior performance, with the explicit or implicit goal of moving to adult elite, collegiate or professional sports. </p>
<p>Elite youth sport environments may prioritize spending time on sport activities instead of school or relationships with friends outside of sport. These settings can provide the training and specialized skills needed to become an elite performer, but they may also pose risks to the mental health of young athletes.</p>
<h2>Mental health among elite youth athletes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A swimmer training alone in a pool" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569462/original/file-20240116-19-i1hpc0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Perfectionism is common among athletes, and strongly linked with poor mental health outcomes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Jonathan Chng)</span></span>
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<p>Some pressures that are unique to elite youth athletes include early specialization and over-training, having critical or demanding coaches and parents, poor sleep, and trying to balance educational and social needs with increasingly professionalized sporting demands. <a href="https://theconversation.com/5-ways-pressuring-young-athletes-to-perform-well-does-them-harm-186699">These factors can all affect the well-being of youth elite athletes</a>. </p>
<p>Perhaps especially related to elite sport, <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-perfectionism-became-a-hidden-epidemic-among-young-people-89405">young people around the world are reporting unprecedented levels of perfectionism</a>. Perfectionism is common among athletes, and strongly linked with poor mental health outcomes. </p>
<p>Beyond the pressures of elite sport environments, young people experience the heaviest burden of mental ill-health. For young people around the world, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-021-01161-7">the peak age at onset for a mental health disorder is 15, and approximately half of these disorders occur before the age of 18</a>. There are many reasons why young people’s mental health is at such high risk, including increasingly troubling <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00787-023-02300-x">global conflicts and climate change</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2020.105772">parental unemployment</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3885">economic prospects</a>. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-harming-childrens-mental-health-and-this-is-just-the-start-168070">Climate change is harming children’s mental health – and this is just the start</a>
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<p>Compared to the body of research on mental health among <em>adult</em> athletes, there is limited research exploring this issue among elite <em>youth</em> athletes. Currently, we do not have adequate data to reliably report on the prevalence of mental health disorders among elite youth athletes. </p>
<p>One exception is the topic of eating disorders, with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsampl.2023.100040">recent review</a> suggesting that elite youth athletes may be at increased risk compared to non-elite youth athletes, and compared to young people more broadly. </p>
<p>Considering the unique challenges faced by adolescents in elite sport, <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2022-106352">there is a pressing need to support the mental health of elite youth athletes</a>.</p>
<h2>Closing the gap: Supporting elite youth athletes</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A skiier in mid-air" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/569464/original/file-20240116-25-25lkrf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Some pressures that are unique to elite youth athletes include early specialization and over-training, having critical or demanding coaches and parents, poor sleep, and trying to balance educational and social needs with increasingly professionalized sporting demands.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Sebastian Staines)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A key focus for supporting the mental health of elite youth athletes involves creating youth sport contexts that are protective for mental health. Elite youth sports environments need to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-023-01912-2">psychologically safe</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci9050068">free from abuse and harassment</a>. </p>
<p>A large responsibility sits with parents and coaches, who must avoid overly critical or demanding behaviours and instead engage with young people in supportive ways. Sport organizations should <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.780359">prioritize well-being and healthy development</a> among youth athletes.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41380-023-02202-z">Early detection</a> is important to help elite youth athletes get the support they need. Warning signs of mental health concerns can include changes in an athlete’s emotions, mood, behaviours, sleep and appetite. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2017.11.008">Coaches and parents</a> play important roles in noticing changes in athletes’ mental health, and they can help by opening up conversations about mental health among youth athletes. </p>
<p>Listening without judgment, asking athletes what they think they might need, and offering to help them find places to seek support <a href="https://cmha.ca/brochure/talking-to-teens-about-mental-health/">are all helpful strategies when talking about mental health concerns</a>.</p>
<p>Elite youth athletes and their parents may benefit by seeking support from a psychologist, psychotherapist or psychiatrist who specializes in working with athletes. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.13889">Much more work is needed</a> to understand the nature of mental health concerns among elite youth athletes. Given the unique demands and pressures of competing in elite sport environments and the challenges that youth face, it is imperative that we pay attention to the mental health needs of these young performers.</p>
<h2>Need support?</h2>
<p><a href="https://cmha.ca/find-help/">Canadian Mental Health Association </a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.ccmhs-ccsms.ca/mental-health-services/referrals">Canadian Center for Mental Health in Sport</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html">Canada Mental Health Support and Resources</a></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217040/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Tamminen is an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and a Registered Psychotherapist. Her research is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Sport Canada, the Tanenbaum Institute for Science in Sport, and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Research Fund.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Courtney Walton receives funding through an MSPS Academic Fellowship at the University of Melbourne. He has advised a number of elite sports codes and organisations nationally.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jordan Sutcliffe is an Assistant Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada. Some of his past research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and he is currently involved on a project funded by the Tannenbuam Institute for Science in Sport.</span></em></p>Given the unique demands and pressures of competing in elite sport environments, it is imperative that we pay attention to elite youth athletes’ mental health needs.Katherine Tamminen, Associate Professor, Sport Psychology, University of TorontoCourtney C Walton, Academic Fellow & Psychologist, Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of MelbourneJordan Sutcliffe, Assistant Professor, Military Psychology and Leadership, Royal Military College of CanadaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2181712024-01-16T14:13:09Z2024-01-16T14:13:09ZUganda’s battle for the youth vote – how Museveni keeps Bobi Wine’s reach in check<p>Uganda is one of the youngest countries in the world, with an <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/factsheet/2020/02/25/uganda-jobs-strategy-for-inclusive-growth#:%7E:text=Uganda%20is%20one%20of%20the,working%20age%20population%20is%20rapid.">average age of 15.9 years</a>. Young people aged below 30 make up about <a href="https://www.issuelab.org/resources/4998/4998.pdf#page=1">77%</a> of the country’s population of <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?locations=UG">47 million</a> people.</p>
<p>Young people have legitimate and wide-ranging grievances, from unemployment to disenfranchisement. Opportunities remain limited, with <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/factsheet/2020/02/25/uganda-jobs-strategy-for-inclusive-growth">two-thirds of Ugandans</a> working for themselves or doing family-based agricultural work.</p>
<p>Yet, young people in Uganda haven’t coalesced as an electoral bloc. This is despite the emergence of a presidential candidate who champions youth issues. In the last presidential election in 2021, those aged between 18 and 30 made up <a href="https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/oped/commentary/what-young-voting-population-means-for-2021-elections-3206502">41%</a> of the total voter roll of 18 million. </p>
<p>Robert Kyagulanyi, the 41-year-old musician-turned-politician popularly known as Bobi Wine, leads the National Unity Platform. It is Uganda’s largest opposition party, known for its <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/21/young-africa-new-wave-of-politicians-challenges-old-guard">youth appeal</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/bobi-wine-has-already-changed-the-ugandan-opposition-can-he-change-the-government-150231">Bobi Wine’s run at the presidency in the 2021 election</a> highlights the reality that capturing the youth vote in Uganda is complex. And that this broad category and the role it plays in Ugandan politics is poorly understood.</p>
<p>As it is, the term “youth” lacks a clear definition. Uganda’s government defines the youth as those aged between 18 and 30. However, in practice the “youth” category is much more amorphous. It tends to <a href="https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/13550">encompass</a> those who are no longer considered children, but haven’t yet realised the “social markers” that signify adulthood. These include financial independence, marriage and children.</p>
<p>The outcome of the 2021 elections defied expectations, given Uganda’s <a href="https://www.ubos.org/wp-content/uploads/publications/11_2022NLFS_2021_main_report.pdf#page=135">large and underemployed youth population</a> and the emergence of Bobi Wine. In a recent <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2023.2235661">paper</a>, we examined youth political mobilisation in this election. </p>
<p>Despite widespread “youth wave” optimism, we identified diverse, embedded strategies and tactics from the ruling party, the <a href="https://www.nrm.ug/manifesto-2021-2026">National Resistance Movement</a>, that obstructed Bobi Wine’s efforts to build a powerful national youth constituency. </p>
<p>The strategies were:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>the structural capture of youth representation in Ugandan politics</p></li>
<li><p>diverse economic incentives for political loyalty in the form of loan schemes, grants and short-term employment </p></li>
<li><p>well-spun political narratives that draw on entrenched views of youth as beholden to their elders and the state. </p></li>
</ul>
<h2>New wine, old bottles</h2>
<p>When Bobi Wine ran in the presidential election, he was aged 38. Commentators worldwide suggested his candidacy represented a <a href="https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2019/1003/A-rapper-s-quest-to-be-president">real</a> and <a href="http://democracyinafrica.org/bobi_wine_threat_museveni/">unprecedented threat</a> to Yoweri Museveni’s longstanding rule. Museveni, 79, has been Uganda’s president since 1986.</p>
<p>Bobi Wine got <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/16/uganda-president-wins-decisive-election-as-bobi-wine-alleges">35%</a> of the vote. This is about the <a href="https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article-abstract/120/481/629/6406415?redirectedFrom=fulltext">same proportion of votes</a> that has accrued to the main opposition candidates in Uganda since multi-party elections resumed in 2006. </p>
<p>For a new entrant on the political scene, this was an impressive achievement – particularly in the light of political repression and patronage that make the <a href="https://time.com/5913625/bobi-wine-uganda-presidential-candidate/">playing field far from fair</a> in Uganda. </p>
<p>Bobi Wine’s <a href="https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/press-release/2020/12/uganda-stop-killings-and-human-rights-violations-ahead-of-election-day/">violent arrest</a> in November 2020 gained international attention, as did the government’s aggressive response to protests calling for his release. These resulted in the <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/21/uganda-elections-marred-violence">death of at least 54 National Unity Platform supporters</a>. Security forces perpetrated <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/01/21/uganda-elections-marred-violence">widespread violence and human rights abuses</a> in the run-up to the election.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/black-november-remembering-ugandas-massacre-of-the-opposition-three-years-on-217847">Black November: remembering Uganda's massacre of the opposition three years on</a>
</strong>
</em>
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<p>On the eve of the election, the government ordered a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/kampala-elections-coronavirus-pandemic-uganda-united-states-65942284f4e73dbf120ace23775baae4">five-day internet shutdown</a>. There were also <a href="https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/special-reports/elections/nrm-dishes-out-money-to-locals-ahead-of-polls-3248892">reports</a> of the ruling party dishing out money to potential voters, with instructions to vote for Museveni. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2023.2235661">Our research</a> reviewed Ugandan history since its independence from the British in 1962. We found that the possibility of a national youth constituency had been a concern of Uganda’s post-colonial governments. Regimes have long sought to integrate the youth into their political project, while keeping them fragmented and regionally embedded to prevent broader political mobilisation. </p>
<p>Contemporary tactics used by the ruling party to co-opt the youth converge with these historically rooted methods of regime consolidation. </p>
<h2>Splitting the youth</h2>
<p>The National Resistance Movement has an elaborate set of measures in place –from state level to the villages – to prevent youth discontent from becoming a national political threat. </p>
<p>First, the youth are organised into a “special interest group” <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/41653703">reinforced through quota systems</a>. These are closely allied with the ruling party’s leadership. Political structures, such as youth MPs and representatives, absorb youth representation under regime authority and entrench regional divisions. </p>
<p>Second, the ruling party uses patronage networks and tactics to mobilise young voters. It offers economic rewards for allegiance and generous material compensation for “party-switching” – which is when supporters defect from the opposition to the National Resistance Movement, often quite publicly. Ahead of the 2021 election, Museveni <a href="https://observer.ug/news/headlines/62550-inside-museveni-s-war-on-the-ghetto">gave state appointments to popular musicians with wide youth appeal</a> who had been working closely with Bobi Wine’s party. </p>
<p>The ruling party also offers young people <a href="https://www.monitor.co.ug/uganda/news/national/opposition-cries-foul-as-museveni-gives-shs741m-in-cash-donations-1484578">economic incentives</a> during campaigns. These include short-term employment, loans and cash handouts. Youth are often recruited as election workers, special police constables and crime preventers. In these short-term positions, tens of thousands of youth survey their communities and share local intelligence with the authorities, acting as the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2016.1272283">state’s eyes and ears</a> at a village level. Among young, economically precarious men, this is seen as <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2023.2235661">an opportunity</a>, even though they become engaged in supporting the re-election of a regime they may oppose. </p>
<p>Third, during the last election, campaign observers were optimistic about the power of social media to amplify Bobi Wine’s message and increase support. But social media is also a tool the National Resistance Movement uses adeptly. Beyond internet shutdowns and disinformation campaigns, we found that Museveni and the National Resistance Movement used social media channels to promote powerful narratives that linked social order and prosperity to a culture of gerontocracy. This refers to a system of governance in which older people dominate.</p>
<h2>What hope for Bobi Wine?</h2>
<p>Well-developed structures, practices and narratives that fragment national youth mobilisation have been seen in recent Ugandan history. In northern Uganda, for example, young people have lived through a recent history of <a href="https://theconversation.com/managing-life-after-war-how-young-people-in-uganda-are-coping-108351">devastating conflict</a> and still struggle with its legacies. </p>
<p>This, combined with long-standing regional and ethnic tensions throughout the country, means that his opponents often describe Bobi Wine first as a <a href="https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/120/481/629/6406415?login=true">political agitator</a> who could tear the country apart, not as the youth’s best chance for <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2023.2235661">political liberation and progress</a>. </p>
<p>Against this backdrop, if Bobi Wine contests in 2026, he is likely to struggle again. He may attract global media attention, but Museveni and the National Resistance Movement are familiar with his brand of <a href="https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/120/481/629/6406415?login=trueopposition">“defiance-based” opposition politics</a>. </p>
<p>As commentators increasingly note, the big question remains whether Bobi Wine and the National Unity Platform, without experience in government and in the absence of strong links to powerful military and state players, can realistically achieve a political <a href="https://academic.oup.com/afraf/article/120/481/629/6406415?login=trueopposition">transition</a> in Uganda. </p>
<p>The overall picture is one in which the elite have long seen the youth as an important resource and potential threat – and as such fear and value them. While Uganda’s young people have real and legitimate grievances, they lack modes of political and social organisation – by long-standing design.</p>
<p><em>Arthur Owor, the director for research and operations at the Centre for African Research, is a co-author of this article.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218171/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Tapscott receives funding from the ESRC-funded Centre for Public Authority and International Development (CPAID) and the Gerda Henkel Foundation's Special Programme for Security, Society and the State.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Anna Macdonald receives funding from the ESRC-funded Centre for Public Authority and International Development (CPAID). </span></em></p>Bobi Wine’s run at the presidency in 2021 had appeared to present an unprecedented threat to Yoweri Museveni’s longstanding rule.Rebecca Tapscott, Lecturer, University of YorkAnna Macdonald, Associate Professor, Global Development, University of East AngliaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2203532024-01-14T12:58:47Z2024-01-14T12:58:47ZCanada should not fall behind on implementing safety measures for children online<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568485/original/file-20240109-19-9s4t5o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C6720%2C4476&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bill S-210, designed to protect minors online from exposure to sexually explicit material, passed a second reading in the House of Commons in December 2023.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canada-should-not-fall-behind-on-implementing-safety-measures-for-children-online" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Recent legislation about age verification for adult content sites has sparked an interesting scenario in the Canadian parliament. On Dec. 13, <a href="https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/s-210">Bill S-210</a>, An Act to restrict young persons’ online access to sexually explicit material, passed the second reading in the House of Commons with <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/votes/44/1/609">a vote of 189 to 133</a>. </p>
<p>Surprisingly, most Liberal MPs voted against it, as the government has been working on its own <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/campaigns/harmful-online-content.html">online harms bill</a>. The online harms bill was first promised in 2019 but has yet to be tabled due to the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/online-protection-act-1.7042880">broader complications</a> it is dealing with. </p>
<p>With full support from the Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Québécois and some Liberal MPs, Bill S-210 managed to proceed for a committee review. The bill had successfully passed the Senate in the spring of 2023.</p>
<p>Bill S-210 proposes that, before accessing sites with adult content, all users have to go through a mandatory age verification process to prove they are adults. Age verification has been compulsory for accessing gambling sites and those that sell products like alcohol, tobacco and cannabis. </p>
<h2>Protecting minors</h2>
<p>Similar legislation to Bill S-210 has been successfully passed or implemented in various parts of the world, including <a href="https://euconsent.eu/">the European Union</a>, <a href="https://www.internetmatters.org/resources/uk-age-verification-law-for-pornography-sites-explained-parent-guide/">the United Kingdom</a> and <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/30/business/louisiana-kids-age-porn-law.html">several states</a> in the United States. </p>
<p>Yet Canadian lawmakers have divided opinions on this bill. Critics of Bill S-210 have raised <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/porn-site-age-verification-proposed-bill-1.7060841">strong concerns</a> about privacy and freedom of expression. </p>
<p>My PhD research focuses on anonymous age verification systems to protect users’ privacy. I also voluntarily consult with the Digital Governance Council of Canada to develop <a href="https://dgc-cgn.org/standards/find-a-standard/">technical standards for age-verification technologies</a>.</p>
<p>When discussing privacy and security during online age verification, we need to consider some key factors.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a young boy stares at a laptop screen in the dark" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568639/original/file-20240110-27-bcyhld.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Suppporters of Bill S-210 say it will protect children, while critics of the bill have raised strong concerns about privacy and freedom of expression.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Online age verification</h2>
<p>While <a href="https://avpassociation.com/avmethods/">different mechanisms</a> exist for online age verification, the more popular methods are ID document matching, facial recognition and third-party verification. </p>
<p>ID document matching is a common method for age verification during in person transactions. For instance, individuals are required to present government-issued ID documents, such as a driver’s licence or health card, when purchasing alcohol from a physical store. Similarly, in online transactions, users can upload an image of their ID. </p>
<p>Then <a href="https://www.britannica.com/technology/OCR">optical character recognition</a> technology is used to extract data from the document, particularly the date of birth. Additionally, a <a href="https://www.incognia.com/the-authentication-reference/what-is-liveness-detection">liveness check</a> may be conducted by comparing the photo on the document with an instant photo of the user to ensure authenticity.</p>
<p>Users may also verify their age through authorized third parties, such as their credit cards or bank accounts. This method leverages existing relationships and information held by these trusted entities to confirm the user’s age.</p>
<p>Biometric-based age verification has been an emerging field during the last decade, thanks to artificial intelligence. Researchers are exploring <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/MS.2020.3044872">different biometrics</a> for estimating age, including <a href="https://www.yoti.com/blog/yoti-myface-liveness-white-paper/">facial images and videos</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICPCSN58827.2023.00082">speech</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICACC-202152719.2021.9708286">fingerprints</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/RTSI55261.2022.9905194">heart signals</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1049/ic.2013.0258">irises</a>. </p>
<p>During facial analysis, users are requested to provide a live selfie in the form of an image or video, which is then analyzed by AI-based tools to estimate their ages. This method has been <a href="https://iapp.org/news/a/how-facial-age-estimation-technology-can-help-protect-childrens-privacy-for-coppa-and-beyond/">extensively tested</a> and is now deployed by various entities in different countries, including <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2023/12/15/google-develops-selfie-scanning-block-children-porn/">Google</a> and <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63544332">Meta</a>.</p>
<h2>Less invasive option</h2>
<p>When different options are available, users can choose the options with which they feel most comfortable with. The euCONSENT project is a network founded by the European Commission to protect children online. The network recently ran a <a href="https://euconsent.eu/a-summary-of-the-achievements-and-lessons-learned-of-the-euconsent-project-and-what-comes-next/">comprehensive pilot</a> on online age verification among 2,000 children and adults across five European countries. </p>
<p>Participants’ feedback showed that facial estimation was the top choice, preferred by 68 per cent of the participants. They considered it as an easy, fast and less invasive option. Third-party verification (through credit card) was the least chosen option, preferred by only three per cent of the participants.</p>
<p>Users’ personal data (ID documents, facial images or bank information) needs to be protected by enforcing strict regulations, similar to the EU’s <a href="https://gdpr-info.eu/">General Data Protection Regulation</a> policies. </p>
<p>Bill S-210 proposes to implement reliable age verification methods that will collect users’ personal information solely for verification purposes, and the data will be destroyed immediately after verification.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="a man's face being scanned by his mobile phone" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568643/original/file-20240110-17-nwjjlf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Facial analysis can be used to determine a user’s age.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Challenges posed by VPNs</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/what-is-a-vpn-and-why-you-need-one">Virtual Private Networks (VPNs)</a> are often used to evade age verification. Users route internet traffic through servers in different locations, making it appear as if they are accessing content from a region without age restrictions. </p>
<p>This challenge can be tackled by <a href="https://www.apnic.net/ip-geolocation-service-providers/">IP geolocation services</a>, which compare a user’s claimed location with their actual IP address, helping to identify any discrepancies.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-a-virtual-private-network-vpn-12741">Explainer: what is a virtual private network (VPN)?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
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<h2>Protecting children</h2>
<p>Along with technological readiness, social awareness is also crucial to ensure proper adoption of age-verification measures, which takes us back to the legislative aspects. </p>
<p>The number of online sexual luring cases involving children <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/social-media-online-child-luring-reports-spike-canada-1.6739824">has increased 10-fold</a> in the last five years in Canada. We have experienced tragic incidents of kids dying by suicide after being victimized online. Last October, <a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/police-link-suicide-of-12-year-old-prince-george-b-c-boy-to-online-sexual-extortion-1.7041185__;!!MtWvt2UVEQ!DF5HkrmBKV19KkIeKL-ea2wsl0zQDjJXailbkNU8v_hglKA5S_bli3hS-fFnKq-jM1tMU5hhYryCzTQawM4J5fnd%24">a 12-year-old B.C. boy died by suicide</a> after falling victim to online sextortion.</p>
<p>So, the question is: how long do we need to wait before measures are in place to protect children? Canada cannot afford to trail behind any longer. It is now time to move forward and make online space safe.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220353/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Azfar Adib received funding from MITACS.</span></em></p>Canada needs to take action immediately to protect children online from exposure to age-inappropriate material. More stringent age verification measures need to be in place.Azfar Adib, Public Scholar & PhD Candidate, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Concordia UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2206332024-01-14T12:58:36Z2024-01-14T12:58:36ZCanadian schools need to address digital sexual violence in their curricula and policies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568379/original/file-20240109-25-we196t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=129%2C68%2C5622%2C3164&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Technology-facilitated sexual violence can have significant consequences on a person's health and well-being.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/canadian-schools-need-to-address-digital-sexual-violence-in-their-curricula-and-policies" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Technology-facilitated sexual violence (TFSV) is on the rise among Canadian youth. In an <a href="https://plan-international.org/uploads/2022/02/sotwgr2020-execsummary-en-3.pdf">international study</a> that included Canada, over half of the young women and girls surveyed reported being sexually threatened and/or sexually harassed online. This kind of sexual violence can include online sexual harassment, extortion, receiving unsolicited explicit images and non-consensual distribution of intimate images.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2019.1710636">More than four in five undergraduate students in Canada</a> have reported experiencing online sexual violence, including sexually explicit comments, emails or messages.</p>
<p>Not all youth face the same risks with online harms. People with marginalized races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations are significantly more likely to experience TFSV. A recent report from Statistics Canada found that young women and non-binary youth are <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230221/dq230221c-eng.htm">more likely to be targets of online abuse</a> than young men. Black people, Muslim people and LGBTQ+ people experience <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/online-hate-and-harassment-american-experience-2023">higher rates of online harassment</a> than their peers.</p>
<p>Technology-facilitated sexual violence can have significant consequences on a person’s health and well-being. Young people who experience TFSV have reported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-0032-4">increased social isolation</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260515584344">fear and psychological distress</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1467891">adverse effects on their mental health</a>.</p>
<p>Given these negative impacts, it is imperative that schools take steps to address and prevent technology-facilitated sexual violence.</p>
<h2>Digital sexual violence in Canada</h2>
<p>Our team at the <a href="https://www.diydigitalsafety.ca/">DIY: Digital Safety</a> research project, along with the <a href="https://www.sieccan.org/">Sex Information and Education Council of Canada</a>, recently released a <a href="https://1332d589-88d9-46fd-b342-d3eba2ef6889.usrfiles.com/ugd/1332d5_40b7850d228a4c0b9e7ed54737fcb30b.pdf">report outlining how secondary schools across Canada can address TFSV</a> in their curricula and policies. We found that TFSV-related concepts are insufficiently addressed in Canadian schools, and that when TFSV is addressed, there are major gaps that need improvement.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="young woman with face in her hands sits in front of a laptop" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568381/original/file-20240109-25-houuq6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Technology-facilitated sexual violence can have significant consequences on a person’s health and well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Within educational curricula, very few provinces and territories recognize that sexual violence can occur online. Many do not include content on TFSV-specific online behaviours or discuss the legal consequences of online behaviour. </p>
<p>Three provinces and one territory — Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon (which uses B.C.’s curriculum) — provide students with the most comprehensive understanding of TFSV. Students there learn about the potential harms related to technology (like cyberbullying, sexual predators and sexting risks) and that people can be targeted because of their gender or sexual orientation. Students also learn about the legal ramifications of cyberbullying and TFSV-related behaviours.</p>
<p>Although Ontario, British Columbia and Yukon are the most thorough in addressing TFSV, educational approaches across the provinces and territories are not comprehensive. We recommend that all Canadian secondary schools teach their students that sexual violence can occur online, inform them about the online and offline impacts of TFSV and educate them about the harms and legal consequences related to TFSV.</p>
<h2>Specific legislation needed</h2>
<p>Twelve provinces and territories (all but Nunavut) have some form of anti-bullying provisions in their educational legislation, which often includes cyber, electronic or written bullying. </p>
<p>Only <a href="https://web2.gov.mb.ca/bills/40-4/b038e.php">Manitoba</a>, <a href="https://novascotia.ca/cyberscan/documents/What%20You%20Need%20To%20Know%20about%20the%20Intimate%20Images%20and%20Cyber-Protection%20Act.pdf">Nova Scotia</a> and <a href="https://www.assembly.nl.ca/legislation/sr/statutes/i22.htm">Newfoundland and Labrador</a> currently have specific legislative provisions that prohibit TFSV-related behaviours, like sharing or distributing intimate images without consent. These legislative provisions are not directly related to educational policy, but they are tools that young people and schools may choose to engage with.</p>
<p>Provincial non-consensual intimate image laws can help students respond to TFSV. <a href="https://civilresolutionbc.ca/blog/implementation-update-intimate-images-protection-claims-december-2023/">British Columbia is the most recent province</a> to introduce such legislation, as well as criminal laws such as the extortion, child luring and the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.</p>
<p>It is necessary to recognize the power of language used in legislation, educational curricula and policies. Using cyberbullying as an umbrella term to refer to TFSV-related behaviours <a href="https://1332d589-88d9-46fd-b342-d3eba2ef6889.usrfiles.com/ugd/1332d5_0b255967851a48c580f8a3c23e786399.pdf">may diminish or dismiss the harms</a> experienced by young people. This may also impact the help that students receive and the resources available to them, such as their ability to access legal or policy supports related to sexual violence.</p>
<p>Our analysis found that TFSV-related behaviours are rarely addressed within the context of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViDtnfQ9FHc&ab_channel=NationalAssociationofIndependentSchools%28NAIS%29">intersectionality</a>. Educational curricula in Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and P.E.I. recognize how unequal power dynamics and control contribute to violence and abuse, while Ontario considers how power dynamics contribute to discrimination and biases. </p>
<p>However, educational curricula in these provinces do not consider how power dynamics and oppression experienced by people from marginalized groups can contribute to technology-facilitated sexual violence.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young black man looks at a laptop screen with a sad expression" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568382/original/file-20240109-17-nm2gb4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People from marginalized races, ethnicities, genders and sexual orientations are significantly more likely to experience TFSV.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Québec consider intersectionality in supplemental or optional resources, but not in core curricular documents. Considerations of equity and diversity should not be optional in students’ education. An intersectional approach to TFSV is necessary to help students gain a comprehensive understanding of this problem and its impacts on diverse populations.</p>
<h2>How schools can address TFSV</h2>
<p>Secondary schools should include specific references to TFSV in their curricula and policies. It is important that schools empower students and refrain from taking a risk-based approach to technology. A risk-based approach emphasizes potential harms, and it can stigmatize students or make them feel ashamed when they experience TFSV. </p>
<p>We encourage schools to empower students and help them understand what tools and resources are available when they want to seek support or help others respond to TFSV. We also recommend that students learn about their technology-related rights and responsibilities, as well as what resources and supports are available to them when they need help. </p>
<p>Lastly, schools need to include information on how power and intersecting forms of oppression factor into students’ experiences with TFSV. Our research team is <a href="https://1332d589-88d9-46fd-b342-d3eba2ef6889.usrfiles.com/ugd/1332d5_b9f805201c9b4b728328ea1eab816b8f.pdf">developing resources</a> <a href="https://7d39c02a-892f-4f1e-aba6-a7594a2e8b0b.usrfiles.com/ugd/7d39c0_92d1199b8d7d4c4cb751a67211772401.pdf">for</a> <a href="https://www.diydigitalsafety.ca/resources/support-services">youth</a>, translated into <a href="https://www.diydigitalsafety.ca/infographic-nudes-and-the-law">13 languages, including Indigenous languages</a>, to help them learn about TFSV.</p>
<p>With new technologies being developed and the rise of artificial intelligence, there is a growing concern about <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sextortion-conversations-1.7048542">how students in Canada learn about online sexual harms</a> and <a href="https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/teen-girls-are-being-victimized-by-deepfake-nudes-one-family-is-pushing-for-more-protections-1.6670589">how youth are protected from such harms</a>. Secondary schools across the country should <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/education-curriculum-sexual-violence-deepfake-1.7073380">update their curricula and enact policies</a> to protect young people and teach them how to respond to TFSV.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220633/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Dietzel receives funding from iMPACTS: Collaborations to Address Sexual Violence on Campus; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) Partnership Grant 895–2016-1026 (Project Director, Shaheen Shariff, Ph.D., James McGill Professor, McGill University).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexa Dodge receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kaitlynn Mendes receives funding from the Canada Research Chairs program and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nikita Kalwani receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Suzie Dun receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).</span></em></p>It’s time we stop treating young people’s experiences in digital and physical spaces as distinct and mutually exclusive.Christopher Dietzel, Postdoctoral fellow, the DIGS Lab, Concordia UniversityAlexa Dodge, Assistant Professor of Criminology, Saint Mary’s UniversityKaitlynn Mendes, Canada Research Chair in Inequality and Gender, Western UniversityNikita Kalwani, M.A. Student in School and Applied Child Psychology, Western UniversitySuzie Dunn, Assistant Professor, Law, Dalhousie UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2174952024-01-10T23:10:59Z2024-01-10T23:10:59ZBreaking the curve: A call for comprehensive scoliosis awareness and care<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568748/original/file-20240110-29-9agwvv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=1417%2C0%2C7257%2C5787&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Scoliosis is a prevalent and underappreciated condition across Canada.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/breaking-the-curve-a-call-for-comprehensive-scoliosis-awareness-and-care" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/wait-times-marketplace-1.6620306">Cael</a> was a typical 15-year-old — until the discovery of an already advanced abnormal curvature of his spine. </p>
<p>“I felt like the Hunchback of Notre Dame,” Cael told CBC News, recalling the emotionally draining and gruesome two-year wait for spinal surgery during which his curve progressed to a whopping 108 degrees.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/s0140-6736(08)60658-3">Scoliosis is an abnormal twisting and curving of the spine that can develop at any age, but mostly occurs during rapid growth spurts in children</a>, and as part of spine aging in adults over the age of 60. </p>
<p>Of all types of scoliosis in children, adolescent idiopathic scoliosis is the most prevalent, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.07.013">accounting for as many as nine in 10 cases and impacting up to one in 20 adolescents globally</a>. On the other end of the age spectrum, a staggering <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/01.brs.0000160842.43482.cd">two-thirds of older adults are also affected</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-everything-you-need-to-know-about-scoliosis-28409">Explainer: everything you need to know about scoliosis</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>In clinical care, research and education related to scoliosis, disparities persist worldwide. Despite its widespread prevalence, scoliosis often goes undiagnosed, or has delayed diagnosis as in Cael’s case. It also receives limited attention in clinical and public health education, leading to significant gaps in health care.</p>
<p>This general lack of awareness has serious implications for thousands of people like Cael.</p>
<h2>Gaps in effective care</h2>
<p>In the United States, fewer than half of states legislate <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-7161-8-17">school-based scoliosis screening in children</a>. Even worse, Canada discontinued screening back in <a href="https://canadiantaskforce.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/1994-red-brick-en.pdf">1979</a> because it was not considered cost-effective. </p>
<p>Pediatricians’ <a href="https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/greig-health-record-technical-report">screening</a> practices vary, and some cases of scoliosis in children are only discovered when an unrelated chest X-ray reveals a curved spine. With about <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-011-2074-1">30 per cent of cases being hereditary</a>, parents may not recognize the signs early on.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.srs.org/Files/Patient-Brochures/Patient.Adolescent_Idiopathic_Scoliosis_Handbook_for_Patients.pdf">recommended care</a> in North America involves bracing for mild to moderate curves (25° to 45°) and surgery for curves exceeding 45°. Shockingly, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/brs.0b013e318059b5f7">32 per cent of Canadian children</a>, like Cael, face delayed referrals, discovering significant curves when they finally see specialists.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="X-ray images of two human torsos showing signs of scoliosis" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=530&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568729/original/file-20240110-27-7zzgup.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=666&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Radiologic comparison of adult idiopathic scoliosis (A) and adult degenerative scoliosis (B).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Cho KJ, Kim YT, Shin SH, Suk SI)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite documented success in managing scoliosis through early <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.spinee.2015.01.019">screening</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2023.07.005">exercise rehabilitation</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmoa1307337">brace</a> treatment, global health-care education often neglects this condition. </p>
<p>The general lack of global awareness leaves physicians, nurses and other practitioners unaware of effective treatments and referral processes, contributing to the misunderstanding and under-treatment of patients. Consequently, when children with scoliosis eventually reach specialists for care, they may encounter challenges navigating the health-care system as they transition into adulthood.</p>
<h2>Sex disparities</h2>
<p>It is unclear why adolescent idiopathic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.07.013">scoliosis affects mainly girls</a>. The more severe the curve, the more likely the patient is female. Due to their specific biology, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.07.013">females</a> also face a five-fold higher risk of progressive deformities and are 10 times more likely, compared to males, to require surgery.</p>
<p>Despite generally uncomplicated <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/00007632-200107010-00015">pregnancies and deliveries</a>, women with scoliosis often face <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/bpo.0000000000002499">difficulties receiving pain control</a> during labour, with higher epidural failure rates. Moreover, they often suffer pregnancy-related back pain, and their spine <a href="https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.46782">curvature may worsen after pregnancy</a>.</p>
<h2>Health-care access barriers</h2>
<p>Health-care access in the U.S. is influenced by a range of factors including race, income and health insurance coverage. </p>
<p>Patients with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/bpo.0000000000002551">better insurance</a> plans tend to seek pediatric orthopedic care at a younger age. Those with public insurance tend to have worse spine curvatures by the time they reach a scoliosis specialist; this is particularly striking among Black patients with public insurance, who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/bpo.0000000000002213">67 per cent less likely</a> to be diagnosed at a stage early enough for effective brace treatment compared to Black patients with private insurance.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iMmQZ6J6WrE?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A brief overview on recognizing idiopathic scoliosis produced by Veritas Health.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While Canada’s health-care system covers spinal fusion for severe scoliosis, the lack of a national insurance program in the U.S. leads to varying out-of-pocket expenses for patients. </p>
<p>Those without insurance often cannot afford surgery at all. </p>
<p>But even with Canada’s universal coverage, patients typically wait <a href="http://waittimes.alberta.ca/WaitTimeTrends.jsp?rcatID=56&rhaID=All_34_&doSearch=true&urgencyCode=9&facilityID=-9_&checkedRegionNo=0&oldCheckedRegionNo=0&oldCheckedFacilityNo=0&ifDisplayFacility=false&ifDisplayPhysician=false&command=goToAccessGoals&chartType=access_goal&subChartType=90_75_50_25_AVERAGE_&disabledChartType=trend&status=processAjax&ifHavingFPTMeasurement=true#WaitTimeInfo">an entire year</a> for surgery due to a shortage of providers. Because of regional variability in resources such as access to spinal surgeons, funding and specialized facilities, some kids, like Cael, wait even longer, experiencing physical, emotional and psychological burdens, while their curves get progressively worse. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-healthy-is-the-canadian-health-care-system-82674">How healthy is the Canadian health-care system?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Delayed surgery in Canada cost the health-care system <a href="https://www.childrenshealthcarecanada.ca/en/child-health-advocacy/no-child-elects-wait_october2023.pdf">$44.6 million</a> due to more complex surgeries, extended hospital stays, readmission and re-operation rates.</p>
<h2>Workforce and research disparities</h2>
<p>Ongoing gender disparities in the health-care workforce and lack of research funding for this female-predominant condition continue to hamper effective action.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wneu.2018.09.152">Fewer than five per cent of spinal surgeons</a> identify as women. <a href="https://journals.lww.com/annalsofsurgery/toc/2011/04000">Glass-ceiling</a> effects surround women surgeons in this male-dominated culture, perpetuating gendered training environments, being held to higher standards and earning lower wages. The dearth of senior women role models and mentors is a further barrier for career advancement and retention.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/canadas-health-care-crisis-is-gendered-how-the-burden-of-care-falls-to-women-215751">Canada’s health-care crisis is gendered: How the burden of care falls to women</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Furthermore, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-01472-5">research funding</a> for diseases, such as scoliosis, that mainly affect females has historically lagged far behind funding for male-predominant diseases. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119374855.ch26">Improving workforce diversity</a> is an important facet of addressing health disparities and shaping research agendas.</p>
<p>Inequities abound in scoliosis care and research. The impact of lack of awareness and delayed care extends beyond physical challenges. The patient and their family suffer emotionally, incurring significant financial burden while fearing the future. </p>
<p>The message is clear, we must do better for this underserved population.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217495/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Scoliosis is a treatable condition, but only if detected early. Greater awareness of the condition and its dynamics will greatly aid in patient care moving forward.Sanja Schreiber, Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine - Physical Therapy, University of AlbertaEmily Somers, Professor of Internal Medicine, Environmental Health Sciences, and Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of MichiganLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2203602024-01-08T17:12:29Z2024-01-08T17:12:29ZConcerned about student mental health? How wellness is related to academic achievement<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568050/original/file-20240105-27-xj485x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C163%2C5464%2C3449&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">We can and should support both student mental health and student academic achievement, because they affect each other. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Allison Shelley/EDUimages)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/concerned-about-student-mental-health-how-wellness-is-related-to-academic-achievement" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>Supporting student mental health and well-being has become a priority for schools. This was the case even prior to the increased <a href="https://theconversation.com/child-and-youth-mental-health-problems-have-doubled-during-covid-19-162750">signs of child and youth mental health adversity</a> in and after the pandemic. </p>
<p>Supporting student mental health is important because students of all ages can experience stressors that negatively affect their well-being and sometimes lead to mental health diagnoses.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.10.005">some have suggested</a> we can either <a href="https://metro.co.uk/2017/11/20/stop-stressing-out-our-kids-why-childrens-mental-health-is-as-important-as-academic-achievement-7084383/">support academic success or mental health</a> — and that mental health is <a href="https://www.connectedforlife.co.uk/blog/2017/11/22/childrens-mental-health-is-more-important-than-academic-achievement">more important than academic achievement</a>.</p>
<p>However, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1477878520980197">we can and should support both</a> academic success and mental health — because they affect each other. </p>
<p>As a researcher who examines school-based mental health and also as a former school psychologist, it’s clear to me that one of the best ways to support mental health is to support academic development, especially early in children’s education.</p>
<h2>Well-being in education</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264273856-en">Well-being in educational</a> settings involves all aspects of students’ lives: physical, cognitive, social and psychological functioning. </p>
<p>Education policymakers, schools and educators must attend to student well-being holistically rather than targeting one area at the expense of other areas. </p>
<p>A great deal of research shows that early academic performance predicts mental health and well-being. Most of the research showing this relationship between well-being and academic success is in the area of reading. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Students seen working together at desks in a classroom." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568047/original/file-20240105-29-gqgax9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A great deal of research shows that early academic performance predicts mental health and well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://images.all4ed.org/female-elementary-students-work-on-poster">(Allison Shelley/ EDUimages)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/">CC BY-NC</a></span>
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<p>Recent reports <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/right-to-read-inquiry-report/experience-students-and-families">from both Ontario</a> and Saskatchewan <a href="https://saskatchewanhumanrights.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Equitable-Education-for-Students-with-Reading-Disabilities-report.pdf">human rights commissions</a> highlighted the important role of strong reading instruction for student well-being, confidence and academic engagement. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reading-disabilities-are-a-human-rights-issue-saskatchewan-joins-calls-to-address-barriers-214129">Reading disabilities are a human rights issue — Saskatchewan joins calls to address barriers</a>
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<h2>Stronger reading abilities, positive outcomes</h2>
<p>In the example of reading and mental health, gaining reading skills increases positive student outcomes. Good readers report being more <a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED593894.pdf">satisfied with their lives</a>. </p>
<p>Later, they have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.socscimed.2020.112971">fewer symptoms</a> of anxiety and depression. Teachers rate students with strong reading skills as more prosocial and as having fewer behaviour problems. </p>
<p>These students are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v9i1.5053">more confident, have higher emotional intelligence and demonstrate more empathy</a>. These positive outcomes are related to reading skill development, an important early indicator of academic success.</p>
<h2>Poorer reading skills, worse outcomes</h2>
<p>Being a poor reader, however, increases the risk for poor outcomes. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0022219408321123#">Weak readers</a> in early grades are more likely to have behavioural problems later. They also have <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26097274/">poorer self-concept and self control, difficulty with relationships</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.11114/jets.v9i1.5053">shame, anxiety</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2018.09.002">depression</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000242241.77302.f4">suicidality and delinquency</a>. </p>
<p>Students who <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194060390060301">drop out of school</a> are more likely to be poor readers, and poor readers are more likely to be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/01.chi.0000242241.77302.f4">involved with the criminal justice system</a>. It is particularly telling that one of the best ways to keep youth from re-offending is to <a href="https://richardfelson.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/acaddel.pdf">teach them to read</a>.</p>
<h2>Students with dyslexia</h2>
<p>The relationship between dyslexia and poor well-being and mental health further reveals the interaction between academic success and mental health. Students with dyslexia, which is characterized by difficulties gaining reading skills, have more <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/19404158.2018.1479975">difficulty making friends</a>, and having friends is an integral part of mental health.</p>
<p>They are also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-7610.2004.00366.x">more likely to be bullied</a> and to have low self-esteem. More specifically, having dyslexia increases the risk for also having <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s12519-009-0049-7">anxiety, depression</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/00222194211056297">behavioural problems</a>.</p>
<h2>Equity, reading instruction and well-being</h2>
<p>Further, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2007.01015.x">students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds</a> are at greater risk both of not gaining adequate reading skills and of worse mental-health outcomes.</p>
<p>Language and literacy researchers <a href="https://www.edcan.ca/wp-content/uploads/EdCan-2006-v46-n2-Beswick.pdf">Joan F. Beswick and Elizabeth A. Sloat</a> contend that adequate access to strong reading instruction is a social justice issue. Their research, and <a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/sites/default/files/FINAL%20R2R%20REPORT%20DESIGNED%20April%2012.pdf">other findings</a>, document how students from poorer neighbourhoods are less likely to receive adequate reading instruction. This disproportionately puts them at risk for mental health problems that reduce their well-being.</p>
<p>The relationship between academic success and well-being is not limited to elementary school reading. High-school students who <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrp.2018.02.007">achieve academically</a> also have <a href="https://www.pedocs.de/volltexte/2020/20975/pdf/JERO_2020_2_Kleinkorres_Stang_McElvany_A_longitudinal_analysis.pdf">better mental health</a>. </p>
<h2>A two-way relationship</h2>
<p>It is important to note, nevertheless, that the relationship between academic achievement and mental health is bidirectional. </p>
<p>Some research shows that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29150840/;%20%22%22">poor mental health, including behaviour problems, affect academic outcomes</a>.</p>
<p>The relationship between academic success and mental health is complex and likely interactive with both <a href="https://www.pedocs.de/volltexte/2020/20975/pdf/JERO_2020_2_Kleinkorres_Stang_McElvany_A_longitudinal_analysis.pdf">poor achievement and excessive competition for high marks contributing to poor mental health</a>. Academic performance and mental health each affect the other — either supportively or adversely.</p>
<h2>Unhealthy academic competition</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="A boy at a desk writing." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568053/original/file-20240105-23-q4jp9n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A focus on academic competition negatively impacts mental health and well-being.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Strong academic performance supports mental health and well-being, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2017.10.005">unhealthy levels of academic competition negatively impact mental health and well-being</a>. Reining in this unhealthy focus on intense academic competition is important. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/classdojo-raises-concerns-about-childrens-rights-111033">ClassDojo raises concerns about children's rights</a>
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<p>But only focusing on stressors of classroom competition in the relationship between academic performance and mental health could have adverse effects in the short- and longer term: It could reduce the mental health of students by not supporting healthy academic growth that promotes mental health and well-being. </p>
<p>It could also fail to teach students practices or habits required to navigate challenges with resiliency.</p>
<h2>Need to support both</h2>
<p>If we want to support student well-being and mental health, we need to support mental health directly by developing healthy school climates, teaching social emotional learning, and providing psychological services in schools. </p>
<p>But we also must support student academic success. This is the case especially as our most vulnerable students are at risk of both academic difficulty and mental health problems. </p>
<p>We don’t have to choose: we can and should support students’ academic success and mental health.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/220360/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabrielle Wilcox is affiliated with Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta and the Learning Disabilities & ADHD Network Calgary Region. </span></em></p>A key way to support mental health and well-being is to support strong reading instruction especially early in children’s education.Gabrielle Wilcox, Associate Professor, Werklund School of Education, University of CalgaryLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2194742024-01-07T12:34:38Z2024-01-07T12:34:38ZNeighbourhood amenities may have helped youth mental health and stress early in the pandemic<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/567975/original/file-20240105-25-yskfll.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=245%2C1003%2C3621%2C1984&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Researchers investigated how the availability of neighbourhood amenities may have contributed to changes in youth mental health and stress levels during the first six months of the pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Unsplash/Paul Hanaoka)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/neighbourhood-amenities-may-have-helped-youth-mental-health-and-stress-early-in-the-pandemic" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>During the COVID-19 pandemic, youth as a population group <a href="https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210201/dq210201b-eng.htm">reported some of the largest declines in their mental health</a> compared to other age groups in Canada. </p>
<p>Research on youth mental health during the pandemic has focused on <a href="https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/full/10.1139/facets-2021-0096">poor academic engagement</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2021-0080">loss of peer networks</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30109-7">missed milestone events</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s13034-023-00653-4">challenging summer employment experiences</a>. Yet little is known about how the places where young people lived played a role in changes to their mental health during the pandemic.</p>
<p>From walking in a park to ordering takeout food, there was not much to do out in public during the early months of the pandemic. Youth were attending school remotely and no longer participating in organized sports and indoor recreation. </p>
<p>For many, that meant their daily activities outside the home often consisted of what could be reached within walking distance of where they lived. Parks and food-related retail became the main places for physically distanced social interactions. They became a break in the routines of remote school, activities and virtual social networks available at home.</p>
<h2>Neighbourhood amenities</h2>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2023.2282850">Our study</a> included Canadian youth between the ages of 13 and 19 in London, Ont. We investigated how the availability of neighbourhood amenities may have contributed to positive or negative changes in mental health — interpreted as their own perception of their mood and outlook on life — and stress levels during the first six months of the pandemic.</p>
<p>Amenities included parks, food outlets and convenience stores in close proximity to home.</p>
<p>We investigated whether these amenities could have protected against declines in mental health and increases in stress levels, and also if youth living in suburban neighbourhoods had different perceptions of mental health and stress levels than those living in urban ones.</p>
<h2>The missing role of parks</h2>
<p>Surprisingly, the availability of parks near the home had no significant impact on mental health and stress levels of youth. This finding runs counter to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13148-2">evidence that suggests these places were crucial to supporting well-being</a> during the pandemic. </p>
<p>Given the pre-pandemic challenges of <a href="https://doi.org/10.24095/hpcdp.40.4.02">engaging young people in using their local parks</a>, these places may have not played as substantial a role in supporting better mental health and lowering stress levels for youth compared to other neighbourhood amenities.</p>
<h2>Youth experiences in urban neighbourhoods</h2>
<p>For youth in urban neighbourhoods, having more fast-food outlets available near young people’s homes resulted in lower levels of stress, but worse declines in mental health. When coupled with the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2023.2282850">observed decline in eating habits</a>, urban youth were almost seven times more likely to report worse mental health. </p>
<p>While the places near young people’s homes can make a difference to their mental health, we found that the impact is greater on their stress levels. </p>
<p>It may be that food-based amenities in urban neighbourhoods provided places for young people to relieve their stress and try to cope with declines in their mental health by eating fast-food and convenience-store snacks and socializing.</p>
<h2>Youth experiences in suburban neighbourhoods</h2>
<p>Youth in suburban neighbourhoods were more likely to report changes (both improvements and declines) to their mental health and stress levels. They also had a greater availability of food outlets near them compared to urban youth. In particular, having more convenience stores near the home was associated with more drastic changes to mental health and higher stress levels. </p>
<p>In addition, youth residing in suburban neighbourhoods who reported a decline in their physical activity levels were also at nearly three times the risk of having worsened mental health than their peers who reported their physical activity levels had not changed since the pandemic. </p>
<p>Overall, boys were substantially less likely than girls to have improved mental health during the study period, and this was especially true for those residing in suburban areas.</p>
<p>One possible reason for this trend could be that boys are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2019.03.015">more likely to play organized sports</a> than girls, which are often delivered by schools as extracurricular activities. In addition, boys tend to have less <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14742837.2021.2011189">extensive social networks</a> on digital platforms outside of their school than girls. </p>
<p>The loss of opportunities for physical activity and transition away from in-person social networks at schools may have created feelings of isolation and loneliness for boys.</p>
<h2>The role of neighbourhood amenities</h2>
<p>The first six months of the pandemic revealed the importance of neighbourhood amenities in protecting against declines in mental health and reducing stress levels. </p>
<p>Parks may have been a helpful feature for other population groups, but we found their role was limited for youth in terms of mental health and stress. Planners and landscape architects can reflect on how these places could be changed to be more attractive to youth, thereby ensuring they receive the same benefits from them as younger and older groups. </p>
<p>In addition, it is important to consider that the experiences of youth living in suburban and urban neighbourhoods may differ. This highlights the need to include youth perspectives in the planning of public spaces that contribute to healthy and thriving communities. </p>
<p>The pandemic exposed long-standing issues in how youth can access amenities in their community, and how to best meet their needs in Canadian communities.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219474/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alexander Wray receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and Sport Canada. He is President of the Town and Gown Association of Ontario. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kendra Nelson Ferguson was provided with funding through a trainee award from the Children’s Health
Research Institute, funded by the Children’s Health Foundation.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gina Martin, Jamie Seabrook, Jason Gilliland, and Stephanie Coen do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Neighbourhood features may have helped youth cope with the mental health impact of pandemic restrictions. Parks didn’t play much of a role but food amenities and the suburbs did.Alexander Wray, PhD Candidate in Geography, Western UniversityGina Martin, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health Disciplines, Athabasca UniversityJamie Seabrook, Chair and Professor, School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, Brescia University College, Adjunct Research Professor, Paediatrics, Adjunct Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Western UniversityJason Gilliland, Professor, Director, Urban Development Program, Western UniversityKendra Nelson Ferguson, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Faculty of Social Sciences, Western UniversityStephanie Coen, Associate professor, School of Geography, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2181792024-01-07T07:33:35Z2024-01-07T07:33:35ZYoung Africans could disrupt authoritarian states but they don’t – here’s why<p>Africa has the <a href="https://www.un.org/ohrlls/news/young-people%E2%80%99s-potential-key-africa%E2%80%99s-sustainable-development#:%7E:text=Africa%20has%20the%20youngest%20population,to%20realise%20their%20best%20potential.">world’s largest youth population</a>. By 2030, <a href="https://www.prb.org/resources/africas-future-youth-and-the-data-defining-their-lives/">75%</a> of the African population will be under the age of 35. The number of young Africans aged 15-24 is projected to reach <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2023/06/27/investing-in-youth-transforming-afe-africa">500 million</a> in 2080. </p>
<p>While population dynamics vary across the continent, most sub-Saharan countries have a <a href="https://www.wilsoncenter.org/blog-post/africas-median-age-about-19-median-age-its-leaders-about-63">median age below 19</a>. Niger is the youngest country in the world with a median age of 14.5, while South Africa, Seychelles, Tunisia and Algeria have median ages above 27. </p>
<p>These demographics are a potential <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/three-myths-about-youth-employment-in-africa-and-strategies-to-realize-the-demographic-dividend/">force for growth</a>. However, the potential of Africa’s demographic dividend has been overshadowed by concerns among governments and international donors about the relationship between large youth populations, unemployment rates and political instability. </p>
<p>Many countries with large youth populations and high rates of youth unemployment and under-employment <a href="https://ugapress.org/book/9780820348858/the-outcast-majority/">remain peaceful</a>. But the dominant policy narrative is that unemployed youth pose a threat to stability.</p>
<p>Further, the role of youth in popular protest – such as in <a href="https://www.cmi.no/publications/7420-after-the-uprising-including-sudanese-youth">Sudan in 2019</a> – has created high expectations about their role in countering autocratic governments and contributing to democracy. </p>
<p>As political scientists and sociologists, we’re interested in understanding the interaction between youth and autocratic regimes – especially as elected autocracies <a href="https://alinstitute.org/images/Library/RetreatOfAfricanDemocracy.pdf#page=1">are taking hold</a> in Africa. </p>
<p>Electoral autocracies are regimes elected into power using authoritarian strategies. These include manipulation of elections and repression of the opposition, independent media and civil society.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cmi.no/projects/2177-nfr-youth-in-africa">Our research</a> focuses on the interactions between youth and regimes in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe. All are cases of electoral autocracies.</p>
<p>These regimes are aware of their large youth populations and are sometimes challenged by them. <a href="https://theconversation.com/bobi-wine-has-shaken-up-ugandan-politics-four-things-worth-knowing-about-him-153205">Uganda’s Bobi Wine</a>, a popular musician turned presidential candidate, is one example. </p>
<p>The four countries in our study have also been through civil wars, where the victorious armed groups have taken power and stayed in power since the end of the war. This has created a particular set of dynamics between the ageing rebel governments and the youth majorities.</p>
<p>In autocratic contexts like these ones, efforts to empower youth can easily be manipulated to serve the interests of the regime. Some young people may decide to play the game and take up opportunities offered by regime actors. Others might resist them. Some take up the opportunities, hoping it serves their own and not the regime’s interests. Still, this might reproduce forms of patronage. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/abiy-ahmed-gained-power-in-ethiopia-with-the-help-of-young-people-four-years-later-hes-silencing-them-195601">Abiy Ahmed gained power in Ethiopia with the help of young people – four years later he's silencing them</a>
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<p>All of this matters because the future of democracy is at stake, and using state-led opportunities might contribute to authoritarian renewal.</p>
<p>Our research teams in each country <a href="https://www.cmi.no/projects/2177-nfr-youth-in-africa">studied</a> the range of policies that governments put in place to “cater” for the youth. They included loans for young entrepreneurs, and setting up youth councils and youth quotas in political institutions. </p>
<p>We found that youth-targeted strategies – largely aimed at promoting employment and political participation – are part of the authoritarian rule book in all four countries we studied. Employment and entrepreneurship schemes were open to abuse through ruling party patronage networks and channelled to regime supporters.</p>
<h2>Not saving democracy</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.cmi.no/projects/2177-nfr-youth-in-africa">Our research</a> found that young people in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zimbabwe felt aggrieved about these opportunities being channelled to regime supporters. They also noted the lack of opportunities to have a meaningful voice. Institutions that were established to enable youth participation were co-opted and lacked independence from governments. </p>
<p>Some young people express their grievances through pro-democracy protests – like in <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/violent-protests-break-out-mozambique-after-local-elections-2023-10-27/">Mozambique in October 2023</a>. But overall, <a href="https://www.theafricareport.com/221141/why-africas-youth-is-not-saving-democracy/">Africa’s youth are not saving democracy</a>. </p>
<p>Neither are they countering the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17531055.2022.2235656">deepening</a> trend of autocratisation on the continent, where incumbent governments have increasingly <a href="https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/60999">concentrated power</a> in the hands of the executive. Our research has confirmed this in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Uganda.</p>
<h2>Country case studies</h2>
<p>In <a href="https://www.cmi.no/publications/8797-the-risk-of-authoritarian-renewal-in-zimbabwe-understanding-zanu-pf-youth">Zimbabwe</a>, Zanu-PF has been in power since the country’s independence in 1980. The ruling party and many of its now ageing leaders use their history of having been part of the liberation war in the 1970s <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01436590600842472?casa_token=B53EF1Ev0XcAAAAA:7W-Izw-iDMuOCRc8RZiW8UcDpXn7kH5E-siDc2W1ux_L9w1WpyB-2mnTSMzmAXrLM5YmfFCx3Mlo4YA">to retain their hold on power</a>. </p>
<p>They do so by creating narratives around the country’s liberation history and patriotism, and accuse the “born-free” generation (those born after independence) of betraying the liberation war. This delegitimises any discontent young people may feel. Zanu-PF targets young people among its <a href="https://opendocs.ids.ac.uk/opendocs/handle/20.500.12413/14906">wider repertoire of strategies</a> to maintain power.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.cmi.no/publications/8798-poorly-designed-youth-employment-programmes-will-boost-the-insurgency-in-mozambique">Mozambique</a>, the ruling party Frelimo has won every election since 1992. The party has concentrated power and resources in the hands of the political elite. The youth continue to be under-represented and have serious challenges in accessing resources. This, in addition to other conflict dynamics, contributed to an insurgency in the northern region of <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17531055.2020.1789271">Cabo Delgado from 2017</a>. It’s led by the radical religious group locally called Al-Shabaab, or sometimes “machababo” (the youth).</p>
<p>Youth-dominated protests in <a href="https://www.cmi.no/publications/7829-neglect-control-and-co-optation-major-features-of-ethiopian-youth-policy-since-1991">Ethiopia</a> contributed to the 2018 fall of the ruling party that had been in power since 1991. They also led to the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-change-happened-in-ethiopia-a-review-of-how-abiy-rose-to-power-110737">coming to power</a> of Abiy Ahmed that year. </p>
<p>Mobilisation among the youth has since <a href="https://theconversation.com/abiy-ahmed-gained-power-in-ethiopia-with-the-help-of-young-people-four-years-later-hes-silencing-them-195601">been silenced</a>. Only loyalists get access to job creation schemes. There has also been a militarising of youth-dominated ethnic movements. This was seen, for instance, with the <a href="https://www.theafricareport.com/322001/ethiopia-understanding-the-fano-and-the-fate-of-amhara/">Fano Amhara group</a> in the war in Tigray in <a href="https://theconversation.com/ethiopia-tigray-war-parties-agree-pause-expert-insights-into-two-years-of-devastating-conflict-193636">2020-2022</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cmi.no/publications/8801-moving-ugandas-national-development-planning-to-the-grassroots-whats-in-it-for-youth">Uganda</a> was a pioneer in institutionalising youth participation in decision-making. Youth engagement in political structures is considered to be a tool for government control. We found that young politicians felt that this flawed system of representation provided opportunities for mobilising both against and in favour of the current regime. Young candidates running for one of the youth quota seats in parliament, for instance, can’t easily evade ruling party patronage.</p>
<h2>Way forward</h2>
<p>Young Africans are diverse. However, they have often been characterised as either <a href="https://www.un.org/africarenewal/magazine/december-2019-march-2020/african-youth-and-growth-violent-extremism">violent</a> or as <a href="https://press.un.org/en/2019/sc13968.doc.htm">changemakers and peace activists</a>. These characterisations represent opposite ends of a spectrum. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.cmi.no/projects/2177-nfr-youth-in-africa">Our research project</a> engaged a diversity of young people positioned and constantly moving across different parts of the spectrum. This has enhanced our understanding of how they navigate and respond to the ways their regimes seek to handle the youth population.</p>
<p>In our view, research and policy initiatives towards young people in authoritarian states must acknowledge that well-intended youth interventions may reproduce authoritarian politics when they are channelled to party loyalists. </p>
<p>Interventions that aim to promote job creation and youth empowerment should monitor how youth participants are selected and funds disbursed to avoid interference from partisan actors.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218179/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lovise Aalen receives funding from the Research Council of Norway's Norglobal programme (grant # 288489). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Marjoke Oosterom received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) </span></em></p>Africa’s youth are not countering the deepening of autocratisation across the continent.Lovise Aalen, Research Professor, Political Science, Chr. Michelsen InstituteMarjoke Oosterom, Research Fellow and Cluster Leader, Power and Popular Politics research cluster, Institute of Development StudiesLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2135352024-01-03T13:46:21Z2024-01-03T13:46:21ZWorkers in their teens and early 20s are more likely to get hurt than older employees<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/565551/original/file-20231213-23-vn4jgp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=149%2C223%2C2777%2C1763&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Some teens get tendinitis from scooping ice cream.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/morgan-jackson-18-of-scarborough-scoops-ice-cream-while-news-photo/958440620?adppopup=true">Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Think about your first job. Maybe it was delivering pizza, bagging groceries, busing tables or doing landscaping work. Did you get enough training to avoid potential injuries? Chances are, you didn’t – and your boss or supervisor <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2018.12.003">just told you to get to work</a>.</p>
<p>Employing young people helps them in many ways. They can learn a trade, develop job skills, become more responsible and earn money. But there’s danger, too: Americans between 15 and 24 years old are up to <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6935a3">2.3 times more likely</a> to get injured on the job than workers who are 25 and over.</p>
<p>In 2021, <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/cfoi.pdf">398 workers under 25</a> died after getting injured on the job. </p>
<p>In my research about the unique <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=cI_ixlIAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">occupational safety hazards young workers face</a>, I’ve identified <a href="http://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-014-9565-9">three common causes of this susceptibility to injury</a>: their lack of experience, developing bodies and brains, and reluctance to speak up. </p>
<h2>Physical and cognitive limitations</h2>
<p>The <a href="https://www.epi.org/blog/class-of-2023-young-people-see-better-job-opportunities/">19 million young people employed</a> today make up <a href="https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables/civilian-labor-force-summary.htm">approximately 13% of the U.S. workforce</a>. </p>
<p>Work is more dangerous for young people because they’ve simply had less time to become aware of many common workplace hazards than their older co-workers.</p>
<p>And yet this problem isn’t typically addressed during onboarding: Even those who have been trained to do a specific job may not be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2018.12.003,%20https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.10304">taught ways to avoid common injuries</a>. These include tendinitis from scooping ice cream for hours on end, burns from operating a deep fryer, lacerations from sharp objects, and slips, trips and falls.</p>
<p>It’s also important to remember that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892678/">bodies and brains continue to develop</a> well into adulthood – up to age 25. This can make some tasks riskier before that point for the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/youth.pdf">55% of individuals between the ages of 16 and 24</a> who work.</p>
<p>For example, workers in their teens and early 20s may be smaller and weaker than older workers. Furthermore, some safety equipment, such as gloves and masks, may not properly fit.</p>
<p>In addition to physical changes that occur during adolescence, <a href="https://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/933-the-adolescent-brain-a-second-window-of-opportunity-a-compendium.html">the brain is</a> also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cobeha.2016.04.012">developing and restructuring into early adulthood</a>. The frontal cortex, which is used for decision-making and helps you to think before you act, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3177">continues to develop into adulthood and can lead to risky behaviors</a>.</p>
<p>Young people are inclined to seek approval and respect, which influences their decision-making. </p>
<p>They also <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2010.08.007">engage in risky behaviors</a> both on and off the job that may affect their performance at work. </p>
<p>Finally, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-018-0847-0">many young workers are reluctant to speak up</a> if they have concerns, or to ask questions if they don’t know what to do, because they don’t want to lose respect from their boss or supervisor. To avoid appearing unqualified, they may not want to admit that they need help. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Baskin-Robbins shop in a strip mall with its trademark pink branding." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/563427/original/file-20231204-29-26qjf9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Like many Americans, President Barack Obama scooped ice cream in his youth. He was employed at this Honolulu Baskin-Robbins.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://newsroom.ap.org/detail/ObamaFirstJob/626981cdb54c4a11aefeb5a48e487ce5/photo?Query=(renditions.phototype:horizontal)%20AND%20(category:a%20OR%20%20category:i)%20AND%20%20(teen%20jobs)%20&mediaType=photo&sortBy=arrivaldatetime:desc&dateRange=Anytime&totalCount=81&currentItemNo=34">AP Photo/Marco Garcia</a></span>
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<h2>Weaker protections in some states</h2>
<p>Despite these inherent risks, <a href="https://theconversation.com/states-are-weakening-their-child-labor-restrictions-nearly-8-decades-after-the-us-government-took-kids-out-of-the-workforce-205175">Arkansas, Iowa and other states have recently weakened labor laws</a>, loosening restrictions about the kinds of work teens can do and increasing the number of hours they can work. </p>
<p>This is happening at a time when the number of child labor violations are rising and more children are <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/25/us/unaccompanied-migrant-child-workers-exploitation.html">dying or getting injured</a>, especially when they do tasks that <a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/whd/whd20230217-1">violate federal labor laws</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://news.yahoo.com/16-old-worker-killed-meat-203946508.html">Duvan Tomas Perez</a>, for example, died on the job while cleaning machinery in the Mar-Jac Poultry plant in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in August 2023. Perez was 16. So was <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wisconsin-boy-dies-sawmill-child-labor-8ae0c9fc09b9355dd7f12640eaefff2d">Michael Schuls</a>, who died in June 2023 while attempting to unjam a wood-stacking machine at Florence Hardwoods, a Wisconsin lumber company. <a href="https://www.kake.com/story/49078450/16yearold-boy-dies-in-workplace-accident-at-kansas-cityarea-landfill">Will Hampton</a>, another 16-year-old, also died that month in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, while working at a landfill.</p>
<p>Teachers at a Nebraska middle school figured out that students who had trouble staying awake at school were working night shifts at a slaughterhouse, doing dangerous cleaning work that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/may/09/nebraska-slaughterhouse-children-working-photos-labor-department">caused chemical burns</a>.</p>
<p>Enacted in 1938, the <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/compliance-assistance/handy-reference-guide-flsa">Fair Labor Standards Act</a> established federal standards to ensure workplace safety for workers under 18 and bars employers from interfering with their educational opportunities. This law sets 14 as a minimum age for formal employment, restricts when and how many hours children may work, and outlines the type of work children may safely perform. </p>
<p>Some of the new state labor laws <a href="https://www.iowadivisionoflabor.gov/child-labor">allow children to work in more dangerous jobs</a> and limit their employers’ liability for <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/child-labor-laws-under-attack/">injury, illness or even death on the job</a>.</p>
<p>When state labor laws are less restrictive than the federal law, however, the <a href="https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/youthrules/young-workers">federal standards apply</a>.</p>
<p>The federal government is also ramping up enforcement efforts. The <a href="https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osec/osec20230727">Labor Department found 4,474 children employed in violation</a> of federal child labor laws between Oct. 1, 2022, and July 20, 2023. Employers, including McDonald’s and Sonic fast-food franchisees, owed more than $6.6 million in penalties as a result.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">In an interview with “60 Minutes,” a Labor Department investigator relayed how the government determined that Packers Sanitation Services Inc. employed more than 100 children in violation of child labor laws.</span></figcaption>
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<h2>3 steps employers can take</h2>
<p>In addition to following the law, I believe that employers and supervisors need to address the unique risks to young workers by <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare4030055">taking these necessary steps</a>: </p>
<p>• Provide training on how to do tasks safely and supervise young workers until key tasks have been mastered. Training should not only occur right before a new employee gets ready for their first shift, but whenever new tasks are assigned, when there is a new hazard in the workplace, and after an injury or near miss occurs in the workplace. </p>
<p>• Model safe behaviors. Remember that young workers often learn by watching their bosses and co-workers, whose actions can reinforce safety expectations and build a <a href="https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/culture-safety">culture of safety</a>. </p>
<p>• Take into account a worker’s abilities when assigning tasks, and check in on them regularly, especially when switching tasks. Ask open-ended questions, such as, “What are the steps you are going to take when you do this task?” as opposed to questions that can be answered with a yes or no, like, “Do you know how to do this task?” Be sure to let workers know how to report concerns and who they can talk to if they have questions about workplace procedures and policies. </p>
<p>These strategies are easy to implement and cost little to follow.</p>
<p>And they surely make it safer for workers in their teens and early 20s to gain the valuable work experience they want and need, while helping their employers to maintain safe, productive workplaces that nurture the workers our <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/productiveaging/default.html">economy will increasingly depend upon</a> in the years ahead.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/213535/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Diane Rohlman receives funding from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. </span></em></p>Better training and supervision make younger workers less vulnerable to injuries.Diane Rohlman, Associate Dean for Research, Professor and Endowed Chair of Rural Safety and Health, University of IowaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171842023-12-21T21:09:43Z2023-12-21T21:09:43Z‘The Whale’: Viewers need to examine how teens are represented in the Oscar-winning film<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/the-whale-viewers-need-to-examine-how-teens-are-represented-in-the-oscar-winning-film" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><strong>This story contains spoilers about <em>The Whale</em>.</strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13833688/"><em>The Whale</em></a>, which <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/adrien-morot-oscar-win-makeup-the-whale-1.6779968">claimed Oscar wins in 2023</a> including for Best Lead Actor and Best Supporting Actress, is now on Amazon Prime in Canada. Those who are catching up on award winners from this year could consider it for holiday viewing. </p>
<p>When the film was released, much popular commentary focused on treatment of the main protagonist in the film, Charlie (Brendan Fraser), and how the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/opinion/the-whale-film.html">framing of his fatness</a> is likely <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/10/lindy-west-on-the-whale">to harm fat people</a> and seems one-dimensional, <a href="https://screenrant.com/whale-movie-fatphobia-controversy-brendan-fraser/">rendering him a symbol in a way that dehumanizes him</a>. </p>
<p>Feminist philosopher Kate Manne also took issue with how the film depicts Charlie’s daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink), arguing, “<a href="https://katemanne.substack.com/p/the-whales-point-of-view">the film never advances her perspective more than a millimetre</a>.” </p>
<p>The film, which is set in <a href="https://theasc.com/articles/the-whale">the confined space</a> of one apartment, and which sees Charlie long for <a href="https://playbill.com/article/how-samuel-d-hunters-own-battle-with-self-loathing-inspired-the-whale">a hopeful outcome for his daughter even while he expresses self-hatred</a>, powerfully <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-whale-brendan-fraser-review_n_6392526ee4b019c6962069e8">and uncomfortably</a> asks viewers to consider the world from Charlie’s eyes. </p>
<p>I watched this film as a former secondary English teacher who has researched <a href="https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003131434">representations of adolescents in literature</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2020.1786428">popular media</a>, and who is concerned with how literary and media representations shape teens’ and adults’ sense of adolescent lives — and how teens’ stories are reflected in media. </p>
<p>Here’s my breakdown of what I hope viewers might think about when watching <em>The Whale</em>.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Trailer for ‘The Whale.’</span></figcaption>
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<h2>The silenced students</h2>
<p>As an instructor, Charlie’s passionate insistence on the importance of truth in writing demonstrates that he cares about how his students express their authentic selves on the page. </p>
<p>Nevertheless, his approach to teaching is concerning. First, there is the complicated background knowledge that Charlie’s late romantic partner, Alan, was a former student. While teaching his current class, he sends <a href="https://collider.com/the-whale-ending-explained/">an inflammatory</a> and emotional email to everyone that includes the line “Fuck these ridiculous essays,” which leads to his firing. </p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-whale-brendan-frasers-comeback-offers-rare-representation-of-the-fat-queer-male-body-on-screen-198943">The Whale: Brendan Fraser's comeback offers rare representation of the fat queer male body on screen</a>
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<p>Before he is replaced, Charlie at last turns his online camera on after pretending it was broken. The students quietly appear to be a mixture of struck, amused and even voyeuristic; one appears to start recording. Charlie flings his laptop to the floor while still in session. </p>
<p>I hoped the film would return to students after this moment, wondering how this intense experience might impact their relationship to education. However, viewers don’t see them again. </p>
<h2>The mistreated missionary</h2>
<p>Then there is Thomas (Ty Simpkins), <a href="https://screenrant.com/whale-2022-cast-character-guide/">a church missionary</a> who seems to be a teenage runaway. Thomas repeatedly visits Charlie and tries to connect with him, but is put in difficult positions when Charlie has medical episodes but refuses professional help. </p>
<p>Instead, Charlie requests confusing <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-emotional-labour-and-how-do-we-get-it-wrong-185773">emotional labour</a> and care work such as reading Charlie’s daughter’s middle school <em>Moby Dick</em> essay aloud instead of calling 911. </p>
<p>Charlie’s friend and caretaker, Liz (Hong Chau), is also tough on Thomas in different ways. She critiques his church and vacillates between treating him like a pest and something of a punching bag while demanding he help Charlie around the apartment. Thomas seems an earnest and naive young person, constantly returning to Charlie’s apartment despite mistreatment. </p>
<h2>‘Evil’ Ellie</h2>
<p>Finally, there is Charlie’s teenage daughter, Ellie (Sadie Sink). Viewers get a sense of Ellie’s character through a handful of intense, reluctant visits to her Dad’s apartment; she is angry with him for abandoning her years ago when he fell in love with Alan. </p>
<p>Ellie calls her father disgusting and drugs him. She posts disturbing images of dead dogs and Charlie on social media. </p>
<p>Maybe what most bothered me as a researcher who has examined sexist rape culture myths in texts representing teens, and how <a href="https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1157&context=atj;%20https://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1019&context=feministpedagogy">teachers respond to youth trauma stories</a>, is how Ellie also threatens an in-recovery Thomas with a rape accusation unless he does drugs. </p>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/hollywood-letters-of-support-for-danny-masterson-demonstrate-the-pervasiveness-of-myths-about-rape-culture-213508">Hollywood letters of support for Danny Masterson demonstrate the pervasiveness of myths about rape culture</a>
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<p>Although he seems to understand her threat as a twisted joke, he obeys. She then photographs the drug use and as his concern grows, she says she is “just fucking” with him. </p>
<p>All the while, Ellie glares, screams, stomps and slams doors. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Clip from ‘The Whale.’</span></figcaption>
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<p>At one point, <a href="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/The-Whale-Read-The-Screenplay.pdf">Ellie’s mother even calls her “evil.”</a> Ellie seems to be the cruel foil to Charlie’s kind demeanour, despite his failures as a parent. </p>
<h2>Incurably bad girls?</h2>
<p>In all these cases, viewers are left with partial stories of youth and young adults, alongside a focus on more apparently important adult characters. </p>
<p>Ellie calls to mind feminist scholar <a href="https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/48638-jessica-ringrose">Jessica Ringrose’s</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0959353506068747">arguments</a> about the rise of interest in the universalized figure of the aggressive “mean girl” in popular discourse. Such aggressive young girls seem to be a normalized mainstay. </p>
<p>Although Ellie is perhaps not depicted as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/jeu.2019.0025">sociopathic like the teen schoolgirls</a> that education and literary scholars like <a href="https://lled.educ.ubc.ca/caroline-hamilton/">Caroline Hamilton</a>,
<a href="https://www.sfu.ca/education/faculty-profiles/emarshall.html">Elizabeth Marshall</a> and <a href="https://lled.educ.ubc.ca/theresa-rogers/">Theresa Rogers</a> examine, the portrayal of her suggests she could be “incurably bad.” </p>
<h2>Don’t see nuanced youth perspective</h2>
<p>Actor <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5584750/">Sadie Sink</a> has said that despite Ellie’s negative character traits and actions in the film, <a href="https://variety.com/2022/film/awards/sadie-sink-the-whale-stranger-things-taylor-swift-brendan-fraser-1235462556/">Ellie is not a “dirtbag” teenager</a> especially if events are imagined from her perspective. </p>
<p>Yet viewers are repeatedly faced with <a href="https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://fugitives.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/The-Whale-Ending-Explained-2022-Drama-Film.jpg&tbnid=G6zKyJCfvh7-5M&vet=1&imgrefurl=https://fugitives.com/the-whale-ending-explained-2022-drama-film-darren-aronofsky-brendan-fraser/&docid=R4mGrPURgPy1yM&w=1200&h=674&itg=1&hl=en&source=sh/x/im/m1/1">Charlie’s wounded expression</a> that arguably feeds an understanding of Ellie as wretched. </p>
<p>Critic Lindy West took a direct and humourous perspective on the representation of adolescence by asking: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/10/lindy-west-on-the-whale">“More importantly, who reads Moby Dick in eighth grade!?”</a> </p>
<h2>What was missing?</h2>
<p>This past year, Ellie struck me as one of the more alarming recent portrayals of adolescent girlhood in popular media. </p>
<p>In an interview on CBC’s <em>Q</em> with Tom Power, <em>The Whale’s</em> director, Darren Aronofsky, said when he saw the original play the film is based upon he was struck by the draw of a complex character. He also noted <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/radio/q/friday-dec-16-2022-darren-aronofsky-alfre-woodard-and-more-1.6685518/darren-aronofsky-on-the-whale-casting-brendan-fraser-and-fat-suit-criticism-1.6685521">film has the ability to immerse viewers into another character’s perspective</a>, to learn something about ourselves. </p>
<p><em>The Whale</em> makes a big ask of viewers if we are to extend our imaginations into adolescents’ perspectives with limited clues. </p>
<p>I hope viewers wonder what more should be understood about youth that is not shown on the screen, and how perhaps especially educators might interrogate assumptions about adolescent experiences.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217184/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amber Moore has previously received funding from the Banting Postdoctoral Program, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), The Killam Trusts, and The University of British Columbia. </span></em></p>Adult actors in ‘The Whale’ won Oscars for best lead and supporting acting in 2023, but if you catch up with awarded movies this holiday, the film’s depiction of teens warrants scrutiny.Amber Moore, Assistant Professor of Teaching in Language & Literacy Education , University of British ColumbiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2171732023-12-18T13:23:10Z2023-12-18T13:23:10ZTeaching positive psychology skills at school may be one way to help student mental health and happiness<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/563023/original/file-20231201-23-9z02ez.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C14%2C4896%2C3232&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Gratitude, kindness and optimistic thinking can help kids feel a bit better.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/individuality-unique-happy-and-enjoy-stand-out-from-royalty-free-image/1414874178">Wipada Wipawin/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Youth mental health has worsened significantly over the past decade, but new interventions that teach positive psychology concepts in school may help.</p>
<p>American young people are reporting <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf">historically high levels</a> of hopelessness, sadness and loneliness. According to the most recent data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/YRBS_Data-Summary-Trends_Report2023_508.pdf">20% of adolescents</a> have seriously considered suicide – and suicide is the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html">second-leading cause of death for children</a> ages 10-14.</p>
<p>Perhaps even more alarming than the prevalence of youth mental health problems is the <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2022-state-mental-health-america-report">inaccessibility of mental health support</a> <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-mental-health-crisis-in-children-and-teens-worsens-the-dire-shortage-of-mental-health-providers-is-preventing-young-people-from-getting-the-help-they-need-207476">for the many children who need it</a>. About <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2022-state-mental-health-america-report">60% of depressed adolescents</a> do not receive any treatment – and around <a href="https://www.mhanational.org/research-reports/2022-state-mental-health-america-report">950,000 children do not have health insurance</a> that covers mental health services. </p>
<p>One solution is to provide mental health care in schools, where kids are. This is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-020-01080-9">already happening</a>. School counselors, psychologists and social workers provide support, teach coping strategies and work with caregivers to help students overcome mental health challenges. Such vital care is essential, but clearly more help is needed. </p>
<p>Research shows that students who have a positive outlook regarding their lives <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.05.003">outperform other students</a> academically and emotionally. You might wonder, can positive thinking be taught?</p>
<p>I study school-based positive psychology interventions. My colleagues have found that students who’ve been <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02796015.2017.12087610">introduced to science-based ideas about happiness</a> feel more satisfied with life, experience more positive than negative emotions and have fewer emotional and behavioral problems. </p>
<h2>Science of happiness</h2>
<p>Psychologists began to study the science of happiness <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5">in the late 1990s</a>. Prior to that time, most psychology researchers studied misery. </p>
<p>Psychologist Martin Seligman was such a scientist, having pioneered the concept of “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.me.23.020172.002203">learned helplessness</a>.” But a conversation with his young daughter, in which she demanded to know why he couldn’t “<a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/martin-seligman-biography-2795527">stop being such a grouch</a>,” inspired him to <a href="https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/the-happiness-lab-with-dr-laurie-santos/the-man-who-invented-happiness-science-marty-seligman">start studying what makes people happy</a> instead. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.5">Initial studies</a> were conceptual in nature. But before long, researchers started to identify <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111">what makes people happy</a>, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.131.6.803">benefits of happiness</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2020.1818807">interventions to improve happiness</a>. </p>
<p>Scientists identified three main predictors of happiness – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.9.2.111">genetics, life circumstances and purposeful activities</a> – and potentially others, depending on one’s culture. Of the big three, the first two are often out of an individual’s control. But science has shown that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2019.1689421">people can adopt strategies to feel happier</a>. </p>
<p>Achieving a state of <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Flourish/Martin-E-P-Seligman/9781439190760">flourishing</a> – or feeling good and doing good – is the goal of positive psychology interventions. It can evoke positive feelings, increase engagement with life, strengthen positive relationships, move people toward purpose and help people achieve meaningful goals. </p>
<h2>Positive psychology in schools</h2>
<p>Positive psychology is now taught in some <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14408">schools around the world</a>, including in the U.S., Australia, Denmark, Israel, New Zealand, China and South Africa. Most interventions educate students about mindfulness and positive psychology concepts such as gratitude, kindness, optimistic thinking, utilizing <a href="https://www.viacharacter.org/character-strengths">character strengths</a> and hope. The idea is not just to teach students about positive psychology as a school subject but help them practice the skills that research suggests will help them flourish.</p>
<p>In typical programs, students first learn positive psychology concepts, then practice using them in real life with the help of trusted adults. For example, students discuss what gratitude means to them, then practice writing down three things they are thankful for every night before bed with the help of their caregivers. After a week, students discuss with adults at school how practicing gratitude affected their level of happiness. </p>
<p>A 2020 review of 57 school-based positive psychology programs showed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14408">more than half resulted in positive outcomes</a>, including less stress, lower depression, less anxiety, fewer behavioral issues, better self-image, higher life satisfaction and stronger social functioning.</p>
<h2>‘Nice inside’</h2>
<p>One intervention currently being studied by the <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grantsearch/details.asp?ID=4451">U.S. Department of Education</a> is a 10-week, small-group intervention aimed at helping middle schoolers. I coach the mental health providers implementing this program. </p>
<p>Like other programs of its kind, it teaches youth about positive concepts, including gratitude, kindness, character strengths, optimism and hope. Early findings, presented at the 2023 <a href="https://www.nasponline.org/professional-development/nasp-2024-annual-convention/convention-program">National Association of School Psychology</a> conference, show the program is being well received both by students and providers. </p>
<p>We’ve found students tend to favor activities that fit with their culture or values. For example, one student shared that performing acts of kindness was their favorite program-based activity, because it helped them spend more time with family and pets – the two most important things in their life. Another student said being able to share the strategies with their mother helped them both feel happier. This student was also proud to be able to help their family. </p>
<p>We also found that some students believed the program helped them build positive relationships with others. One student shared, “It’s really fun to see how others react when I’m being nice, such as giving a compliment,” and that doing so helped them feel “nice inside.” Another student agreed, saying making others feel good helped them feel happier. </p>
<p>Positive psychology training is only one piece of the solution for improving youth mental health. Children with severe issues need comprehensive treatment, which can include mental health counseling and medication. </p>
<p>Even though many important factors are out of a person’s control, everyone has room for growth in happiness. My colleagues and I hope teaching positive psychology in schools will become a common practice in the future.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/217173/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>I was a post-doctoral research fellow under Dr. Shannon Suldo (author of the Well-Being Promotion Program; WBPP). Currently, I am contracted to coach school mental health providers who are providing the WBPP through an IES-funded grant. </span></em></p>Positive psychology focuses on science-based ideas about how to increase your happiness and live a satisfying life. Studies are following how school-based interventions affect students.Kai Zhuang Shum, Assistant Professor of School Psychology, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.