Tagged With "Media Impact"
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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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JGI Special Issue Now Available! The Converging Worlds of Gambling, Video Gaming and Technology Use
Editorial A few months ago, the Journal of Gambling Issues ( JGI ) announced that it was opening its doors to papers on other behavioral disorders and in particular to papers on video gaming. Video gaming is a rapidly growing industry that attracts a worldwide audience and therefore a worldwide impact, but few journals that specifically focus their attention on video gaming. According to a quick internet search, the worldwide video gaming industry is valued at $151.06 billion US in 2019 and,...
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Covid-19 impact on clinicians study
We are still conducting this survey. If you have not completed it and work with people with gambling problems please complete the following survey. Dr. Nigel Turner at CAMH is conducting a short survey aimed towards clinicians who help people with gambling problems. The purpose of the research is to better understand: how your clients have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how you have adapted your services in response to the pandemic. In addition, you will be asked questions about...
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YGAM report to MPs highlights online abuse of girl gamers
Sharing this interesting report from YGAM * about the experiences of girl gamers of a variety of ages. This report summarizes the experiences of harassment and misogyny experienced by gamers who are women in online gaming communities. The report sets out recommendations that will be presented to UK MPs on the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Video Games and E Sports about how to safeguard young women, educate parents and young boys about topics such as rape culture and discrimination. It's...
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Covid impact Survey
Dear EENet Connect members: Dr. Nigel Turner at CAMH is still conducting a short survey aimed towards clinicians who help people with gambling problems. The purpose of the research is to better understand: how your clients have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and how you have adapted your services in response to the pandemic. In addition, you will be asked questions about your educational, training and support needs to better serve your clients at this time. The survey will serve as...
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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: Interesting article on sports betting
Great article Steve. This quote caught my eye: “For adult fans who want to bet in legal markets on sports, have products and partners that serve them best in class and advance their experience,” Halpin said in a phone interview this offseason. “And on the flip side, don’t alienate the fan like my mother who doesn’t want sports betting in her national CBS broadcast.” I think it's interesting that they're thinking about how much they advertise it and the perception it might have. Like you...
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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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Childhood Experiences and Problematic Smartphone Use: Potential public health implications?
A recent study by Forster et al. (2021) looked at the impact of adverse childhood experiences (i.e. witnessing domestic violence, parent alcohol and drug use, etc) on problematic smartphone use later on in life. The authors conducted surveys on college students which explored their exposure to adverse childhood experiences and assessed their level of problematic smartphone use. They found that students with increased exposure to adverse childhood events were at greater risk for problematic...
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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 Gaming, Self-stigma and Addiction amongst people with Schizophrenia
In their study Chang et al (2021) looked at the mediating effects of online gaming on self-stigma amongst people with schizophrenia. Self-stigma in mental health is when an individual with a mental illness internalizes the stereotypes that society places on their mental illness. It has been shown to cause significant psychological distress such as anxiety and depression. Individuals with schizophrenia are thought to use technology to cope with these symptoms similar to how substances are...
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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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“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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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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Re: Extra! Extra! Canadian Gaming Summit folds and gets dealt a new hand!
I had attended one of their conferences years ago when GGTU was just starting out and they have so much swag that they gave away.
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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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Adverse Childhood Events, Emotional dysregulation and Gambling: A potential link?
Adverse Childhood Events (ACE) are negative experiences (such as abuse, neglect, dysfunctional household dynamics, and parental substance abuse, etc) during childhood that have been associated with different types of physical and mental conditions in adulthood. Researchers in Canada looked specifically at the impact of ACEs on gambling addictions in adulthood and looked at whether emotional dysregulation impacts this relationship. Emotional dysregulation is when an individual finds it...
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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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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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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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article about societal impact of tech overuse
I've come across an article that steps back from an individual addiction focus and looks at our societal level of addiction to technology and its possible consequences: https://www.tandfonline.com/do...3311908.2016.1157281 The article outlines two areas of concern: reduced productivity, and insufficient input to our neurocircuitry. For productivity, they call for more research examining the optimal level of technology use before the many distractions detract from human performance. For our...
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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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Re: Digital Burnout: How it May Impact Perceptions of Problem Technology Use
Great find on an important topic! Like you said, looking at PTU based on the amount of time appears even more inaccurate now. This strengths the idea that PTU involves looking at case by case and whether or not it is causing issues for people. For example, spending 8 hours a day streaming shows when you are unable to work or engage in your normal meaning activities due to COVID lockdowns has a very different level of impact compared to spending that same amount of time streaming when you now...
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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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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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Re: Problem Technology Use Article
A focus on involving family and friends in supporting behavioral concerns has been so important to clients who attend the agency I work for. Behavioural concerns, such as problem technology use, can deeply impact interpersonal relationships, so collaboration and adequate support for all involved makes a difference for people we serve.
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Health effects of gaming
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/the-health-effects-of-too-much-gaming-2020122221645 This article highlights some benefits as well as negative effects of gaming: They highlight that gaming can enhance feeling connected as well as helping adolescents with ADHD improve their thinking skills. They highlight the possible negative effects of gaming as repetitive stress or overuse injuries in hands or arms, obesity, vision problems, sleep deprivation, circadian rhythm disorders, anxiety,...
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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.
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
Given the scope of this topic area, it seems necessary to "focus on our focus" and attend to health aspects of PTU while keeping an eye on other aspects of PTU (such as technology, game design, business strategy and more).It seems that the concept of "balance" is critical. Exciting ways of conveying mental "balance" seems welcome for psychoeducation approaches. The premise is that if mental health is "in balance" then behavioral addiction or substance addiction will be less likely, less...
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Problematic Online Behaviors Among Gamers
Article posted for COI was: Rozgonjuk, Dmitri & Schivinski, Bruno & Pontes, Halley & Montag, Christian. (2022). Correction to: Problematic Online Behaviors Among Gamers: the Links Between Problematic Gaming, Gambling, Shopping, Pornography Use, and Social Networking. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Accessed May 16, 2022 at https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s11469-021-00590-3.pdf Three Bullet Points – How Article Relates to Gaming Behaviors listed...
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Effects of Video Gaming on Youth's behaviour and Mental Health
https://medium.com/invisible-illness/the-effects-of-video-gaming-on-young-peoples-behavior-and-mental-health-f6891ed4d952 This article makes a good connection between social learning theory and how video games can impact young peoples behavior. The article points out that through observational learning, youth may copy the behaviors of same sex model characters they see in video games. The article also references a study done by the Research Institute of Moral Education that suggested that...
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Mobile gaming and problematic smartphone use: A comparative study between Belgium and Finland
Mobile gaming and problematic smartphone use: A comparative study between Belgium and Finland - PMC (nih.gov) -The favorite type of gaming on smartphones was playing casual games rather than MMORPGs, which are considered more addictive games on PCs and consoles. These results are in line with other research iindicating social games, puzzle games, action, and strategy games are the most commonly played mobile games. -Downloading, using Facebook , and being stressed contributed to problematic...
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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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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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Social Media and Body Image
Social Media on Body Image: How Do Socials Affect Self-Image in Kids? (gabbwireless.com) - discusses how youth's body image is negatively impacted by the time they spend on social media comparing themselves to their peers, celebrities and complete strangers - the impact that these comparisons can have include body dysmorphia, depression, anxiety, insecurity and the development of eating disorders - all these issues can overlap with addictions and other areas that clinicians work in - article...
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Article on Twitter Changing Ownership
https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/twitter-elon-musk-deal-what-happens-to-twitter-now-rcna26069 How this could affect clients with problem social media use: 1) As this is something that can drastically change a major social media platform, there could be a spike in anxiety as people await the outcome of this business transaction. 2) Current speculations on what will occur if the transaction does go through is that the space will become more toxic and have more promotion of...
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Re: Phubbing
This is interesting - it grabbed my eye first because I had no idea what Phubbing was! I see this daily - I notice it at home a lot and see how it can be harmful to building relationships - and when I think about the way parental tech use can impact child development and attachment, it is something I need to pay more attention to. Thanks for sharing!
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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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How does social media impact our body image?
https://www.insider.com/guides/health/mental-health/how-social-media-affects-body-image This article reviews multiple studies about the influence of social media on body image - both positively and negatively. Some of the positive sides of social media included when more realistic images were shown, including comparisons to "touched up" photos. It can also be helpful when individuals are part of "body positive" movements on Instagram, women feel about their bodies, but they were also in...
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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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GGTU launches new digital newsletter
Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use has launched a new digital newsletter on our new GGTU website . We also have an online digital assessment survey . We want to hear from you about the topics we should be focusing on, and the types of resources and digital products we should be offering in the year ahead.
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Article: TikTok Is Flooded With Health Myths. These Creators Are Pushing Back.
This NYT article discusses the professionals who spend their time debunking health and mental health misinformation on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. We've also been seeing the role social media has played during the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of people's access to information (e.g., vaccine availability announcements) and misinformation (promoting sometimes harmful treatments that aren't evidence-informed). This article left me with a few questions about the role that...
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Webinar Replay! Bridging the Digital Divide to Optimize Health Outcomes and Experiences for Youth
On Thursday July 21, 2022, GGTU hosted the final installment of the three-part webinar series, The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions. Dr. Skye Barbic (UBC/Foundry) and Al Raimundo (Foundry BC) co-presented this latest webinar titled, Bridging the Digital Divide to Optimize Health Outcomes and Experiences for Youth . In this webinar, the speakers described the digital health needs of young people accessing youth mental health services and outlined current ways in...