Books

The world is a very different place from two years ago. And the impact on our 16-, 17- and 18-year-old girls is huge.

At one of the most critical times in their development – an age when they’re ready to spread their wings and look to the future – they have had to deal with enormous disruption and dislocation, and come to terms with living life from their bedrooms. The long stints of remote learning and the anxiety of at-home exams has compounded with the ever-present pressure of the ATAR and worries around friendships and relationships, who they want to be, gender identity, alcohol, vaping, and sex, body image and mental health. Self-harm and eating disorders have risen dramatically. For school-leavers, the uncertainty around university study and the jobs market only adds to the heavy toll.

To support our girls, we need to understand the pressures this generation is under by listening to what worries them and what they need – and journalist and social commentator Madonna King has done just that. Having consulted 1000 young women, along with parents, senior educators, and health care professionals in her research for this book, L Platers delivers the answers we need as parents to help our girls on the road to adulthood.