Australia's Youth Mental Health Crisis

 

There's a youth mental health crisis in Australia

Record levels of severe psychological distress

Suicides increasing not dropping

We do have a situation, a mess

 

Normal worries are partly responsible

Moving school to a university

Plus challenges involved in leaving home

All bring future uncertainty

 

Sleep time is being taken away

And substituted with time on the screen

Binge-watching and scrolling and gaming

Real-life connections have become has-beens

 

The point of my verse is quite simple

Reduce young people's time on the screen

Increase activity, good sleep patterns, healthy diets

And stop making human connections has-beens

 

Don Matthews October 2018