Tagged With "problem technology use"
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Re: Time spent gaming and psychiatric symptoms in childhood
This is a really interesting study. Thanks for sharing.
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'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
The Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma argues that the social media platforms we use to stay connected are making us miserable, disconnected, and potentially having a much wider impact on the socio-political landscape. The documentary received both praise for its engaging content but also received its fair share of criticism for perhaps being, at times, unbalanced in its views (and for not including individuals who have been campaigning for humane and ethical technology long before the...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
@Registered Member - the arguments aren't necessarily what you might expect (like improved wellbeing, sleep, etc.) the book focusses more on the impact of those algorithms on our ability to have empathy with others or be critical of news sources (argument #3 - 'social media is making you into an a**; #4 - 'social media is undermining the truth; #9 'social media is making politics impossible'). The author is a computer scientist and futurist so I think he's really arguing about how these...
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Re: New panel interview on single-event sports betting!
Great clip! Thanks for sharing Tara Marie and great to see Dr. Turner speaking on this panel. Curious to see the data on how popular regulated SESB becomes in Ontario as this rule comes into force... I know in the UK single events betting deals are highly advertised during major events such as football matches and horse racing.
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Re: New panel interview on single-event sports betting!
Also curious to know how popular regulated SESB becomes! I predict we may also see many new ads for these activities here.
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New panel interview on single-event sports betting!
Soon, on August 27, the federal government will make it legal to gamble on individual sporting events . The provinces and territories will be able to set rules for new online and physical-venue forms of single-event sports betting (SESB). With Canadians spending approximately $10 billion per year on SESB through illegal networks, plus additional billions via opportunities in offshore jurisdictions, the new legal changes provide opportunity to regulate and control SESB, and divert money from...
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Re: New panel interview on single-event sports betting!
Great clip - I agree that Dr. Turner had some balanced views. Definitely think we'll see some increased advertising! I'm interested in the points made that legalized SESB will likely divert money into legal streams that have the potential to: 1) help people come into contact with responsible gambling (RG) platforms and 2) a portion of that diverted money can be used to fund treatment and education. I'm also curious how likely the first point is, given these types of bets might not be made in...
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Facebook Whistleblower
A former Facebook product manager and whistleblower has indicated that the company is, "optimizing for content that gets engagement or reaction, but its own research is showing that content that is hateful, that is divisive, that is polarizing, it’s easier to inspire people to anger than it is other emotions." Facebook denies these claims, however some leaked documents from the whistleblower support these claims. You can read more about it here . In Canada and many first world countries,...
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New Offering: Introduction to Problem Technology Use
Introduction to Problem Technology Use is a five-week facilitated course (16 CEU’s) which provides a basic overview and knowledge on important topics related to problem technology use with a focus on problem gaming and problem social media use. Topics will include general overviews, risks, assessments, treatment options, and current issues. In the final week (December 6-10, 2021), learners will work directly with a simulated patient to practice what they have learned during the course...
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Cybersickness: Emerging thoughts and research
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in screentime for many of us, including how we work, shop, socialise etc. With this rise in screentime, some of us are beginning to experience negative physical effects such as nausea, headaches and eye strain. Cybersickness is receiving increasing attention from researchers and the media as tech continues to develop. This article from The Converation describes Cybersickness as the following: " Cybersickness refers to a cluster of symptoms that...
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User testing survey - Self Management App for Recovery from Gambling
Justice and Equity Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital Our lab is creating a self-management app for problem gambling called SPRinG (Supporting People Recovering from Problem Gambling). The SPRinG app is currently being developed to help, first and foremost, persons experiencing poverty and homelessness self-manage their problem gambling and other complex needs by providing people with constant access to support through their smartphone. The app will also...
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App User testing - Supporting people recovering from problem gambling
Hi everyone, A research team at St. Michael’s Hospital has been working with the community to design and develop a self-management app to help people in their recovery from problem gambling. We are entering the user testing phase. The purpose of user testing is to help inform the next phase of app design. We are asking people to answer a 16-question survey. We would greatly appreciate it if you could share the survey link ( https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=CYPWHAAJCHHRCK9D ) with people...
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In the news: (CBC) Ford government could lose $2.8B over 5 years in online gambling bet, confidential report warns
A CBC article published today outlines how the Ontario government could lose up to $550 million in annual revenue with the arrival of the online gambling market in Ontario ($2.8 billion over the next five years). The projections, outlined in a private and confidential report to one of Canada's largest gaming companies, suggests that the province is set to lose money due to individuals spending more money on online gambling and moving away from land-based casino gambling (the taxation rate is...
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[Online workshop opportunity, March 10th 2022] Fundamentals of gambling and gaming: Effective assessment and treatment planning
The Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use team is offering a facilitated workshop: Fundamentals of gambling and gaming: Effective assessment and treatment planning on March 10th from 13:00 to 15:00 hours EST. This training is best suited to newly qualified clinicians as well as students who are currently working directly with clients, however, successful completion of the Fundamentals of Gambling and Gaming (FUN-GG) course is a prerequisite. FUN-GG is a short, self-directed course that...
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Webinar Today - Registration is free! ConnexOntario (Discover Mental Health, Addiction and Problem Gambling Services): A brief history and overview.
So much has transpired in mental health and addictions over the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic and there is much to learn from our colleagues at ConnexOntario. Anne Counter, Director of System Navigation and Information Services will be taking us through the history of ConnexOntario, providing us a refresher of their services, as well as sharing current data in regards to trends specific to gambling and technology use. We will also learn about the impact of COVID-19 on the...
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Re: Webinar Today - Registration is free! ConnexOntario (Discover Mental Health, Addiction and Problem Gambling Services): A brief history and overview.
Looking forward to listening to recording. Thank you!
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Supporting African Caribbean Black (ACB) Women with Gambling Concerns: A Best Practices Guide for Professionals – A wonderful collaborative article and a must read from the team at Jean Tweed and their project partners.
As February comes to a close with us celebrating and honoring Black History Month , we are only mindful at GGTU to ensure we send out a tribute to the Jean Tweed article, spearheaded by Angela Allen. This well written guide needs to be shared within our community since it shines a light on their wonderful research and helps us better understand and support African Caribbean Black (ACB) women with gambling concerns. After a thorough literature review and survey being conducted, the results...
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Webinar Replay! For everyone who would like to stay “Connex”ted! Do we know what is new in our community and how to stay connected?
On February 24, 2022, GGTU hosted Anne Counter who was our star presenter, “ConnexOntario (Discover Mental Health, Addiction and Problem Gambling Services): A brief history and overview” . With COVID-19 changing the world and accessibility platforms being constantly revised to meet new technology advances. Anne’s presentation was really timely with relevant information on new and innovative initiatives being rolled out by ConnexOntario. They still strive to ensure they bridge services for...
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GGTU Training Needs Assessment
The Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use (GGTU) program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health creates training products and resources for clinicians working in the area of addictions and mental health. We would love to hear from you about how we can serve your training needs better. Your participation in this survey helps us continue to deliver high-quality products and support. This survey should take approximately 5 minutes and will remain open until Thursday March 24 th at 5 p.m.
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EENet Connect wants to hear from you!
It is that time of year again and we would like to hear from you! What do you like about EENet Connect? What do you want improved? By providing us with your feedback, you can help us make the platform more useful and easier to use. The deadline for completing the survey is April 1st, so we hope to hear from you soon! The link to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EENet_Connect
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Re: Social media companies could be held accountable for their negative impacts on children
Curiously following what is going on in the States with social media apps aimed at children and teens... it's a rare issue that seems to get bi-partisan support and traction! The UK is rolling out similar legislation too. This was an interesting article where TikTok and Snapchat in particular were being targeted in the US: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/0...arental-control.html . I think that companies putting the onus on parents with parental controls is a partial solution but also they need...
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Ontario is moving quickly to approve online gambling operators.
Ontario just added private operators for online gaming beginning on April 4 but is already ahead of many US states in terms of the number of approved operators. See article: Ontario Has More Approved Online Gambling Operators Than Most US States
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Social dilemma
The documentary called Social dilemma perfectly depicts the situation of problem technology use in the society now. - It interviews the designers of different social media platforms on how they design the app - It depicts how social media platforms are designed to gain our attention and changes our behavior - It provides ways for us to minimize the influence from social media apps
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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?
Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU - YouTube This video focuses on how social media can have long term impacts on our mental health when our usage of it goes unchecked. Bailey Parnell talks about how the content that we consume on social media can cause us to compare our day to day lives to others "highlight reels" on social media, even when other people are individuals that we know. Understanding how these experiences of comparison affect individuals...
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
I really liked this article, I think it is an interesting time to be discussing these topics while still being somewhat consumed by Covid restrictions and the world just opening back up to us. I think we can all agree anxiety, loneliness and fear, of missing out have all been very real feelings experienced by almost everyone over the past 2+ years, has social media had any positive effects on anxiety, loneliness, and fear of missing out while young people have been essentially stuck at home.
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Current topics in PTU - Video from WHO
https://theconversation.com/digital-addiction-how-technology-keeps-us-hooked-97499 The above link briefly explores how technology is designed to "keep us hooked." There is a video included from the WHO. This article/video gives a brief explanation on the effects of problem gaming and the criteria for recognizing PTU. They place a focus on the difference between problem gaming disorder, and gaming behaviour. The speaker states how problem gaming disorder can only be diagnosed over time by a...
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Re: Health effects of gaming
You mentioned something that is key in all conversations we have with individuals. Listening to learn about the individual's motivation which in turn leads to varied behaviours. When we gain insight to a person's motivation, whether it is for behaviour modification or otherwise, it helps us as professionals to provide person specific care. Curious, what are your thoughts about the percentage of Americans affected by internet disorder? How do you think Canadians compare?
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Re: Health effects of gaming
This article has fairly recent (2021) stats on prevalence around the world but doesn't separate Canada out from a larger study that included the US, UK, Canada and Germany which showed the same percentage as the above article. Iran apparently has the highest rate and in Korea it is considered a public health crisis. Video Game Addiction Statistics 2021: Is the World Addicted to Video Games? | Healthy Gamer
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Therapist Survey on covid impact training needs
Research and knowledge exchange opportunity Dear EENET members: We are still conducting our survey of the impact of Covid on treatment services and service providors. Please click on the link below to participate in this anonymous survey. I've also attached a summary of the results from the first round of this survey as feedback to the EENet community. Original post. Dr. Nigel Turner at CAMH is conducting a short survey aimed towards at clinicians who help people with addictions and mental...
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Autism, PTU, and Video Game Therapy
Article Jiménez‑Muñoz, L., Peñuelas‑Calvo, I., Calvo‑Rivera, P., Díaz‑Oliván, I., Moreno, M., Baca‑García, E., and Porras‑Segovia, A. (2022). Video Games for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2022) 52:169–188. Accessed May 23, 2022 at https://link-springer-com.proxy.library.upei.ca/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-021-04934-9.pdf How It Relates to Gaming Video game-based interventions were effective in alleviating...
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Fold em: Help for Gambling Problems Podcasts
Check out a podcast that is produced and hosted by problem gambling counsellors in British Columbia - Fold em: Help for Gambling Problems. Episodes feature people with lived experience and focus on specific issues, e.g., help with gambling debt, managing online gambling and effects on family. Counsellors and other contributors also share relevant information and strategies for overcoming gambling addiction. A great resource for people facing gambling problems, along with their families, and...
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The Association Between Video Gaming and Psychological Functioning - Journal Entry
Journal article - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01731/full 1. I think it is easy for us to fall into a thinking trap of "all gaming is bad" or that there are no benefits of gaming. This article sheds light on some of the positives of gaming. 2. Researchers did find a medium-sized relation between potentially problematic video game use and poor psychological functioning with regard to general psychological symptoms, maladaptive coping strategies, negative...
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Is Social Media Harming Us? Or Are We Harming Ourselves?
Is Social Media Harming Us? Or Are We Harming Ourselves? This is the question posed by Farzana Qasimi in her TEDTalk "The Dark and Light of Social Media" found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGjBgonFJYU In 12 short minutes, 16-year-old Qasimi makes a number compelling points to further explore who is at fault for how social media impacts our mental health. Qasimi notes: Social media websites were not created with the intention to lower anyone's self esteem, and Social media platforms...
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Commentary - Chinese Video Gaming Policy
The article discusses 1) alleged ineffectiveness, 2) alleged Draconian-ness, and 3) emerging evidence of identifiable benefits. Read on if interested in these aspects of the policy! See article attached.
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Re: Commentary - Chinese Video Gaming Policy
The article discusses 1) alleged ineffectiveness, 2) alleged Draconian-ness, and 3) emerging evidence of identifiable benefits. Read if interested in these aspects of the policy. Reference: Xiao, L.Y. (2022). Reserve your judgement on "Draconian" Chinese video gaming restrictions on children. Commentary on: Draconian policy measures are unlikely to prevent disordered gaming (Colder Carras et al., 2021). Accessed June 3, 2022 at https://www.researchgate.net/p...er_Carras_et_al_2021 (pasted ...
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Re: Phubbing
Wow! This is interesting. I totally agree that using a phone when with someone is like not being fully present. Many of us do this without thinking of the impact of a seemingly trivial action. We do this with other things too, like eating and scrolling, etc. We live in a distracted and multi-tasking world. No judgment but there are implications. We are never fully present in whatever we do and go through all of life never being fully present and then come to the end of life, and wonder where...
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Upcoming Webinar - June 23rd: Launch of the SPRinG App. A self-managing tool for problem gambling/gaming
Quick and friendly reminder to ensure you saved a spot for an upcoming webinar: Join us for this Webinar - We are SPRinG’g into action to help the gambling community. Launch of the SPRinG App - A digital health solution to support self-management of problem gambling. | Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest | EENet Connect
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Turning off notifications, does it actually help?
With the constant bombardment of notifications from our phones many of us feel the need to distance ourselves from these distracting alerts. So instinctively it makes sense to turn them off so we check our phones less. However, a recent study by Liao and Sundar (2022) presented research that may call into question this practice. The authors used an app to track 138 iPhone users for four days. The app tracked: Whether notifications were turned on or off The number of notifications...
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Re: Reflections on a Webinar Series: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions
Such a thoughtfully planned and executed series, @Registered Member. I thought they all addressed very interesting areas of our work and I particularly liked Part 3 and getting to hear about all the innovative work Foundry are doing out in BC to ensure youth can contribute to and use such an effective platform to connect with services.
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Reflections on a Webinar Series: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions
In late 2021, I curated a three-part thematic series of webinars for the Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use (GGTU) program to host in 2022. This series was titled, The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions . Each webinar invited different experts to present on a topic that demonstrates key intersections between technology use and well-being. The series was comprised of: Part 1: ‘Swipe sesh’: Exploring the impacts of dating apps on mental health among adults ,...
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Re: Reflections on a Webinar Series: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions
Thank you, Marie-Claire! Especially for your expert technical and planning support throughout. I agree about the presentation that showcased Foundry's innovative approach. New app development benefits greatly from the meaningful inclusion of those who will use such tools in their design and promotion.
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New GGTU course: Working with Families and Affected Loved Ones
This self-directed online course presents current evidence and best practices for working with families, couples and loved ones experiencing harms because of a loved one’s problem gambling. It provides an overview of these harms and addresses how professionals can support these individuals, including intervention strategies professionals can use to help clients protect their finances, develop coping skills, repair relationships and rebuild trust. This course is most suitable for...
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State of the Research: Gaming Disorder (YouTube)
This 12-minute video (Youtube) is a great, accessible summary of the research into Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD). The presenter discusses the current debate surrounding the diagnosis criteria of IGD, concerns from some researchers and clinicians, along with the corresponding research papers. This is a visual, interactive way of accessing this information that can often feel quite technical and dry. We cover similar topics and discussions in our Introduction to Problem Technology Use...
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GGTU digital newsletter: September Issue
Check out our new digital newsletter for September 2022. It features recent news articles, statistics/research, conferences, education and training, all happening in our sector. We also have our online survey for digital products we plan to launch in the upcoming months, so your feedback is so appreciated. Check out our "Meet the Team" section too, where we showcase work done by our team. In our second instalment of Meet the Team, we introduce you to Marie-Claire Conlin, Education...
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Screen Time - effects on the social, cognitive and emotional development of children and youth
https://informedfutures.org/wp...tive-development.pdf ; The article speaks to the effects of ‘screen time’ on the emotional, social and cognitive development of children and youth, including gaming, social media, and educational type virtual activities – both positive and negative. It mentions some emerging evidence on structural changes within the brain associated with increased use and how it relates to non-educational screen time. It mentions a factor around ‘stimulation overload’...
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Is Facebook creating "iDisorders" ?
1. This article dated back in January 2013, focusing on the technological use of various means and media on symptomology of mood disorders and examines the impact of attitudes toward technology and multitasking in addition to tech related anxiety around the inability to check devices as frequently as desired. 2. "iDIsorders" was defined as "...the negative relationship between technology usage and psychological health", suggesting implications around heightened usage being negative. 3. In...
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Webinar Reply! Problem gambling and its relationship to major mental illnesses
On Wednesday December 7 th , 2022, GGTU hosted Dr. Cameron M. Clark., Ph.D., Psych. who presented during the webinar entitled “ Problem gambling and its relationship to major mental illnesses”. Problem gambling impacts various populations including those who experience mental illnesses. However, the experience of problem gambling may present differently in people who experience major mental illnesses. In this presentation, Dr. Clark presents a research article he co-authored titled “ A...
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What are your training needs related to Gambling, Gaming and Technology use?
The Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use (GGTU) team creates training products and resources for clinicians working in the area of addictions and mental health. We would love to hear from you through our survey about how we can better serve your training needs. Your participation in our survey allows us to continue to deliver high-quality knowledge mobilization, learning enrichment resources, and programs. The survey should take approximately 10-15 minutes. All survey participants will be...
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Dispelling Myths Around Youth Gambling
When it comes to gambling, there are many misconceptions — and perhaps the biggest one is that youth don’t (or can’t) gamble. That’s because we often associate gambling with playing poker or blackjack in a casino. But gambling takes many different forms. In fact, 68 per cent of Ontario youth said they participated in a gambling activity in the past 12 months, according to YMCA’s Youth Gambling Awareness Program (YGAP) Youth for Youth Digital Media Awareness Campaign in 2020. YGAP defines...
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Course reviewers
Hi everyone. GGTU has developed a new course called Cognitive Behavioural Approaches for Problem Gambling Treatment. We are looking for 3 people to review the course and provide feedback on how long it takes to complete each of the modules. Compensation will be provided. Please email stephen.meredith@camh.ca if you are interested. Thanks. Stephen