Social media prompting self-diagnosed disorders | Morning Mail from Guardian Australia

Naomi Osaka out of Aus Open; US teacher's shooting by child 'not accidental'

09/01/2023 Morning Mail: Bolsonaro supporters storm Brazil congress, concern over TikTok 'tic' videos, electric plane hopes

Charlotte Graham-McLay   Good morning and welcome back to the first Morning Mail for 2023. New research says video-sharing platforms like TikTok are seeing a growing number of content creators making videos about their self-described tics, Tourette syndrome and other self-diagnosed disorders. This has coincided with increasing numbers of youth who have presented to clinical providers or psychiatric services with functional tic-like behaviours. Experts say we need to urgently need to investigate this, and ask if what's driving it is a lack of mental health treatment options. Elsewhere, in a worrying echo of the 6 January invasion of the US Capitol, hundreds of hardcore supporters of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the country's congress, presidential palace and supreme court. The shooting of a Virginia school teacher by a six-year-old pupil was not accidental, police say; Naomi Osaka formally withdraws from the Australia Open; and England will ban many single-use plastic items.

 

Australia TikTok teens | There's an "urgent need" to investigate the increasing number of children and teenagers self-diagnosing with neurological conditions, mental illnesses and personality disorders, a trend being driven by social media and difficulty accessing healthcare, psychiatrists and paediatricians say. Crypto exchange | The AFL's crypto exchange partner, Crypto.com, has breached UK advertising standards on multiple occasions and been accused of "misleading" and "irresponsible" behaviour, in rulings that may prompt scrutiny of Crypto.com promotions in Australia. Social media | Australia's updated misinformation code still fails to tackle large-scale group messaging such as WhatsApp and needs tougher requirements for digital media companies to report on harm reduction, according to the media regulator. Airline emissions | With net zero technologies for long-haul flights still far in the future, electric planes sound like a fantasy, but they could be the future for smaller operators flying short-haul in Australia.

 

World Virginia shooting | The apparently deliberate shooting of a Virginia school teacher by a gun-carrying six-year-old pupil was not accidental, police say. The event should be a "red flag" for the US, according to the city's mayor. Brazilian mob | Hundreds of hardcore supporters of Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro have stormed the country's congress, presidential palace and supreme court in a stunning security breach. Prince Harry | The "absolutely catastrophic" implications of attacks on the royal family's behaviour in the new memoir from the Duke of Sussex are being ignored, according to Catherine Mayer, the royal analyst and biographer of King Charles. Plastic ban | Single-use items such as plastic cutlery, plates and trays will be banned in England in a bid to reduce pollution, the government has confirmed. Hunter Biden | House Republicans are determined to make Joe Biden's supposedly errant son a staple of the news cycle, in what one analyst expected would be "over the top and really, really dirty" attacks.

 

Full Story Finding Afghanistan in the Australian outback Hazara refugee and photographer Muzafar Ali fled Afghanistan in 2012 and arrived in Adelaide via Indonesia. Joey Watson follows Muzafar's journey to discover the past and present of the Afghan cameleers who migrated to Australia 160 years ago and whose camel trains became the foundation of the rural economy.

 

In-depth A Queensland town was given the Arabic name El Arish after Australian soldiers named the agricultural settlement for the Egyptian "oasis" that became their adopted home during the first world war. Khaled Al Khawaldeh explores the history of the Bruce Highway town.

 

Not the news When she buys gluten-free food for her son, Erin O'Dwyer remembers her grandmother, who was diagnosed with coeliac disease in the 1980s when the condition was unknown to most. She writes: "'Can you tell me if there's any wheat in the gravy, my mother is a coeliac,' my mother would say. The chef would be left scratching his head. "Your mother is a what?'"

 

The world of sport MMA death | Victoria Lee, one of the world's most promising young mixed martial artists, has died at the age of 18 her family have confirmed. Australian Open | Two-time champion Naomi Osaka has formally withdrawn from the Australian Open, further heightening concerns the four-time grand slam champion may not return to the tennis court at all. Man City | Manchester City hammered Chelsea 4-0 in the FA Cup and will play Oxford or Arsenal in the fourth round.

 

Media roundup Anthony Albanese is visiting the Kimberley to tour the devastated sites of WA's worst-ever flooding, the West Australian reports. The Age has new photos from the Gold Coast helicopter crash, shared by four New Zealand survivors, of the immediate aftermath and their recovery in hospital. The Business Council of Australia is urging a post-pandemic "reset" of immigration policy to avoid the country missing out on global talent, according to The Australian.

 

What's happening today Prince Harry | An exclusive Australian interview with Prince Harry will air on Channel Seven. Referendum changes | A parliamentary inquiry continues into the way referendums are run, with the finance department giving evidence.

 

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Brain teaser And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day – with plenty more on the Guardian's Puzzles app for iOS and Android. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword

 

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