Tagged With "social media"
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Re: Movies on problem gambling, gaming & tech use
Amazing @Registered Member! Thank you so much, I have already downloaded a copy (and attached here in case others are curious to check it out). Also, I would welcome an updated article.
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Webinar Recording (+ answers to your questions) - Teens and Smartphones
Thank you to all of you who came to this weeks' webinar: Teens and Smartphones: Exploring young peoples’ views of smartphone etiquette, ‘addiction’ and healthy tech use habits. You can watch a recording and download the slides here by toggling to the 'Archive' tab on this page (the recording begins around the five-minute mark). I answered several of your questions during the session but wasn't able to answer all questions so have tried to do so below. Thanks again to everyone who came, it...
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Gambling, meme stocks and social media - A convergence?
Recently there's been some interesting news around "meme stocks" like GameStop and others, which to some extent could be considered closer to gambling rather than investing. This article has a decent breakdown of the subject, although it's probably a bigger topic than a single article can cover. What's interesting is that this type of story is around a Gaming company and is fueled by social media (reddit, and in particular /r/wallstreetbets - which by its name, doesn't hide the...
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Re: Gambling, meme stocks and social media - A convergence?
Interesting article Mahfuz, thanks for sharing. I too have been following the meme stock phenomenon this past year.
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Serious games, mental health apps, and gambling disorder
The title of a recently published article, A Serious Game to Improve Emotion Regulation in Treatment-Seeking Individuals With Gambling Disorder: A Usability Study , peaked my interest for a few reasons. First, being part of a group of folks who design and create learning opportunities for mental health and addictions clinicians, we have talked about integrating "serious games" (broadly defined as games with educational or informational aims, vs. purely entertainment) into our course design.
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Re: Funding for Interventions
Hi Olive I can't find the original document but it is called Ontario's problem - gambling Strategy and it has been in existence since 1996. Since 1999, it has been funded by a formula of 2 percent of gross slot machine revenue from charity casinos and slots at racetracks. The Strategy has a three-pronged approach consisting of treatment, prevention/awareness and research. I have attached a review of the strategy that was conducted in 2005. You can also find some information about it at the...
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
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...
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Problem gaming & social media treatment research
For those of you who checked out the webinar, " What we know about treating problem gaming " in Late March this year (archive linked if you haven't!), the article the presentation was based on has just been published which you can find here . Some highlights: We reviewed 41 treatment studies for problem gaming, and did not find any for problem social media use. 8 studies were categorized as pharmaceutical, with Buproprion showing the most promise 26 studies were categorized as psychotherapy,...
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Book recommendation: 'The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains' by Nicholas Carr
For those of you interested in the ways technology affects our brain and behaviour, I highly recommend ' The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains' by Nicholas Carr . A new 2020 edition of this book has been published and it summarizes a lot of the key literature and thinking on how the internet has changed our attention and memory processing. I've been thinking and writing a lot about deep, focused work - which can feel like a lost art some days when we feel like we're being...
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Evidence Brief: Online Gambling!
Please check out a new Evidence Brief on Online Gambling! This brief will be of interest to those looking for an evidence-informed snapshot of online gambling content and availability, popularity, and associated problems. For those who work with people who may be experiencing problems with online gambling, this resource also has a short summary about evidence-based interventions. Here's a quick sneak peek! What you need to know • Online gambling (also commonly known as “Internet gambling”)...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
Interesting post! I will check out this book. Although I know I'm not personally ready to delete all my social media, I have consciously reduced engagement with platforms such as Facebook over time and also have felt the benefits. I have my doubts that we will see a social media-free future, especially as we navigate through a new reality where a continued or new pandemic(s) may threaten ability to gather and travel for long stretches of time. Social media provides easy ways of staying...
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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: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
I'm wondering what some of the arguments in the book are? I'm in a weird boat, where, I never got popular social media like FaceBook growing up (despite the peer pressure to do so) but grew up with everyone around me having it. I always felt that, even a decade ago, it was odd to put up your communications with everyone to see it vs. individualized messaging or communities (like specialized forums). I felt that amongst different friend groups, family members or work colleagues - they knew me...
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Re: Can jurisdictions effectively impose limits on videogame use by kids?
I saw a similar article earlier last month where Tencent, one of the larger Chinese video game companies, made a pledge that they would reduce play time for minors to an hour during weekdays and no more than two hours during vacations and holidays. They did this after Chinese state media made a comment about video games being “spiritual opium”. The company also implemented measures such as facial recognition systems for certain games to prevent kids from using their parents’ IDs to buy...
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JGI Spring Issue (47) Now Available -- Open Access!
Link to issue: https://jgi.camh.net/index.php/jgi/issue/view/347 Summary of article by Rogier et.al. (2021) in new JGI Spring Issue Preliminary studies indicate an increased frequency of gaming and social media use during the COVID-19 lockdown, possibly due to a rise in feelings of loneliness/social isolation. Rogier and colleagues conducted a longitudinal study in Rome, Italy, measuring self-reported feelings of loneliness, frequency of gaming, and social media use. A battery of...
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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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Technology Use and Bipolar Disorder: a Double-Edged Sword?
Research around technology use amongst individuals suffering from bipolar disorder (BPD) is still an emerging area of study. I recently came across a study that looked at how individuals with BPD use technology and how they perceive its impacts on their mental health. Some interesting points around both the positive and negative effects of technology use in this population were brought up. For example the authors found that technology use worsened or even “triggered” symptoms of mania or...
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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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“Addicted” to Social Media? Does Empathy play a role?
How does empathy relate to social media addiction? Well a study conducted in 2020 looked at the association of empathy and social media addiction amongst high school students. They also looked at another hypothesis (which is not discussed here). Empathy was defined as “the skill to comprehend and share other’s emotions and feelings ”. The authors acknowledged that empathy has both a cognitive component (i.e. understanding another person’s emotions) and an affective component (i.e. the...
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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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Canada-focused resources for keeping youth safe online
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has two excellent resources for parents, caregivers and professionals who would like more information about keeping children and youth safe online. Protectkidsonline.ca has a range of information covering issues such as cyberbullying , exploitation , healthy relationships and online boundaries. This site also separates information by age brackets so information is tailored for children and young people aged 5-7, 8-10, 11-12 and 13-15 years.
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Extra! Extra! Canadian Gaming Summit folds and gets dealt a new hand!
SBC is acquiring the long-running Canadian Gaming Summit , Canada’s premier annual conference and trade show for land-based and igaming professionals, from current joint owners the Canadian Gaming Association and MediaEdge Communications. This will all take place on June 7-9, 2022, Metro Toronto Convention Centre in downtown Toronto. Click here for the full article and how this might change our industry and the Igaming sector. What is the igaming sector you ask? Read Here.
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Social media companies could be held accountable for their negative impacts on children
Photo by Ravi Sharma on Unsplash There is rising concern over the impacts of social media on children and teenagers. Lawmakers in California recently proposed a Bill to target Social Media companies and their role in negatively impacting the mental health of children and teenagers. Bill 2408 the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act was created to help protect these vulnerable groups. Currently in the United States, Social Media companies cannot legally be held responsible for the...
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The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021-22
Common Sense Media have published their annual report from a large-scale, national survey of U.S teens and tweens on their media use habits. The report compares media use by teens and tweens before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the report, the authors present some recommendations for caregivers and parents as well as policymakers about healthy and safe media use for young people. Below are some key findings from the report: Media use in tweens and teens has grown faster since the...
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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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Re: Gambling and advertising: Should there be more regulations?
My short answer is yes, including the way that media reports on when people win the lottery jackpots. They potentially propagate gambling myths by saying things such as: they won by playing the same numbers for the past 36 years and you could be next, or they picked their numbers by using birthdays and anniversary dates and it finally paid off. This gives people a message that they can somehow influence the outcome of the game. There is lots more to say but I will leave it at this for now.
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Re: Gambling and advertising: Should there be more regulations?
The point about regulating how the media reports on lottery jackpots really resonated with me. In my opinion there is a disproportionate emphasis on winners and not enough emphasis on the likelihood of loss which skews people's perspective on their chances of winning. That being said I don't know how popular a news segment would be if they are mostly speaking about people who lost
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Re: Gambling and advertising: Should there be more regulations?
And that's why they don't report losses. Its just not appealing. Not that they should have to, but stop feeding into the myths about the actual chances of winning. I know that Dr Nigel Turner from CAMH recently did a series of media interviews on gambling and did mention his research on Knowledge of random events and chance in people with gambling problems. https://www.tandfonline.com/do...4459795.2021.2014930 But we are dealing with the gaming industry which is a big fish in the pond.
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Digital Burnout: How it May Impact Perceptions of Problem Technology Use
Digital Burnout: COVID-19 Lockdown Mediates Excessive Technology Use Stress by Sharma Manoj Kumar, Anand Nitin, Ahuja Shikha, Thakur Pranjali Chakraborty, Mondal Ishita, Singh Priya, Kohli Tavleen, Venkateshan Sangeetha View the article here Discussions of how events of the Covid-19 pandemic might impacts various areas of human life have been a hot topic for debate over the previous 2 years. With outbreak numbers stabilizing and the resuming of "normal" daily activities more recently,...
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Re: Digital Burnout: How it May Impact Perceptions of Problem Technology Use
"Clinically, either ourselves or those we serve may not be aware of the difference in our use behaviours and patterns from 2 short years ago. In other words, what was once "high" technology use may now be necessary to complete daily tasks." - Such a great point, Rachel! I think your commentary is spot on. I've been thinking a lot about ways we "measure" or ask clients about their technology use and trying to determine when it becomes harmful. Our latest "Youth, Smartphones and Social Media"...
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Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
Article Link: https://www.centreformentalhea...eoples-mental-health This article explores the impact of social media on youth mental health. It notes that social media use can result in "urges" to check accounts to experience the instant gratification/dopamine hit from "likes" and comments. It notes that if the instant gratification is not available, a person may scroll their feeds until they receive that feeling, or they will internalize it, which may manifest as loneliness and anxiety.
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
I find it useful to be aware of when I'm looking for gratification in my own tech usage. Love this idea of training students about the risks inherent in social media, that kind of primary prevention is just golden.
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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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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
The urges absolutely happen! I myself can go through phases where I am more mindful then others. I see many people as well in my personal life/ work life feeling the need to "check their phone". Great to discuss from an early age when its a "good time" to review your social media/ phone as to when it may be more beneficial to absorb the moment we are in.
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Social medial and your mental health
https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health Information that may be relevant to PTU Social media platforms may be contributing to decrease in other aspects of life such as sleep and interests ADLs Anxiety for checking social media too often in fear of missing out/ if there is positive or negative comments associated with your profile Depression, Self- Esteem, increase negative thoughts of self worth based on comparison and unrealistic...
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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: Social medial and your mental health
This example is particularly relevant to the youth population that I work with. Many clients have expressed a fear of missing out when they are not near their phones or unable to check in with their friends due to issues with their devices. I have also come across clients that have poor self esteem and report finding themselves lost in social media applications like instagram often.
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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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Social media break improves mental health
https://www.bath.ac.uk/announcements/social-media-break-improves-mental-health-new-study/ Results of a UK study that asked participants to take a week-long break from social media improved individuals’ overall level of well-being, as well as reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety. 154 adults ( aged 18 to 72) who used social media every day were randomized to: 1. intervention group= asked to stop using all social media for one-week 2. control group= continue scrolling as normal Even those...
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Socially Silent: my relationship with social media
Socially Silent: my relationship with social media - Siena Wescott-Toi | TEDxYouth@Haileybury I think this video is helpful reminder for all who use social media, but especially for teens. 1. Over the pandemic, we've seen an overall increase in tech use, which has been helpful in the short-term to manage our frustrations with the current state of the world. The presenter, reflects on her own social media use as helping her to escape, which I think we can all relate to. This relates to my...
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
Social media can have both positive and negative influences on individuals, especially teens who are very impressionable. Social media can fill the void of socialization that is missed by some. It also has the ability to bring people closer together. On a larger scale, I can see how some people shift to relying on social media as one of their own means of connection. I appreciate how the article explores both.