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At 10:30am Tuesday 2 July 2002, at the delightful Museum
of Sydney, key representatives of the media industry, child
health professionals and community groups met to celebrate
the launch of the Young Media Australia Helpline.
Guests listened to a moving speech by Michael Ooms, whose
daughter Genevieve was hospitalised in 1999 after watching
the video Scream at a sleepover gave a moving account of what
his family lived through at that time.
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Steve Biddulph, family psychologist, author and patron of
Young Media Australia, emphasised the damaging effects that
the media can have on all Australian children. "It's a constant
message; you're not sexy enough, your body's not the right
shape..."
Barbara Biggins, well known and respected advocate for quality
children's media since 1973, chaired the event and affirmed
that the Helpline would help parents make better choices about
their children's use of the media.
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She described the media as a new area of parenting, just
as important for children's development as making sure that
they eat and sleep well, but without any inherited wisdom
from our own parents about what to do.
Senator Jeannie Ferris responded on behalf of the Government's
Stronger Families Initiative, and officially launched the
Helpline number and website.
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