Straight from the front line with Steve McCracken and Rachael Wilson

This podcast is brought to you by the B416 team.Content Warning: This episode discusses topics including suicide, mental health, eating disorders, and self-harm. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out for help — you are not alone. In this first episode of One Young Mind, we go straight to the frontline of youth wellbeing in Aotearoa New Zealand. We hear from Steve McCracken, Principal of Whangaparāoa College, who has witnessed first-hand how social media is affecting young people’s learning, relationships, and mental health. From the classroom to the playground, he shares what’s really happening for students, and why he believes stronger protections are urgently needed. We’re also joined by Rachael Wilson from The Food Tree, a UK-trained dietitian with more than 21 years’ experience in paediatrics, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia. Rachael brings a clinical lens to the discussion, describing how social media pressures are showing up earlier and more severely in children and teens, and what parents and caregivers can do about it. This is an important, eye-opening conversation about the very real risks of social media, and the changes we can all make to support one young mind at a time. New Zealand Helplines: Lifeline: Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357 (HELP) (available 24/7) Suicide Crisis Helpline: Call 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) (available 24/7) Youth services: (06) 3555 906 What’s Up: Call 0800 942 8787 (11am to 11pm) or webchat (11am to 10.30pm) Depression helpline: Call 0800 111 757 or text 4202 (available 24/7) Aoake te Rā – Free, brief therapeutic support service for those bereaved by suicide. Call 0800 000 053. Helpline: Need to talk? Call or text 1737 The Lowdown: Free text 5626 or visit thelowdown.co.nz EDANZ (Eating Disorders Association NZ): Visit ed.org.nz for resources and support If it is an emergency and you feel like you or someone else is at risk, call 111 Follow us @b416.nz or find out more at b416.co.nz To find out more about Rachael Wilson and The Food Tree, click here or follow @thefoodtree.coSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.