2025/02/17 by Masahiro Suzuki, Luke Price, Alexandra McEwan +5 · 1 voice
Social Sciences · #Children's Rights and Participation #Youth Development and Social Support #Intimate Partner and Family Violence
paper · doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2025.108192
openalex publication_date 2025/02/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/22
• Regional youth report early substance use as a coping mechanism. • Police interactions evoke fear and distrust among regional youth. • Cyberbullying is a pervasive justice-related concern in regional Australia. • Social media videos improve youth engagement with justice-related content. • Youth co-design enhances justice communication strategies. Young people living in regional Australia tend to have little opportunity to voice their concerns about the challenges they confront on a day-to-day basis. In Australia, the tyranny of distance means that their voices are often unheard and unconsidered. This paper draws on a participatory action research project that aimed to improve justice, health, and well-being outcomes for young people in regional Queensland, Australia. The project revealed the impact of personal and community tragedies associated with substance use in regional Australia. In addition, the attitudes of the young people who participated in the project towards police were characterised by fear and hostility. The cohort was also vulnerable to victimisation through cyberbullying. Exploring these issues provides valuable insights into the diverse justice-related challenges faced by rural youth and an opportunity to identify recommendations for future strategies to empower and support young people to avoid entanglement with the justice system.