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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.

Screen time — and social media in particular — is linked to an increase in depressive symptoms in teenagers, according to a new study by researchers at Montreal's Sainte-Justine Hospital.

Conrod and her colleague, Elroy Boers, found that the increased symptoms of depression are linked to being active on platforms such as Instagram, where teens are more likely to compare their lives to glitzy images in their feeds.

The most surprising finding for Boers was that time spent playing video games was not contributing to depressive symptoms. The study suggests the average gamer is not socially isolated, with more than 70 per cent of gamers playing with other people either online or in person.

"I would almost compare it to smoking in the 1970s, where the very negative effects are still relatively unknown," said Boers.

Though depression can be debilitating at any age, when it is found in adolescents, it is also linked to substance use, lower self-esteem and poor interpersonal skills.

The researchers hope their research will be used by pediatricians and other health-care providers to help more effectively treat teens for depression.

Source: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada...ames-study-1.5211782

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