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Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest

The Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest brings together addiction and mental health service providers, researchers and subject matter experts in the fields of gambling, technology/Internet use and video gaming to collaborate and share knowledge on emerging trends and clinical best practices.

Tagged With "Technology Use"

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Internet and gaming addiction – New research

Registered Member ·
The link below provides a brief summary and overview of some of the latest research on internet gaming disorder and other internet-related addiction problems as well as links to the publications. It poses the question: " Should we be worried about the fact that most of us are constantly connected? " How we work, meet friends, shop, buy groceries, pay bills and even how we seek medical help can be done from the comfort of our couch. What do you think, are you worried about this? Internet and...
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CBC News Article: Tech companies encourage us to be smart about phones

Registered Member ·
This newly released CBC News article discusses new Smartphone management tools that enable users to get daily and weekly activity reports about the total time they spend in each app, their usage and notifications as well as the ability for parents to put controls on usage. Featured in the article, @Registered Member points out that this may be one avenue to help reduce or minimize Smartphone use but that there are also other options such as turning off notifications and scheduling...
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Blog: Parenting Through Video Game Disorder

Registered Member ·
A newly released blog on Learn.ProblemGambling.ca highlights some of the challenges of parenting a child with problem video gaming. The blog was contributed by Elaine Uskoski, a holistic health social service worker and author of the book Seeing Through the Cracks . She discusses the experience of finding out her 19-year old son has a video game disorder and how they worked together to get him to where he is today. Read her blog here .
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Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
A recent research article published in the journal Pediatric Research looks at the effects of "technoference" (defined as digital/mobile technology use that interrupts interpersonal relationships) in a parent-child relationship. Here are some interesting findings from the study that looked at technoference in 183 couples & their children over a 6-month period: 55.5% of mothers and 43.0% of fathers reported having two or more technology devices that interrupt activities with their child...
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Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use Knowledge Exchange

Registered Member ·
I want to share a blog I wrote not long before the WHO made their announcement about Video Gaming Disorder being recognized as an official disorder. I first wrote and published a book about the transition between parenting your child and your adult child, as I found those years more challenging. Included in my story was part of the journey of my adult son's crisis through video gaming addiction. An organizer of Mindfest read the book and asked me to speak about Video Gaming Addiction. I...
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[Anonymous, Online Academic Study] Testing a web-based application for Depression and concerning gambling! (Canada,14-40 years)

Registered Member ·
Researchers at the IWK Health Centre have built a web-based app to help people change their behaviors to help improve their mood. We are looking for participants all around Canada to use it and tell us what they think about it. If you are, or know someone: Who is 14-40 years old? Who sometimes feels sad, down, or depressed and/or has little interest in doing things? Who often feels like gambling? This is a Canada wide study and there is no need to travel, as all study activities take place...
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Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use Knowledge Exchange

Registered Member ·
This article just came across in my emails today and I thought I'd share it. Dr Dunkerley has done some great work in her study of screen addiction. http://www.lovewhatmatters.com...oody-crazy-and-lazy/ Elaine Uskoski Author – Speaker – Holistic Practitioner ElaineUskoski.com 226-337-2070 Is video gaming controlling your child? 2017 Watty’s Award Winning Author of Seeing Through the Cracks
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is the news the new FOMO?

Registered Member ·
https://www.wired.com/2017/08/fomo/ This article from WIRED magazine asks us to think about how FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) of breaking news impacts on our lives. With recent tragic events, weather related disasters and "notable people" posting on social media, do you find yourself revisiting your social media and news platforms again and again for newer and more information? We often talk with our clients about taking breaks from technology, and from social media especially for those who are...
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Webinar: Mental Health and Well-Being Among Ontario Students

Registered Member ·
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey (OSDUHS) recently released it's 2017 survey results. The report describes physical health indicators, mental health indicators, bullying, gambling and related problems, video gaming and related problems, and other risk behaviours among Ontario students in 2017 and changes since 1991, where available. A few survey highlights on gambling, gaming and technology use: About 7% of secondary school students...
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RCMP Youth Trends Report Fall 2018

Registered Member ·
This was forwarded to me, via email, and i am passing it along. There is a lot of great information to help us understand our youth and technology better.
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How to Improve Screening for Problem Gambling - Recruiting for Concept Mapping Study

Registered Member ·
Are you a health care or service provider? If so, please share your thoughts with St. Michael’s Hospital and U of T researchers on ways to improve screening for problem gambling. We are looking for a wide range of health care and service providers. You can participate in-person at group brainstorming sessions held at the University of Toronto, or online on your own time. Those who take part will be eligible to win a food basket and/ or an iPad. Please contact our research team at...
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Fortnite, Minecraft chat part of an online sting

Registered Member ·
Fortnite, Minecraft used as a means to lure youth New Jersey police conducted a sting of adults talking to youth gamers and arrested 24 men. The men were arreseted after contacting what they thought were 14 and 15 year old youths, chatting with them and then arranging to meet them in real life for sex. To me, this really speaks to the need for education and awareness on the part of both the youth gaming, as well as the parents. Some much younger kids than 14 also play these games, especially...
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Gambling and Cannabis Use in Youth and Young Adults Survey

Registered Member ·
Hello, we are a group of researchers, educators, and trainees at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC). We are working towards creating new content for current educational programs provided to Ontario high schools, colleges and universities about gambling and cannabis use in youth and young adults. Please note this is not a research project. We have created a survey to assist us in how best to incorporate the most current research...
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An interesting read

Registered Member ·
Wait until 8th This blog post is from an 8th grade teacher comparing an 8th graders experience in 2008 vs 2018 in an embarrassing situation. This American organization waituntil8th.org is an organization that is working to get parents and children to wait until children are in 8th grade (or grade 8 as we say in Canada) before they get their first smartphone. And while I'm not advocating for the pledge on their website, their blog posts do have interesting and thought provoking entries and...
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Gambling and Cannabis Use in Youth and Young Adults Survey

Registered Member ·
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Gambling and Cannabis Use in Youth and Young Adults survey. Your feedback has been invaluable! For those who are interested and would like to participate in our short online survey, you can do so until December 31, 2018 -5:00pm (EST). https://edc.camhx.ca/redcap/surveys/?s=CKXRA4L7HA we are a group of researchers, educators, and trainees at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC). We are...
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Parents should worry less about screen time, says UK doctors

Registered Member ·
I was in England over the Christmas break and the topic of screen time for children came up, which caught my attention for both personal and work reasons. The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health says parents should take a balanced approach to screen time and that it cannot be prescriptive. This is different from Canadian guidance which recommends no screen time for children under 2 and only one hour a day for children 2-4 years old. You can read the full article here.
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Short Survey for our Community of Interest

Registered Member ·
Hello all, Please take a moment to help us plan for the future by answering this short survey about your experience participating in our EENet Connect "Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use" Community of Interest. The information from this survey will help us to: understand the extent to which EENet Connect communities increase participant knowledge and create connections among stakeholders improve online communities already on EENet Connect inform the development of future EENet Connect...
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Mindfulness for gambling, gaming and technology use

Registered Member ·
I would have never known that I would be teaching clients how to meditate when I started in the addiction counselling field back in the early nineties. I was not even meditating back then, although I had started training in the martial arts, which I consider to be a form of moving meditation. I would not even have anticipated the types of benefits that I now see not only for the clients but also for myself and there is even scientific evidence behind them. Over the past several years,...
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CAMH Monitor e-Report 2017 - Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Rates in Ontario Adults

Registered Member ·
The CAMH Monitor e-Report 2017 was just released, providing new gambling, gaming and technology use prevalence rates for Ontario adults. Below are some highlights. Gambling: The most common gambling activity was buying lottery tickets. 23.4% of adults reported betting on slots or table games at a casino in the past year, while 3.7% bet money online. 1.2% of Ontario adults had a moderate to high risk of gambling problems in the past year. Gaming & Technology Use: 5.6% of Ontario adults...
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Register Today: Mindfulness for Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use

Registered Member ·
Are you a mental health & addiction service provider supporting clients with gambling, gaming or technology use concerns? If so, you may be interested in our one-day interactive and experiential mindfulness workshop taking place on March 8, 2019 in Toronto. This workshop, hosted by @Registered Member, will provide you with an introductory overview of mindfulness meditation, the practices, attitudes and concepts, along with how to incorporate them into your clinical practice.
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Can technology use help with anxiety and depression?

Registered Member ·
In a TED Ideas piece that came out late last year, author Chris Dancy discusses how technology has helped him deal with his depression and anxiety. He uses technology to: log his physical symptoms, mental health symptoms, feelings, thoughts, and behaviours during a panic attack or depressive episode and then reflects on these digital logs as a way to know what to expect and that he can make it through watch videos of others with similar struggles so he doesn't feel alone track his app usage...
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Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use Community of Interest Survey

Registered Member ·
We invite you to complete a short survey about our Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest, which you can access here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/GGTU-CoI . The purpose of this survey is to understand the extent to which our community of interest has increased your knowledge about gambling, gaming and technology use as well as your connections with other stakeholders. It will also help to inform the development of future online communities through EENet Connect. This...
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Gambling and Gaming Harms: Ontario Professional Development Forum

Registered Member ·
On May 9 th and 10 th , the Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use team under the Provincial System Support Program at CAMH and Gambling Research Exchange Ontario co-hosted the Gambling and Gaming Harms: Ontario Professional Development Forum. The forum brought together over 100 clinicians and community partners, providing an opportunity to interact and learn from each other’s experiences, broadening their outlook beyond their own practice. Dr. Carlo C. DiClemente, one of the founders of the...
Discussion Topic

Fall 2019 Newsletter

Registered Member ·
Just in case you missed it, our Fall 2019 newsletter was released today. Our newsletter recently merged with the EENet newsletter to streamline how you stay informed about trainings, webinars, research, and other news related to mental health and addictions in Ontario. You can find the full Fall 2019 newsletter here . If you haven't done so already, please sign up here to keep up-to-date with the latest gambling, gaming and technology use news.
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Re: How mental illness is discussed on the internet

Registered Member ·
There are so many horrible things and misinformation on the internet regarding mental health and addictions. In a sea of confusion, it's hard to find the truth. I think it's critical for those of us working in this field to stop using jargon and psychobabble to reach the general population. People are looking for credible information that they can understand and share on social media. I saw a "problem solving" cartoon the other day that showed someone who hung himself and the other person...
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Re: ADHD study links teens' symptoms with digital media use

Registered Member ·
I'm happy to share my experience, Suzie. It's a long story (I actually wrote a book about it). I did see my son exhibit ADHD symptoms during his worst crisis period with video gaming addiction and we can talk about that. How about we speak over the phone rather than on this forum. Please email me ar ElaineUskoski@gmail.com and we'll set up a time to talk that works for both of us.
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Re: 60 minutes interview

Registered Member ·
This is so critical to learn. Technology has been moving at a rate that has left us far behind in our understanding of its impact on our children's brains.
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Re: Bell Let's Talk - part of the problem?

Registered Member ·
I echo a lot of what has been said by Aaron and Michelle above. Pointing the finger at a company like Bell without looking at the wider social structures (hyper-capitalism, an increasingly digital world, the shift towards the singularity of human/tech interaction) does miss the mark in my opinion. I actually studied smartphone dependency/addiction for my MSc thesis and do very much think that we're still figuring out that 'sweet spot' between tech being beneficial or detrimental to our...
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Re: Article: Ways Casinos can Attract Younger Generations of Slot Players

Registered Member ·
I'm not surprised -- those of us trying to help people with gambling problems face an uphill battle in terms of public buy-in (for lack of a better term). At this point in history, problem gambling isn't perceived as being as problematic as substance addiction. Also, as far as I know, for-profit businesses or government agencies (like the OLG) have a lot more money and regulatory leeway to advertise their products (i.e., casinos), compared to non-profits which are staffed by regulated...
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Re: Can technology use help with anxiety and depression?

Registered Member ·
Whether it is to temporarily distract from the overwhelming feelings or to learn more about strategies that work, it seems the best use of technology when one tries to find help from available resources in absence of another instantly available professional help. In practice, I often suggest the clients take the help of YouTube videos for guided meditation, positive affirmations, etc.
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Re: Gambling and Gaming Harms: Ontario Professional Development Forum

Registered Member ·
@Alison Benedict and @Elaine Uskoski - I enjoyed both the Current Trends in Youth Gambling, Gaming, Technology Use and Cannabis panel as well as the Working Across Sectors to Improve Access to Gambling Treatment for Diverse Populations breakout session. I honestly learned so much from both of your talks and want to thank you for sharing your personal experience with us. Another part of the forum that I enjoyed was meeting everyone at our booth during the first day. It is always nice to hear...
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Re: Internet and gaming addiction – New research

Registered Member ·
"In their article in Addictive Behaviors , a team from the University of California in the US looked at 27 studies on IGD published between 1998 and 2016, to determine whether the disorder is indeed becoming more prevalent. The average across all years was 4.7%, and the results showed it has not increased significantly in the last two decades." I have not read the article in Addictive Behaviors yet but that is a surprising finding. It makes me wonder about the screening...
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Re: Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use Knowledge Exchange

Registered Member ·
Thank you for posting this article, Elaine! I think it is relevant food for thought for both parents and professionals. I especially like that she talks about the importance of ruling out and addressing electronics in mental health assessments. In the article, Dr. Dunkerley also says, “ Time and again, I’ve realized that regardless of whether there exists any “true” underlying diagnoses, successfully treating a child with mood dysregulation today requires methodically eliminating all...
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Re: Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use Knowledge Exchange

Registered Member ·
I agree, Lisa. I took my son for a full medical assessment at the same time I detoxed him from video gaming. I also monitored his moods very closely, with the concern of his anxiety and depression increasing, and fear of suicidal thoughts. I have also heard from one of my holistic clients her concerns after the psychologist who sees her son, for severe depression, suggesting his client should "do what he loves", however the only thing he loves is gaming, and mom feels it's making the...
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Re: is the news the new FOMO?

Registered Member ·
I was a bit taken back as well Rebecca, given the amlount of trolling that people do. I have never commented on an online story before, preferring to talk about what I have read in person, with family and friends. i have though, in my life a few people who have engaged in "twitter wars" with others over heated topics. There was most definitely an energy that came from that. Can't say that they were happier though.... Keep us posted about your commenting!
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Re: Screen time and ADHD

Registered Member ·
Thank you for sharing this link, Lisa. I read Leonard Sax's work as a young mom and he helped me to understand what raising healthy boys would look like. My son, Jake was diagnosed with ADHD at age 19 while in mid crisis with a gaming addiction. At the time, I really questioned the diagnosis, as I had him tested when he was much younger and this was not found. As I read Gabor Mate's work in his book, Scattered Minds, I did see that Jake was exhibiting symptoms of ADHD. He was put on a...
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Such interesting findings! I wonder if the length of time that parents spend with their children make a difference to the level of technoference experienced, and in turn the behavioral outcomes - as stay at home moms of little ones under 5 spend a lot more time with their kids, and likely experience this to a greater degree than parents who work. I also wonder if there are any mediating factors that might reduce the behavioral problems seen in young children as a result of technoference?
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing the informative video, Elaine, and thanks Rebecca for your insightful questions. I think the current research article is scratching the surface and that more research and clinical evidence is needed on technoference and the long-term consequences on the parent-child relationship, the parent and the youth. As the article and Sarah pointed out (thank you!), it is likely a bi-directional relationship with many complex factors to consider. But this article does provide a great...
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
This is such an interesting thread. It's also brought to my mind the amount that technology is used in the classroom now. Even my son in JK had specific iPad time and tasks that he had to complete/lerning activities to complete. I would wonder if that will eventually factor in to the research as well.
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Re: Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use Knowledge Exchange

Registered Member ·
This is truly insightful, Lisa! Although the backlash exists, it's important in that it forces us to have conversations, debunk myths and stigma, as well as ensure the right evidence is getting out there. What I liked most were the ways in which Bogost negotiated the "pathology" of gaming, to demonstrate how it is received and/or accepted in the medical profession.
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Re: Blog on WHO's decision to include gaming disorder in the ICD-11

Registered Member ·
Interesting article and I do agree that caution is always a good thing when it comes to diagnosing people. I think it is important to continue to do research to help us better understand this issue. I am hoping that the inclusion of gaming disorder in the ICD-11 will contribute to further research and clarity around this problem. In response to Nigel's comment, "My caution is that we shouldn't be too quick to label people who play games a lot as having an addiction problem," I would say that...
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Re: CBC News Article: Tech companies encourage us to be smart about phones

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing, Matt! Just to add to this discussion - an article published yesterday in TechCrunch announces that Facebook and Instragram's new "digital well-being screen-time management dashboards" have been launched in the US. This dashboard shows how many minutes people use each of these apps per day and their average use in a week. It also allows users to mute notifications and set daily usage limits, after which a notification will come up to say they have surpassed the limit. What...
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Re: Is Screen Time Hurting Your Heart?

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing Howie! I remember when the articles starting coming out a few years ago claiming "sitting is the new smoking" I was very, very scared. Those of us who work behind a computer know how much time we spend sitting in front of a screen. I can imagine that for young people, it will be even more true when they reach the working world, as they are accustomed to being on their phones/computers in their personal time. Let's hope the future brings some sort of technological advances...
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Re: Interview for CBC Kids

Registered Member ·
Lisa, can you let us know when it will air? I'd love to listen and then download the segment afterwards, if possible. Thanks!
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Re: Interview for CBC Kids

Registered Member ·
Hi Emily, They mentioned early September and we asked that they let us know so we can tune in. If I hear from them, I will certainly pass the information along. Lisa
 
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