In a world first Australia is raising the age of access to social media from 13 to 16.

And there are plenty of questions:

Why are we changing the age of access to social media?

What are the impacts of social media on the brain?

Why should parents support the social media ban for teens?

How can we help young people with social media withdrawal symptoms?

“The current 13 year old minimum age isn’t based on any meaningful development appropriateness for social media. There is not evidence that 13 year olds are in fact ready for social media. The 13 year old minimum came from a law in the US from 1996, which was actually well before smartphones or social media was even fully developed.” – Dr Simon Wilksch

This podcast is an edited version of one of EDFA’s live webinar series. It was held just a couple of weeks before the introduction of the social media restrictions.

In it we take a closer look at how social media affects the brain, from falling IQ and eating-disorder risk, to what withdrawal can look like when access to social media platforms is restricted. We also hear powerful insights from social media users who’ve been caught up in the algorithms themselves.

“We know that when you're on a device you're not socialising, when you're on a device you are not using your working memory in the same way, you're not actually coming up with new ideas or your curiosity and those things are what is really affected in the IQ test as well.” – Dr Mark Williams

The panel includes:

Dr Simon Wilksch, a leading Australian researcher and psychologist at Advanced Psychology Services. He explains how social media harms mental health, and why these new laws and stronger restrictions really matter, plus has great practical advice about how we can support our young people.

Dr Mark Williams, a leading cognitive neuroscientist and author of Screen Smart Children. He’ll unpack how social media is reshaping our brains and how we can reverse some of the damage that been done, not only inside our heads, but to our real life relationships too.

We’re also joined by two young women, Kayla Carusi and Charley Breusch, who know firsthand just how powerful and overwhelming social media can be when it comes to disordered eating. These young women share how they believe social media contributed to the development of their eating disorders and also how it hindered their recovery.

#edfa

#eatingdisordersfamiliesaustralia

#socialmediareset

#letkidsbekids

#socialmediaagerestrictions

#socialmediaagechange

#socialmediabrain

#arfid

#eatingdisorders

#anorexia

#bulimia

#eatingdisorderrecovery

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“Causes of an eating disorder” would have to be one of the most searched questions by carers wanting to understand or find a solution to their loved one’s eating disorder.

But could it be that disordered eating is caused by a perfect storm of brain chemistry?

Our guest on Strong Enough Dr Leanne Barron believes with the right interventions, including the introduction of the right gut bacteria and even just trace nutrients, we can restore the delicate balance to jump start recovery after an eating disorder.

Dr Barron is a GP and clinical researcher, with a special interest in eating disorders, working at The Banyans Medical Centre and the QUT Eating Disorder Clinic.

She is full of practical advice for carers of a loved one with an eating disorder on repairing the mind and body. She also has tips on nutrition, waking the body from its triggered hibernation and even reading blood tests properly.

**DISCLAIMER: it is important you speak to your loved one’s medical team about any treatments, blood tests or supplements because every case is unique. Underlying medical conditions, like coeliac disease should also be investigated.

Dr Barron will also walk us through the biology we need to understand how brain chemistry impacts both our mental AND physical health. It might surprise you to find that old foe cholesterol is actually an important friend to those with eating disorders.

Some of the products Dr Barron recommends in this podcast - please check with your own GP and treatment team before use - include:

S Bifido Biotic: Orthoplex White S.Bifido Biotic 60c - BioConcepts

MultiGen Bioti: Orthoplex White MultiGen Biotic 60c - BioConcepts

Ultra GG Immune: Orthoplex White Ultra GG Immune 60c - BioConcepts

Pentavite multi gummies

#eatingdisorderrecovery

#edrecovery

#leannebarron

#edfa

#eatingdisordersfamiliesaustralia

#anorexiatreatment

#eatingdisorderbrainchemisty

#causesofeatingdisorders

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When you hear from your loved one the words “I want to be more healthy” – it’s not what think of as a potential red flag for disordered eating or even something to worry about.

But for Jason Wood this desire to improve his health started his obsession with only eating healthy food, choosing the healthiest options and exercising, which escalated into an eating disorder that nearly killed him.

What is an obsession with eating health called?

It’s known as Orthorexia and it is fixation with eating “clean” or only eating food the person considers healthy.

“What had started as an innocent thing - I thought I was just going to eat healthy and take care of myself and prevent disease - very rapidly turned into something that nearly cost me my life,” explains Jason.

This is an edited version of a presentation Jason did for eating disorder carers as part of a webinar series run by Eating Disorders Families Australia. If you’d like to access more content like this then join EDFA, it costs as little as a cup of coffee a month.

Jason has also written a book called Starving for Survival.

If you have concerns and want more information about this or other early signs of disordered eating, then download the free Nourish Nurture Notice Masterclass.

#orthorexia

#obsessedwithhealthyeating

#edfa

#disorderedeating

#anorexia

#worriedabouthealthyeating

#bulima

#carersupportanorexia

#eatingtoohealthy

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