Murray Bridge Mayor on Youth Mental Health & Substance Use

Young people’s mental health has taken a hit during the pandemic, with 49% of responders in the 2021 Planet Youth Survey indicating that their mental health had worsened as a result of COVID's impact on events, social occasions and sports.

Murray Bridge is one of seven Australian sites for the Internationally renowned Planet Youth pilot project exploring behaviours and attitudes of local school students towards drug and alcohol use and their engagement and connection with their families and broader community. 

The data also demonstrated a high level of parental permissiveness around drinking at home for young people and the normalisation of alcohol use at a young age among Murraylands’ teenagers.

Murray Bridge Mayor Brenton Lewis joins Jennie Lenman to discuss the issue and his thoughts on tackling it into the future.

For more information about Planet Youth and the Local Drug Action Team program, visit https://community.adf.org.au.

For help in a mental health crisis, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or the Kids helpline on 1800 55 1800. For substance abuse help, contact the Alcohol and Drug Support Line on 1800 198 024.