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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.

A recent article posted on NOW discusses how "Bell Let's Talk" day may actually be contributing to the mental health problem.

https://nowtoronto.com/news/th...ntal-health-problem/

Do you agree with this journalist? Disagree? Why or why not?

Looking forward to reading the discussion!

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With Bell ,there were Incredible Long-distance Bills many struggled to pay over decades of people calling family members and friends to talk about problems.

Way past time for Bell to send Billions to badly needed Mental Health Services.

I worked in Supportive Housing -where are the new buildings and Group Homes?Family and Friends often fall-away and abandon people who have problems or seem different or weird.

Been reading NOW Magazine since the start as a source of Free or Low-cost activities in Toronto. Some of the opinions have got me all riled-up,I wrote letters and never got published so I take them with a grain of salt.Generally,they cater to people who walk on the wild side.

Cheers, Miriam

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really don't think there is much substance to this article. Screen time, social media and all-the-time internet access is the reality of today. Not everyone abuses or is negatively affected by these mediums just as not every person who drinks is addicted to alcohol. I agree that there does seem to be some sort of shallowness to the campaign but it does get people talking. Moreover, I agree with the possible negative effects of these new communication mediums.

However, it is not as if this is the only campaign, the only resource, the only group, that is providing resources and supporting communities with mental health. Unless we are trying to restructure the entirety of our economy (shifting away from capitalism, thus eliminating the drive of private companies to couple profit with social investment) and we continue to elect governments that support austerity, shifting the social service sector towards private and non-profit markets, this is the landscape we must deal with. In an alternate reality, if no company was donating or making these concerted efforts, we would be blaming them for inaction. 

Funny enough, I am using my computer, reading this online article from a private company, that utilizes every media platform available that is being critiqued. I think that the content matters not just the medium! And Bell is creating helpful content! Oh, and by the way, I use Rogers

Aaron Cox posted:

I really don't think there is much substance to this article. Screen time, social media and all-the-time internet access is the reality of today. Not everyone abuses or is negatively affected by these mediums just as not every person who drinks is addicted to alcohol. I agree that there does seem to be some sort of shallowness to the campaign but it does get people talking. Moreover, I agree with the possible negative effects of these new communication mediums.

However, it is not as if this is the only campaign, the only resource, the only group, that is providing resources and supporting communities with mental health. Unless we are trying to restructure the entirety of our economy (shifting away from capitalism, thus eliminating the drive of private companies to couple profit with social investment) and we continue to elect governments that support austerity, shifting the social service sector towards private and non-profit markets, this is the landscape we must deal with. In an alternate reality, if no company was donating or making these concerted efforts, we would be blaming them for inaction. 

Funny enough, I am using my computer, reading this online article from a private company, that utilizes every media platform available that is being critiqued. I think that the content matters not just the medium! And Bell is creating helpful content! Oh, and by the way, I use Rogers

I completely agree Aaron! Bell is not to blame for mental health prevalence, stigma, and or self-esteem issues. It is merely a medium, as you put, a vessel by which content is delivered.

People like to make the argument that perhaps Bell is enabling mental health issues but perhaps it is also enabling change - which is exactly the purpose of the BellLetsTalk campaign.

For a campaign that brought in $7.2M in grants (800k being put towards Indigenous communities), not to mention the level of engagement they reached - just over 1B, it's hard to point the finger at them and say they are the problem when in fact they are doing everything right to be part of the solution. 

"If no company was donating or making these concerted efforts, we would be blaming them for inaction." Well-put. 

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 mental health. There definitely should be a focus on promoting digital wellbeing and literacy with both children and adults and how to mindfully notice and access help when tech leaves us feeling depleted or isolated (rather than connected and empowered).

I would add that Canada seems to be doing a much better job of funding mental health services (and corporate campaigns such as this) than the UK where I'm originally from and where social and public health services have been cut drastically to the point of almost being non-operational.

I know services always need funding and reducing stigma can feel tokenistic, but I definitely see my generation talking much more openly about mental health which is a great thing.

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