For those who may have missed it, here's the CTV W5 documentary on Video Gaming Addiction which features my son's journey. https://www.ctvnews.ca/w5/six-ways-to-tell-if-your-child-is-addicted-to-video-games-1.5320645?fbclid=IwAR0lM3p3pYf9i_xksLohdkfAaO6fC0tJ3Z_Dsm0gd_O7KaDdkydmRiiDBVI

Thanks for posting the link Elaine! This is on my to-watch list and we have a monthly team movie club where we watch documentaries about gambling, gaming and tech use so we'll all be able to watch as a team too!

Oh we'd love that! If you'd like you can email my CAMH email so I have you contact details and we can let you know as soon as we have a date set, it would probably be some time in late April/early May marie-claire.conlin@camh.ca

I am delighted that you will be using the documentary clip for your team movie club. If I can, I am happy to join and fill in the blanks with my son's story for those who have any questions.

Thank you again for joining us on the forum, Elaine and for offering your time and sharing your story. Watching the documentary sparked a number of initial questions and further reflections: What were some of the things that you and Jake worked on together during that time when he was first stopping/reducing his video gaming? How is Jake doing now? It appears that Jake felt like an “abstinence” approach was what worked best for him. At any point, did you ever try a “harm reduction” approach...

Thanks for asking me to be a part of this event, Marie-Claire. I'm happy to answer questions in order to help others have a good understanding of gaming addiction from mine and my son's experience. Q What were some of the things that you and Jake worked on together during that time when he was first stopping/reducing his video gaming? A The first time Jake detoxed from gaming, after he had time to rest and get back on a regular sleep cycle, he joined me in morning fitness classes in order to...

So glad to hear Jake is doing well and has family nearby and a new pet for company - I'm sure that's been great support, especially during this past year with the pandemic.

It's really good to hear how Jake is doing now. It sounds like having a structured daily routine with a variety of activities along with social connection and support were really important to his recovery in those early days.

Hi Elaine! It's so great to have you join us in this space and share your knowledge and experience with us. I have a few questions for you too: Hindsight is 20/20. It always seems easier to reflect on what you might have done differently in the past when you have the lived experience of the present. Looking back, were there warning signs that you are more aware of now that you can share with other parents/caregivers? What have you found helpful when coaching parents/caregivers in relation to...

Thanks for your question Anita. Q Hindsight is 20/20. It’s always easier to reflect on what you might have done differently when you have the knowledge of what came before. Looking back, were there warning signs that you are more aware of now that you can share with other parents/caregivers? A Yes, there were warning signs. Jake had lost interest in the sports activities he’d loved. He spoke mostly about online friends and much less about friends at school. He had more difficulty waking in...

So nice to have you participate in this Q&A Elaine. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experiences with the Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use Community of Interest.

My pleasure Chloe. Thank you for the work that you do.

That’s a wrap on day one of our Q&A discussion! Elaine will be answering questions again tomorrow until 5pm. If you would like to ask a question, simply post it by 'replying' in this thread before 5pm tomorrow (7 May, 2021). This thread is open to anyone who is signed up to this GGTU Community of Interest sub-group

Hi Elaine! This is a really interesting conversation. Thanks for sharing your experiences and approaches that inform your work. I had a few questions I’d like to ask as well: What are some of the main challenges parents/caregivers face when addressing gaming or video game addiction with their children/kin? What have you found to be effective in addressing these challenges? Has the COVID-19 pandemic affected how you speak about gaming? In what ways?

Thank you for participating Tara. Q What are some of the main challenges parents/caregivers face when addressing gaming / video game addiction with their children/kin? What have you found to be effective in addressing these challenges? A The biggest challenge I see is that parents do not follow through with consequences of poor behaviour of their child. They don’t have clear rules in place, and so the child ends up making decisions on what is acceptable behaviour. Restrictions are not made...

Thanks so much for these responses, Elaine. The emphasis on healthier communication between parents and children is clear. I appreciate, in particular, your thoughts on impacts related to COVID-19 -- there are so many overlapping issues for kids!

Thanks for this question Tara Marie. As a parent, I found Elaine's response very helpful and tells me that I am on the right track.

Yes, I remember when I worked with teens and parents as an EA for several years that young teens especially really appreciated clear rules and expectations around behaviour. Especially when it was consistent, it helped create a sense of safety and trust (plus some learning time and patience from parents/carers in those times when teens wanted to explore and test how firm those boundaries are!) Dr. Brene Brown speaks a lot about this on her podcast too. Older teens could also help co-create...

This makes a lot of sense to me as well. If there isn't a clear contingency of what is and isn't allowed/expected, then people are going to test where those boundaries are. Especially if the choice is between doing something that they find engaging vs. something that may be important but isn't as immediately as captivating. Do you think that for older teens/young adults that it's better to set clear rules/expectations or to have discussions on time management, values/priorities and how they...

Great question Mahfuz What I find often is that parents are rewarding children for following rules, rather than setting up a system where the child has a consequence of losing whatever their personal currency is when they don't follow through with expectations. I suggest parents make a list, that is clear for the child to follow, that contains both personal responsibilities as well as chores that are required. This list can be discussed and created with the child. But some of the items are...

Hello again Elaine, I'm wondering if you could share a bit about how you help parents differentiate healthy and enthusiastic gaming from problem gaming? In the documentary, Jake mentioned that at one point he returned to gaming when telling his story. When coaching parents/caregivers, how do you approach this when young people return to gaming after quitting? Thanks again! Chloe

Thanks for your questions, Chloe. Q How would you help parents differentiate healthy and enthusiastic gaming from problem gaming? A Recreational gamers are able to self-regulate their gaming time. They play for short periods of time and understand there are many translatable skills that gaming offers such as problem solving, team dynamics, determination and tenacity, and micro and macro managing. These players still enjoy a variety of other activities outside of gaming. Escapers and High...

Very informative. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!

Thank you to all of you who posted questions over the past two day and thank you again Elaine for taking the time to join us online for this Q&A . Please note that if you are reading this after 5pm on May 7, 2021 this Q&A discussion is now closed. We asked Elaine where people could connect with her and find out more about her work: Website: https://eyespyhealth.ca/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shedd...videogamingaddiction LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaineuskoski/...

Welcome to our Q&A discussion with Elaine Uskoski. Over the next two days (May 6 & 7, 2021) we’ll be posting questions to Elaine about her and her son Jake’s story, as featured on recent CTV W5 feature, ‘Hooked’ a twenty-minute documentary about problem gaming in Canada. We invite you to watch the documentary by clicking here and join in our discussion on this thread below. Please remember to follow our Community Guidelines when posting and be considerate to others when posting your...