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E-cigarettes (vapes) have become an emerging health risk, especially in adolescent population groups. The hidden harms of vaping are starting to be much better researched and understood. 

By educating parents, carers and the wider community, there is an increasing ability to help protect children from the harms of vaping products. 

• See Vaping and smoking page for an insight into health risks and laws around vaping and smoking.  
• Also visit Risky behaviours in children for how to start a conversation and recognising warning signs.

Emotional intelligence, also known as Emotional Quotient (EQ) is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage and handle emotions. A child with high emotional intelligence will be able to understand when they are expressing certain emotions and the response they are receiving through other's emotions around them. 

The four attributes of emotional intelligence include: 

Nurturing emotional intelligence in children can help them develop a whole new set of skills, help navigate social settings and cope with life’s setbacks. Emotional self-regulation can be broken down into two separate categories of: 

1. problem-solving  
2. tolerating emotions 

By the age of 10, children start to comprehend and utilise emotional self-regulation. 

Consent is the permission a person gives for something to happen or the agreement to do something. It is considered, reversible, informed, specific and particapatory. Everyone has the right to feel free to say yes or no without any pressure or manipulation. It is an ongoing conversation and someone has the right to change their mind. 

Consent is:

• Considered
• Reversible 
• Informed 
• Specific 
• Participatory

Consent is based on equality and there are certain situations where a person is unable to provide legitimate consent. These include someone who is unconscious, incapacitated, asleep, drunk or under-age.   

Sexual consent is the agreement to sexual activity. It is often the most prominent form of consent. See Sexual consent for more information. 

There are other forms of consent which are equally as important, including: 

As your child ages and has more social interactions outside of the home, it is important to discuss their own personal boundaries. They will interact with more people, and those interactions or relationships may become more complex, meaning having an understanding of their rights and responsibilities can be very helpful. 

Guiding your child to set boundaries helps them understand and respect who they are as well as respecting and understanding those people around them. Your child is in charge of their own body and has the right to say when it is OK, or not OK to touch them. This is especially true if it is touching or language they don’t like or is within a sexual context.  

It is important to understand that for every right your child has to engage in personal boundaries, so too does every other person. Every person also has the responsibility to ask permission if they are likely to impede on someone else’s personal boundaries.  

Bullying is considered to be intentional, repeated aggressive behaviour toward someone. It is where an individual or group threaten, harm or control someone to cause harm or distress. 

Bullying can take many forms and may include a combination of the following: 

Children's and young adult’s behaviours are often motivated by a combination of biological, psychological and social needs. Often kids bully to feel in more control or have a heightened sense of popularity or importance. 

Bullying can come with some unintended consequences, including poor self-esteem, reduction in school grades, impact on a child’s social life, acting out or displaying antisocial behaviour.  

Some children may choose to talk to you about being bullied, others may hide it, or some might be ashamed. Whichever way your child reacts, it is important to take it seriously.

If you suspect your child is being bullied, the following tips will help guide you through the next steps.

If you suspect your child is engaging in bullying behaviour, the following tips should help guide you through the next steps. 

Self-harm refers to an intentional act of inflicting physical pain as a coping strategy for psychological distress. It is a way of gaining back control over an emotional feeling or helping escape from them. 

Children or adolescents who self-harm are at an increased risk of attempting suicide. 

If your child is displaying signs of self-harming, such as trying to hide their arms or legs with clothing, utilising a family first aid kit more often, irritability or hiding certain items such as razor blades or knives it is normal to feel concerned. 

How you respond as a parent can help your child feel supported and give you insight into how they are feeling. 

Tips for responding to a child who may be self-harming: 

• stay calm and speak directly to the questions you have for your child 
• remain nonjudgemental 
• provide first aid if necessary 
• reassure your child that you are there to support them at any time of day or night 
• let your child know that it is common for emotions to express themself strongly and frequently 
• seek help as a parent if you feel overwhelmed 
• refer your child to professional help if they are ready for it and keep the conversation going. 

Suicide

Suicide is the act of taking one's life voluntarily. Suicidal thoughts are feelings that an individual has when they perceive life is too overwhelming. These thoughts can last a few seconds or can be ongoing. 

Young adults who have suicidal thoughts often have a combination of a mental health condition, diagnosed or undiagnosed, alongside difficult life events such as past trauma.

Those who are at a higher risk of attempting suicide include: 

• males 
• people who live in rural and remote areas 
• aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people 
• people who identify as LGBTQ+ 
• people who self-harm 
• people who misuse alcohol or other drugs 
• people who have had traumatic events or family conflict 
• people who have previously attempted suicide.

Having one or multiple risk facts doesn’t necessarily mean a child or young adult will have suicidal thoughts in their lifetime. 

Tips for responding to a child who may be having suicidal thoughts: 

• stay with your child if you think they are high-risk 
• seek help immediately by calling Lifeline on 13 11 14 or calling Triple Zero (000) 
• Let your child know that it is important for them to stay in your life 
• stay calm and speak directly  
• remain nonjudgemental 
• make a pact with your child that you will always support them and for them to reach out to you or another trusted adult if they have suicidal thoughts in the future 
• write down a list of trusted adults you both trust and make sure they are in your child’s phone.

As a parent, educating yourself on some common terms for gender identity or gender expression can help support your child or understand what they may be going through.

Most children will grow up to think of themselves as a girl or a boy but some may identify with gender diversity and want to express themselves differently.

It is common for children or young adults to express themselves differently across what society may refer to as commonly male or female traits. 

Think of gender expression as a sliding scale of more feminine expression and more masculine expression. Everyone has elements of both masculine and feminine traits, it’s just how much they would like to express or how comfortable they are by expressing certain traits. 

Not all children or young adults who experiment with gender expression will later identify as gender diverse.

Body image

Body image is the thoughts, feelings, attitudes and beliefs someone has about their own body, how it looks, feels, appears and moves. 

Self-confidence

Self-confidence is an attitude regarding a person’s own skills and abilities. It is an acceptance of trust in one’s ability, personal qualities and judgment.   

Children and young adults are faced with a number of challenges related to body image and self-confidence. It is often identified as one of the biggest concerns for this age group and can be influenced a number of factors including: 

As a parent, it can often be hard to hear your child talk about themselves or their body in a negative way. The good news is you have a great deal of influence over the way your child views and values themselves. B

See our tips to help your child through the journey of body acceptance.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD)

When children start to chronically obsess or worry about their bodies, their doctor may diagnose or refer to the condition as Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). 

Body dysmorphia disorder is a condition that causes people to feel their body is flawed in some way. This worry often takes up excess time and energy for the child and can affect relationships and social interactions. Working alongside a healthcare professional is the best way to work through BDD.