Adella Beaini

EXCLUSIVE: Paralympic gold medallist Rowan Crothers has revealed for the first time how relentless online bullying as a teenager left him isolated and struggling with his mental health — and why he supports Australia’s social media ban.

Australian families are being warned to brace for a rocky first month when the nation’s under-16 social media ban begins, with psychologists predicting teens may experience a short but intense period of “withdrawal-like” symptoms as they are forced offline.

Australian teenagers face sweeping changes to their social media access next month, with new restrictions coming into effect on December 10. Under the rules, children under 16 will no longer be able to create or maintain accounts on certain platforms.

One of the world’s largest gaming platforms will now require users to submit to facial age-estimation scans in a global push to stop children being exposed to adult conversations online.

Exclusive: Health professionals are warning that a growing number of teenagers and young adults using weight-loss drugs may be fuelling a rise in eating disorders and body-image distress.

Denmark is set to ban social media for children younger than 15, declaring its hope to lead the way in Europe for other nations to adopt similar laws.

Exclusive: When David and Mary McCarthy opened a letter from the Australian Defence Force in 2016 — eight years after their son Sean was killed in Afghanistan — they thought it might be a mistake.

READING LEVEL: ORANGE

READING LEVEL: ORANGE

After years of chasing gold, Australian swimming star Ariarne Titmus is finally taking a breath — and turning her focus to a different kind of fight: protecting skin.