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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 "problem tech use"

Discussion Topic

Adult Problem Gambling Evidence-informed Web Content

Registered Member ·
Just in case you haven't heard, we recently posted a new evidence-informed web section on adult problem gambling . Learn about problem gambling in adults aged 18 years of age and older, the latest research evidence and tips for applying the evidence in your clinical practice. This is part of our evidence-informed practice web content on a variety of topics related to problem gambling and technology use. To read more, visit: https://learn.problemgambling.ca/eip
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Re: Teens in Urban Regions Are More Likely To Experience Problem Video Gaming

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, @Registered Member. This is based on the results of one article, so it may be possible that other studies looking at the differences in problem video gaming between teens in urban and rurals regions could yield different results depending on the region, access to technology and offline activities available, among many factors. And thanks @Registered Member, I agree that it would be vital to educate students (and parents/guardians) about gambling, video...
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Re: Teens in Urban Regions Are More Likely To Experience Problem Video Gaming

Registered Member ·
Great question @Registered Member. I wonder as gaming and smart phone use get more recognition, there will be more references in pop culture, which will in turn bring more awareness to the issues. Just this month in GQ magazine, there was an article on cutting back on smart phone use that included several practical strategies including turning your phone to grey scale. Apparently seeing apps/pictures/games etc in grey scale is less appealing and people were found to reduce their phone screen...
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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: Cashing in on Mental Health?

Registered Member ·
This is a good article! Thanks Howie. CAMH has also advocated for closing hours and to not allow casinos to stay open for 24 hours. We have some other policy statements available here: https://learn.problemgambling.ca/policy
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Re: Inventory of Gambling Situations mobile app now available

Registered Member ·
That's good to hear! This is a great tool for identifying situations that can lead to gambling. If you work with people with gambling problems, you should check out the webinar mentioned above.
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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: Gambling for Shoes?

Registered Member ·
I am shaking my head over this one. As gambling is defined as “risking money or something of value on the outcome of an event involving chance when the probability of winning or losing is less than certain”. I would consider this ‘gambling’. Would this fall under the pervue of OLG or AGCO for follow-up? Interesting this article (referenced in the first article) speaks to the game being rigged. If it is proven to be rigged, I wonder about the fall-out, if any, for the gaming industry?
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Re: Gambling for Shoes?

Registered Member ·
Interesting for sure. I would call it a form of "recreational gambling" although $5 a pop seems very high. I agree it could become a potentially risky activity for people who are more vulnerable - quite a few in Queen West!
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Re: Gambling for Shoes?

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing the article about the lawsuit @Registered Member. It will be interesting to see whether the game has some element of skill, and whether the advertisements about it were truthful. I agree with both @Registered Member and @Registered Member that this is a form of unregulated gambling. I find it interesting how forms of gambling evolve over time and how they are now popping up outside of casinos.
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Re: Sleep problems in teenagers reversed in just one week by limiting screen use

Registered Member ·
Might be worth investigating what else the teens are doing in their newly found 4 hours of time not sitting in front of a screen. If they are exercising, that might be the reason they are sleeping better, rather than blue light avoidance.
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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: Blog: A Health Communication Campaign to Address Gambling Among College Students

Registered Member ·
Thanks Tiffany! Interesting blog. Really hits home the need to: 1. Develop different communications for different needs/audiences (i.e. some featuring slot machines and others sports betting); and 2. The importance of involving the target audience in the design, testing and evaluation of the communication strategy in order to minimize potential unintended negative consequences.
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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: 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: How to Improve Screening for Problem Gambling - Recruiting for Concept Mapping Study

Registered Member ·
hi, do you have a website that your call could be linked to? This is because eenetconnect is a closed/shielded site which is not friendly to www interactivity beyond it's wall. thanks as useful project. Bill
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Re: How to Improve Screening for Problem Gambling - Recruiting for Concept Mapping Study

Registered Member ·
Hi Bill, Thanks for the info, sorry as a new user, I was unaware of that. Information about the call and the study can be found at https://www.guilcherlab.com/re...t-opportunities.html and https://learn.problemgambling.ca/eip/poverty . Thanks again, Lauren
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Re: Teens in Urban Regions Are More Likely To Experience Problem Video Gaming

Registered Member ·
I am located in a rural county of Ontario with no access to transportation and a high rate of low income families who struggle to have access to sport available in our community, having said that you would think that problematic video game use would be more of an issue for the youth in our rural areas.
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Re: Teens in Urban Regions Are More Likely To Experience Problem Video Gaming

Registered Member ·
I like your idea Tiffany of adding safer gaming practices into curriculum with safer gambling information. I also think that there is a need for a paired curriculum for parents/guardians on both of these topics, especially as technology use is so ubiquitious. I wonder how influential overall wellness and mental health education would be at addressing some of those underlying issues and how students would respond if the curriculum not only taught safer gambling and gaming practices, but...
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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: Adolescent Problem Gambling

Registered Member ·
One more thing I forgot to mention - we also have our latest handbook entitled Adolescent Problem Gambling: A Prevention Guide for Parents now available on our website in both English and French .
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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: Is Screen Time Hurting Your Heart?

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing. As a mom with an adult son who is now 14 months detoxed from gaming, I can't say enough about how much exercise played a huge part in getting into recovery and continuing it with success for my son. It not only helps with keeping his heart healthy but also gives him the dopamine high he was addicted to with gaming. He is still working hard at keeping the balance as his work in in a maintenance software company doesn't provide the needed movement and cardio. He uses a...
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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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Re: Cell Phones in Classrooms

Registered Member ·
Thanks for the suggestion of the video Elaine! She had some interesting facts and stats. I found her graphs about prevalence of anxiety and the 50% saturation of smartphone use eye opening. Colleeen's point, of parents wanting to be able to get a hold of their children anytime necessary and of chidlren as young as grade 2 or 3 getting phones is also interesting. I wonder if GenX'ers are passing their anxiety down to their children and that is getting transmitted via the need to be in...
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Re: Canucks players put in video game ban on the road

Registered Member ·
Interesting that the team managment must have been seeing a negative impact on the players from their tech use. I am so curious as to what was happening that brought them to this place. Wouldn't that be a great study? The impact of video gaming on professional athletes? I wonder though, if this will merely force their playing to be covert? Also, they have restrictions on their movements ie curfews so I wonder if they are being offered alternatives on how to use their down time while in hotel...
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Re: YouTube stars talk about experiencing burnout

Registered Member ·
Technology seems to be coming faster, with growing demand. I hope we eventually find a more meaningful and balanced approach, while still appreciating all that it offers us. These kinds of stories are a good start.
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Re: Just Released: Journal of Gambling Issues, issue no. 40

Registered Member ·
Excellent. Looking forward to reading these articles!
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Re: INQBOARD: Older Adults & Problem Gambling

Registered Member ·
Thank you for this Kim. I love the infographic and was enticed to read the report. It was interesting to note: “Casinos have been shown to use marketing and services targeted specifically at older adults. These services include free transportation from older adult living facilities, low cost food and alcohol, needle disposals for diabetes sufferers and defibrillators, and entertainment options directed towards older adults, including recording artists from the 1960s and 1970s (Bjelde,...
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Re: INQBOARD: Older Adults & Problem Gambling

Registered Member ·
This is a great resource @Registered Member! Thanks so much for sharing. The original research that is featured in this infographic was published in issue no. 39 of our Journal of Gambling Issues. This issue featured a special section on gambling in older adults, which you can read here .
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Re: Patterns of compulsive smartphone use suggest how to kick the habit

Registered Member ·
One year ago today, while ill and in quarantine for weeks, after returning from a vacation quite ill, I found myself becoming far too dependent on my phone because I felt so isolated. And I realized that this wasn't the beginning of my phone dependency. Through the years my son was struggling through the toughest part of his video gaming addiction recovery, I continually checked my phone for messages from him. He needed a lot of support. And I was never far from my phone. It was during that...
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Re: Introduction to Problem Gambling: Phase One online course

Registered Member ·
https://www.eenetconnect.ca/g/...g-and-technology-use >>> EENet Connect < alerts@hoop.la > 8/26/2019 4:22 PM >>>
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Re: CTV interview Should addiction to video games be considered a disease?

Registered Member ·
This is an article that features the concerns some scholars have about gaming being included in the ICD-11: "Scholars' open debate paper on the World Health Organization ICD-11 Gaming Disorder proposal"
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Re: CBC News Article: Tech companies encourage us to be smart about phones

Registered Member ·
Thanks for sharing this article, Tiffany. I think tracking and monitoring usage is a good first step to increasing self awareness around the possibility of over-usage and can allow people to start questioning whether their level of use is causing problems at all. There are also other apps (e.g., Rescue Time, Cold Turkey, Self Control, etc.) that help capture this info and/or allow users to block certain websites to help minimize use.
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Thanks Tiffany - I think the bi-directional nature of the relationship between parent technology use and child behavioural problems is an important consideration. Parents with children with behavioural problems would likely benefit from understanding, support and opportunities to learn positive coping skills for their own high stress levels.
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Hi Tiffany, this is fascinating. Thank for posting! Can you elaborate briefly on what they meant by devices "that interrupt activities with their child on a daily basis." How can a device 'interrupt' an activity, particularly an interpersonal activity? Even a quick example would be great. Thanks!
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Re: Research on Parent-Child "Technoference"

Registered Member ·
Thanks for your question, Sylvia. According to the authors, the term technoference was coined by McDaniel and Coyne (2016) and refers to interruptions in interpersonal interactions or time spent together due to technology. This can include sending texts or emails, checking your phone or social media, and even picking up a phone call or answering a text during a conversation with your child (although this is not limited just to the parent-child relationship but to other relationships in your...
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