Latest news with #WeekendSunrise
7NEWS
an hour ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
Social media ban for children is ‘destined to fail' unless parents address their own smart phone addiction, pyschologist warns
Australia is just six months away from bringing in a world-leading law to ban children under 16 from social media but experts say more needs to be done before it comes into effect. Psychologist Danielle Einstein, who briefed the draft legislation for the ban, was on Weekend Sunrise on Saturday to address how it could work. Previously Einstein warned the ban would 'fail miserably' unless the federal government tackles screen addiction first. 'We need a few different things. First of all, we need doctors and psychologists asking patients when they come in with mental health issues about their tech use,' she told Weekend Sunrise. 'It should just be part of normal conversation — 'let's have a look, how many hours were you on here?' 'It's a part of the way we are trying to handle ourselves, and if someone has anxiety and depression, and you miss it because it's not seen as alright to ask about it and the doctors are embarrassed or if the patient makes it seem as if it's not OK (for asking).' Einstein said she didn't mean doctors had to go into extreme detail of how a person uses social media and technology but said conversations around tech use needed to be a part of a 'digital health check' in the same way doctors use a suicide screening. She also said a big public health campaign would be needed to 'expose the addictive' nature of social media and the corresponding health effects it may have on Australians. 'Both students and parents may realise that this isn't actually healthy for them,' Einstein said. For parents wondering what to do now, before the ban is imposed, Einstein encouraged adults to lead by example and cut back on their own technology use. 'The most important thing a parent can do is model,' she said. 'Parents need to be aware of what we do when we walk into the house (or when) at the dinner table: 'Do I have a phone that's near me?'' Einstein said using phones during arguments between parents to show the other person they were wrong had also become common practice but this could be easily stopped if phones are put out of sight. Despite the potential difficulties with executing the ban, Einstein said the federal government's decision to prevent harm to young Australian's should be looked at as a 'tremendous success' as other countries look to follow our example. 'We are leading the world, and we should be very proud of that,' Einstein said. 'Around the world, we've seen people wake up and start to question tech use. 'In Spain, there are paediatric guidelines coming out to show children from zero to six shouldn't have technology, aside for supervised use.' The social media ban for children under 16 years old is expected to come into effect in December 2025. The ban was first announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last year, who said he was 'calling time on it' due to a number of tragic deaths relating to bullying on social media. But there is yet no guarantee technologies aimed at blocking young kids from social media will always work, according to early trial results. While the early findings of a federal government-commissioned trial found age assurance technologies are available, there's no silver bullet. 'Age assurance can be done in Australia and can be private, robust and effective,' the report found. 'We found a plethora of approaches that fit use cases in different ways. 'But we did not find a single ubiquitous solution that would suit all use cases, nor did we find solutions that were guaranteed to be effective in all deployments.' Under the social media ban, platforms will have to take reasonable steps to prevent under-16s from creating new accounts and could face millions in fines for systemic breaches of the new rules. Cabinet minister Murray Watt maintained the need for restrictions around social media. 'The Australian people believe that we do need to see some restrictions around social media use when it comes to young people,' he told ABC News on Friday. 'Unfortunately, it has become an insidious force, both for young people and more widely.' Australia's ban is world-leading and, in the aftermath of the November passage of federal laws, other nations indicated a desire to emulate the measure. However, the legislation does not indicate how exactly the ban will be executed. The report found parental control and consent systems could be effective when first introduced. But there is 'limited evidence' that they would be effective as children grow up or allow kids the right to participate in the breadth of digital experiences. Even after the coalition helped secure an amendment to ensure Australians wouldn't have to provide any form of government identification to verify their age, the trial found there was a risk of privacy breaches. Some age assurance service providers had over-anticipated the needs of regulators and built tools that led to an 'unnecessary and disproportionate collection and retention of data'. Opposition communications spokeswoman Melissa McIntosh has urged Labor to confirm what technology or verification tools will be used to protect kids online. 'No more young lives can be lost or families destroyed because of the toxicity of social media,' she said in a statement. The Age Assurance Technology Trial's final report is expected to be published later in 2025.
7NEWS
6 days ago
- Health
- 7NEWS
Jennifer agreed to be a surrogate for her best friend. One year later, she signed adoption papers
Jennifer McCloy knew she had to step in when she found out her best friend Edwina couldn't have a child. For nine months, she carried baby Angus, a child which was not biologically hers, for Edwina Peach, allowing her friend of more than 30 years the joy of becoming a mother. However, instead of lovingly giving Angus over to his parents after the birth, McCloy was forced to be his legal guardian for a year. As is currently required, the families had to file adoption paperwork before taking custody of Angus. Now, amid the newly announced inquiry into NSW's surrogacy, McCloy wants to see changes. McCloy appeared on Weekend Sunrise, explaining her story. '(When we decided to do this) I was actually pregnant with my son Alfie, and I went to my husband and said, 'Hey, this is something I'm thinking about doing (for Edwina and her husband). What do you think?' 'We did a bucket of research on surrogacy and how it works here in Australia, because there is lot of information. And when Alfie was a few months old, we had the chat with Edwina and Charlie, her husband. 'Alfie had just brought us so much happiness becoming parents. So, we just believed that Edwina and Charlie deserved that too.' McCloy said in her situation, she and Edwina were close friends for many years. However, the adoption laws involving surrogates could have made the process a lot more complicated for other families. 'It's mind-blowing,' McCloy said. 'That's the way that things are here in Australia. And that's a good example of why we are pushing for change. 'I often say this, but I truly believe that parenthood should be an option for every Australian, no matter what that looks like.' McCloy went on to say fertility issues are widespread for Australian couples. 'The statistics now tell us that one in six couples in Australia will face fertility challenges, which is huge. 'Yes, we (Edwina and I) had a truly beautiful experience. We've been friends for over 30 years. Medically, everything went smoothly. 'But our situation, I would say, isn't reflective of the thousands of couples that face fertility challenges every year in Australia.' McCloy said she wanted to see changes across the board, to be more supportive of Aussie families. 'There really needs to be support for Australians to build and grow their families.' McCloy went on to speak about the public inquiry. 'We will be looking into all fertility support,' she said. 'So that's everything from IVF to pregnancy loss to surrogacy to male fertility, which accounts for over 40 per cent of fertility challenges in Australia. 'The current laws in this country around fertility are just not reflective of the way things are today. And that was acknowledged last week in NSW parliament when the inquiry was proposed by Sarah Mitchell, who'll be chairing the committee. 'I've been working with Sarah and her team for the past two-and-a-bit years to make sure we get this right, and the proposal was met with full cross-party endorsement, stating that fertility support in this country needs to change.' McCloy said baby Angus is now a happy and healthy toddler. 'He is fantastic. He's two-and-a-half now, and he's a very happy, bubbly little boy,' she said. IVF failing to pass the pub test Australia's IVF accreditation system fails to pass the pub test, a government minister has said, as discussions continue following multiple embryo mix-ups at one of the nation's largest fertility providers. State and territory health ministers met with their federal counterpart on Friday, where it was agreed that a rapid nationwide review would begin to consider establishing an independent accreditation body. It comes after Monash IVF revealed staff had transferred the wrong embryo to a woman at a Melbourne clinic last week, following a similar blunder involving a separate Monash patient in Brisbane. Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she hoped the establishment of an independent body could occur immediately, but claimed it was met with pushback from Queensland. 'We've got to move quickly,' she told reporters. 'It's concerning ... there may well be more errors that we don't know about. And that is because the body that currently accredits fertility care providers is made up of fertility care providers. 'That's why I find Queensland's position so perplexing.' A spokesman for Queensland Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the minister had 'advocated for an informed understanding' of the accreditation and regulation framework. 'Health ministers decided that Queensland would lead work to understand the issues better and to ensure a strategy would be well-informed,' the spokesman said. The three-month review will consider whether the state regulatory schemes are fit for purpose when it comes to safety and quality. The IVF industry is primarily regulated by states and territories. Clinics must be licensed to operate by the Reproductive Technology Accreditation Committee. Thomas said the main issue for her was how fertility care was accredited. 'It simply doesn't pass the pub test that the people that provide the service are also the ones that determine who provides the service,' she said. 'We have work to do there.' Embryo mix-ups 'frankly shocking', says federal health minister Federal Health Minister Mark Butler, who used IVF to welcome his third child, described the two recent embryo mix-ups as 'frankly shocking'. 'As governments, we've got a responsibility to see whether there are better levels of regulation that should be put in place, and to inject some confidence back into a system that delivers such joy to so many thousands of families every year,' he told ABC Radio. Monash IVF chief executive Michael Knaap resigned on Thursday after it was revealed staff at a Melbourne laboratory gave a patient one of her embryos, instead of one from her partner as intended. An investigation is under way into how it happened. The company, which has a presence across Australia, apologised to the couple, while the Victorian Health Regulator has also launched an investigation. Monash revealed in April that a woman at a Brisbane facility was incorrectly impregnated with another patient's embryo, which was blamed on 'human error'. The mistake was picked up after the child was born when the birth parents asked for their remaining embryos to be transferred elsewhere and an additional embryo was unexpectedly found in storage. Former Monash director Gab Kovacs, who was involved with developing earlier IVF guidelines, told AAP the mix-up was a 'very rare occurrence'. 'However, with 100,000 cycles of IVF in Australia, even with this occurring very, very rarely, it is inevitable that this will happen,' Kovacs said. 'It is due to human error and this cannot be eliminated. 'The two incidents happened in two separate clinics, 2000km apart ... (involving) different personnel, different lab managers.' About 20,000 babies conceived by IVF are born in Australia each year.
Perth Now
14-06-2025
- General
- Perth Now
Former pilot's theory on how sole survivor of Air India crash escaped unscathed
The sole survivor of the Air India plane tragedy might have made it out of the plane wreckage relatively unscathed because he was seated by an emergency exit, a former Qantas pilot has claimed. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was in seat 11A, was the sole survivor of Thursday's Air India crash, which killed at least 290 people, including all the other passengers onboard the plane. The ill-fated flight was travelling from Ahmedabad in western India to London's Gatwick Airport, before it crashed just moments after take-off, in one of the worst aviation tragedies in the last decade. Indian authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Ramesh, who is a British national, walked away remarkably unscathed from the doomed flight. Former pilot David Oliver appeared on Weekend Sunrise on Saturday, speaking about the Air India tragedy. Credit: Seven Former Qantas pilot David Oliver appeared on Weekend Sunrise on Saturday, where he was questioned about the crash. 'Sitting above the wing, which contains a lot of fuel. It's remarkable he was able to walk away unscathed,' Oliver told hosts Chris Reason and Monique Wright. 'How it was that he managed to get out and people around him were unable to only compounds the luck that he had to come away almost uninjured.' It has been reported Ramesh was in row five, just behind business class, next to an emergency exit. On Friday, Ramesh told reporters he was able to push open the emergency exit door before the plane exploded. 'He was very, very lucky to be seated there,' Oliver said. 'He was lucky that he just had that fleeting seconds to escape the aircraft before it burst into that fireball.' Oliver was questioned on how to increase your chances of survival on a plane. 'The obvious thing is to listen to the safety instructions,' he said. 'Always wear your seatbelt and have it reasonably, firmly tightened in-flight.' 'I think you've got to wear sensible clothing, bare skin going down an escape slide will give you burns. Maybe not as much as Lycra, so just be sensible about what you're wearing. 'No high-heeled shoes for the ladies. You don't want to puncture an escape slide if you're going out. 'But the important thing, listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt.' Investigators have recovered equipment from this week's tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, which could shed light on the final moments on the flight deck. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which were recovered from on top of the medical college hostel building where the plane crashed, could put to rest some of the speculation into the investigation that killed 241 people aboard the aircraft, according to aviation industry experts. The flight data recorder was recovered from the rear end of the plane. The question will be whether the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators, India, or another country will ingest the black boxes' data, according to Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB and a CNN aviation analyst. 'It's quite dramatic,' Goelz told CNN. 'It looked to me like the plane was trying to land at the end. It was flaring, but we just won't know until we get the boxes back.' The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India is in possession of the recorders and other potential pieces of evidence for the investigation. The data recorders are expected to give some insight into what happened during the flight's final moments, when pilots were making critical decisions. Less than a minute after take-off, staff on the plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control, Indian civil aviation authorities said. The deadly crash has drawn even more global attention to air safety and spurred on public anxieties about flying. There have already been several aviation tragedies and incidents this year — including January's midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet — that have prompted calls to increase safety measures. - with CNN
7NEWS
14-06-2025
- 7NEWS
Former pilot's theory on how sole survivor of Air India crash escaped unscathed
The sole survivor of the Air India plane tragedy might have made it out of the plane wreckage relatively unscathed because he was seated by an emergency exit, a former Qantas pilot has claimed. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, who was in seat 11A, was the sole survivor of Thursday's Air India crash, which killed at least 290 people, including all the other passengers onboard the plane. The ill-fated flight was travelling from Ahmedabad in western India to London's Gatwick Airport, before it crashed just moments after take-off, in one of the worst aviation tragedies in the last decade. Indian authorities are investigating the cause of the crash. Ramesh, who is a British national, walked away remarkably unscathed from the doomed flight. Former Qantas pilot David Oliver appeared on Weekend Sunrise on Saturday, where he was questioned about the crash. 'Sitting above the wing, which contains a lot of fuel. It's remarkable he was able to walk away unscathed,' Oliver told hosts Chris Reason and Monique Wright. 'How it was that he managed to get out and people around him were unable to only compounds the luck that he had to come away almost uninjured.' It has been reported Ramesh was in row five, just behind business class, next to an emergency exit. On Friday, Ramesh told reporters he was able to push open the emergency exit door before the plane exploded. 'He was very, very lucky to be seated there,' Oliver said. 'He was lucky that he just had that fleeting seconds to escape the aircraft before it burst into that fireball.' Safety tips for passengers Oliver was questioned on how to increase your chances of survival on a plane. 'The obvious thing is to listen to the safety instructions,' he said. 'Always wear your seatbelt and have it reasonably, firmly tightened in-flight.' 'I think you've got to wear sensible clothing, bare skin going down an escape slide will give you burns. Maybe not as much as Lycra, so just be sensible about what you're wearing. 'No high-heeled shoes for the ladies. You don't want to puncture an escape slide if you're going out. 'But the important thing, listen to the safety instructions and always wear your seatbelt.' Air India's black box could provide answers Investigators have recovered equipment from this week's tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India, which could shed light on the final moments on the flight deck. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner's cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which were recovered from on top of the medical college hostel building where the plane crashed, could put to rest some of the speculation into the investigation that killed 241 people aboard the aircraft, according to aviation industry experts. The flight data recorder was recovered from the rear end of the plane. The question will be whether the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigators, India, or another country will ingest the black boxes' data, according to Peter Goelz, former managing director of the NTSB and a CNN aviation analyst. 'It's quite dramatic,' Goelz told CNN. 'It looked to me like the plane was trying to land at the end. It was flaring, but we just won't know until we get the boxes back.' The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau of India is in possession of the recorders and other potential pieces of evidence for the investigation. The data recorders are expected to give some insight into what happened during the flight's final moments, when pilots were making critical decisions. Less than a minute after take-off, staff on the plane gave a mayday call to air traffic control, Indian civil aviation authorities said. The deadly crash has drawn even more global attention to air safety and spurred on public anxieties about flying. There have already been several aviation tragedies and incidents this year — including January's midair collision between an Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet — that have prompted calls to increase safety measures. - with CNN
West Australian
10-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
Michael Mosley's son Jack gives rare insight into his father almost one year since his tragic death in Greece
The son of beloved British doctor-turned-broadcaster Michael Mosley has remembered him as a 'fantastic family man' who made a difference to 'millions of people's lives' as it nears one year since he tragically died. Mosley went missing for four days during an ill-fated walk while on holidays to the Greek Island of Symi. An exhaustive search on air, land and sea soon followed. Tragically, his body was eventually found on a rocky slope, above a beach on the island. A post-mortem examination revealed he died of 'natural causes' after suffering from heat exhaustion during an ill-fated walk. He was aged just 67. Prior to his death, Mosley gained the affections of millions of viewers for his intelligence and resolve to put his own body on the line for the sake of medical self-experimentation. On Saturday, Mosley's son, Dr Jack Mosley, joined David Woiwod and Sally Bowrey on Weekend Sunrise , where he gave a personal update on himself and his family. 'I'm holding-up ok, I think it's been a really tough time for me and my family,' Mosley said, candidly. 'He was a fantastic man. He was a maverick. He was a master self-experimenter. 'I think he made such a difference to millions of people's lives.' Giving rare insight into family life, Mosely praised his father. 'He was he was a fantastic dad and a and a fantastic family man. 'He's really missed. I remember him as a very fun, caring dad who would always be there for you when you needed him. 'I think he was so great at keeping the family together. 'He would always make sure there was a date in the diary (for a catch up). 'Even when we left home, so that we all got together. 'I think one thing that has happened is, in a way, his death has actually brought us closer together as a family. 'And I think that's something he would have been really happy with.' Now, Jack, a doctor himself trained in emergency medicine, has now released his debut book, Food Noise. The book is about our internal food monologue. He delves into weight loss medication like Ozempic, which has become wildly popular. 'It feels incredible to be able to continue on some of his mission,' Jack said of honouring his father's legacy. 'Food noise, it's that distracting inner voice that tells you to grab that chocolate slice or grab that packet of biscuits or that big bag of crisps, even if you're not necessarily hungry. 'The weight loss drugs are so effective at quietening this noise, I kind of like to think of them as these noise cancelling headphones you put on (to change your habits). 'You go about your life, and you can block out that distracting voice that tells you to grab that processed junk food that you don't always need. 'But you know that food noise does come rushing back with a vengeance when you stop the weight loss medications.' Jack explained he doesn't think weight loss medications are bad. Instead, he believes they aren't the magic bullet they are being sold as to consumers. 'I think a lot of people are using them like a sledgehammer,' he said. 'People are being ramped-up to incredibly high doses of these medications. So, they may be getting more extreme side effects.' Jack said there's four key problems with the drugs, in his opinion. 'Firstly, people may not be getting the most out of them. 'They may not be losing as much weight on them as we see in the studies. 'Secondly, people might be getting some malnutrition. 'So, we've seen in the UK, (pop singer) Robbie Williams developed scurvy on these medications. 'I think thirdly, muscle loss, that was something that was something that my dad was concerned about because it's so important for longevity, for your metabolism and for reducing fragility in later life. 'Finally, when you stop these weight loss medications, unless you've got a plan and a nutritional strategy, then it's likely you will put the weight back on. 'We see people put on two thirds of the weight that they originally lost.'
