The Spark Blog
Category: young people
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Body image and social media: a toxic mix?
Imagine for a moment a smartphone app. The capabilities of this app are astonishing. After using it for a few weeks it has the power to give you body image issues. Would you download it? Probably not. What if I told you this app is so effective that it can convince you that you are…
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Starting secondary school – tips for young people
Starting secondary school is a big step for young people. The transition from primary school to high school can be a breeze for some, a challenge for others and somewhere in between for most pre-teens. As thoughts turn to Primary 7’s beginning the move to high school we asked our team of children and young…
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Spotting the signs of emotional distress in children
Spotting the signs of emotional distress in children and young people is not always an easy task. For parents and carers, finding out how our kids are coping with the challenges of life can be as difficult as prizing them away from their smartphones. In this short resource from The Spark – Scotland’s largest provider…
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Music and mental ill-health: how influential is a song?
We are what we eat. That is the simple truth that has launched a thousand cookbooks. Eat unhealthily, expect to be unhealthy. Slowly we are starting to realise that the same applies to our minds and mental ill-health. We are what we consume and what we consume nowadays is social media, films, streamed boxsets, the…
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How FOMO is making us miss out
FOMO – fear of missing out – is a concept that could have been created for the social media age. Essentially, it captures that internal sense that other people are having a better time right now than you are. Partnered with its sibling FoBO – fear of a better option – their impact on our…
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The world’s most dangerous words
Believe it or not, there are two words in every language that should be considered the most dangerous in the world. With just over 700,000 words in the English dictionary, there are plenty of potential suspects. In the era of Trump and global warming you would be forgiven for thinking they might be ‘launch missiles’…
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Sexting: A Guide for Parents
Raising children in the digital age brings with it a host of challenges previous generations never faced. One such high profile and extremely distressing issue – sexting – is fast becoming a common problem. As the lives of young people become ever more embedded in social media, its significance and the number of incidences will…
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Self-harm: A Guide for Parents
The thought that your child might self-harm is a frightening one. Instances of self-harm amongst children and young people are relatively small. However, the number of children admitted to hospital for self-harming has increased in many parts of Scotland. In some regions it has nearly doubled. Here at The Spark, we believe it is important to give parents/carers…
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Youth Mental Health: Reviews Are Great but We Need Action Too
Scotland, like the rest of the UK, faces a crisis in youth mental health. Studies and reports detailing the mental health issues faced by children and adolescents are regularly making the news headlines. The existing NHS-provided child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) are under severe pressure which has led to extensive waiting times. A…
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