SAC Corner

Issue No. 5

EXPLICIT CONTENT TUMBLR WARNING

Link to an article in the title.

Summary: Tumbler, in 2018, banned all adult content (think: nudity) from the site. It is now removing the ban and allowing nudity (not sexually explicit acts/pornography).

Does your student use Tumblr? They may benefit from a healthy dialogue about content they see and content they post.

Does a younger child in your community have access to a device that an appropriately aged person uses Tumblr on? Make sure to log out of accounts, delete search histories, and maybe password protect devices.

The key here is that this is a change. Which means young users who have been able to widely use the site without problem, follow certain content creators (users/accounts), etc. may be accidentally exposed to and stumble upon inappropriate posts. Accounts they follow may become more adult in content with this ban lifted. Time to re-screen, pre-screen, and re-screen again periodically.

Alcohol

(click the title for a study link)

A study using data from 2015-2019 found that alcohol abuse is responsible for (conservatively) 1 in 5 deaths of younger Americans. These included alcohol poisoning, vehicle crashes, and long term consequences of heavy drinking like alcoholic liver disease.
The CDC defines heavy drinking as 8 or more drinks per week for women and 15 or more drinks per week for men. Binge drinking, according to the CDC, is consuming 4 or more drinks on an occasion for a woman and 5 more drinks on an occasion for a man.

It was found that an estimated 1 in 8 deaths among adults aged 20 to 64 years was attributable to excessive alcohol consumption, including 1 in 5 deaths among adults aged 20 to 49 years.

See the table screen grabs below to see where NJ falls. Also see gender break downs and pandemic drinking habits.

That data, is about 3 years old, so what about now?

Now, we are more concerned. This data is pre-pandemic. Multiple studies have found that since the pandemic, drinking has gone up. About 14% in the US and 41% in women.

So, uh, what do we do?

First thing is first, researchers are proposing a bump in alcohol sales taxes and more regulation so we can help save lives.
Sober Curious: the new trend.

Sober Curious is about finding ways to remove alcohol from areas of your life for long stretches of time. This could be part of a trial or life change. Essentially asking yourself the question "Would my life be better if I drank less?". Many celebrities, restaurants, and companies have come up with fun and fancy mocktails to sell. Some people are trying alcohol-free dating (eliminates the liquid courage idea, allows for more genuine connections, and creates a safer interaction). Some people are going sober to things they previously would drink or be drunk at. Volunteering to be the designated driver. Sober curious is different than sobriety necessity due to alcohol use disorder

zoom_out_map

Check out the "How To Kick" link below

How to Kick Your Pandemic Drinking Habit

If you noticed that your bar cart was emptying out quickly near the start of the pandemic, you're not alone. People - women in particular - were drinking a lot more over the last couple of years. And for some, to a dangerous degree .

theskimm.com

This article provides signs and symptoms of an unhealthy relationships with alcohol, what may put you at a higher risk, and considerations for seeing if you would be better off without alcohol.

Hair Straightening

(click the title for an article link)

The National Institutes of Health released a study finding women who used hair straightening products (think chemical) four (4) times a year or more have more than doubled their risk of developing uterine cancer. The study tracked 33,000+ women ages 35-74 for 11 years and during that time 378 uterine cancer cases were diagnosed. According to this study:

https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/uterine-cancer-deaths-are-rising-united-states-are-highest-among-black-women#:~:text=Deaths%20from%20uterine%20cancer%20are,the%20National%20Institutes%20of%20Health

the deaths from uterine cancer are highest among non-Hispanic Black women. The research didn't find a direct link between straightener use and uterine cancer with race, but it is cautioned that the risk may be greater for Black women based on researchers seeing that Black women may use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently and starting at an earlier age than other races and ethnicities.

Specific brands and ingredients were not specified in the study, but it is noted that chemical exposure in hair products is absorbed at a higher rate through the scalp.

Being Proactive

Sensitive Content?

If certain content is sensitive or a "trigger" for you, try using this website:

https://triggerwarningdatabase.com/ for books

http://www.doesthedogdie.com before watching a new movie, tv show, or reading a new book. It lists a wide variety of content warnings. It is public/user driven - like Wikipedia.

Megan Thee Stallion

Click the title to be taken to Megan Thee Stallion's new website that acts as a landing page for mental health resources. CAUTION: the website title and linked song both use language deemed inappropriate.

The website includes therapy connections, including free therapy, resources for suicide, crisis, substance use, and more specifically labeled ones such as for: LGBTQ+, Black Girls, Black Men, and more.

Vaping Education Online Class - Sign Up!

If you'd like your student to join a free online vaping education class to learn the truth about vaping and receive a completion certificate, have them sign up here:

Have students go to everfi.com/register, enter code 8bdfd959 and click Next.

This is a Truth course supported by EverFi and monitored by our district SAC (me).

Teen Mental Health Temperature Check

Newport Academy is offering a guide on how to do a mental health temperature check with your teen(s) using 10 questions. Newport Academy also offers ways to incorporate evidence based "temperature" lowering activities into your teen's life and routine. Check it out!

https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/mental_health_temperature_check/?utm_source=pardot&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=11_09_21_na_resources_temp_check&utm_content=1st_img