Gambeling

1. Children and digital technologies:Is the risk for addiction real?Qualitative research among elementary schools of Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy) • Krzysztof SZADEJKO, Chiara VALLINI, Andrea ASCARI, Elena COPELLI • Modena (Italy)

2. Compulsive shopping Gambeling The Context New Addictions Compulsivity Eating disorder Cybersex New technologies addiction

3. Are kids too wired for their own good?

4. 1° Pilot study Modena and Province .Pavullo Krzysztof Szadejko Institute for Advanced Study and Research “Donald J. Ottenberg” Modena (Italy) Maria Stella Padula– University of Modena and Reggio Emilia Faculty of General Medicine Paola Piancone Family Doctor

5. AIM OF STUDY Explore the phenomenon of digital technologies addiction among adolescents in Modena city and Province.

6. METHOD * The Italian Society of Intervention on Compulsive Disorders (scales are not diagnostic)

7. Sample N=182 High school students, age 14-19 years old

8. RESULTS Video games Internet Cell phone TV Low Medium High

9. Differences in gender Video games note. p<.05

10. Differences among grades Video games note. p<.05

11. Differences among grades TV note. p<.05

12. First remarks We identified the presence of the “problematic use” of digital technologies phenomenon a on the territory of Modena and Province.Males were more video games "addicted“ than females. The pupils of the first two years (14-15 years)were more video games and TV "addicted“ than older students.

13. 2° StudyModena and Province .Nonantola Krzysztof Szadejko Institute for Advanced Study and Research “Donald J. Ottenberg” Modena (Italy) Maria Stella Padula– University of Modena and Reggio Emilia Faculty of General Medicine Nadia Lugli Pediatrician Stefania Massuras Family Doctor

14. AIM OF STUDY Identify processes that develop a problematic use of digital technologies.Explore the risk perception of using digital technologies.

15. METHOD Questionnaire –Tech Style Behavior (TSB): • Examines psychological correlates linked to digital addiction 20 Focus Groups

16. Sample N=229 age 10-19 years old

17. 20 Focus Group (FG) about 20 hours of recordings 5-6 hours for each transcription an average of 12 pages (Times New Roman 12p, line spacing 1) for each one file audio an average of 100 codes for each FG total 1977 coded segments CAQDAS-Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software Database

18. RESULTS note. p<.05

19. Differences among school levels Video games note. p<.05

20. What are processesthat develop the problematic use of the digital technologies?

21. what are reasons to use? Outpouring - Utility – Communication - Hobby what are the factors that are perceived by adolescents as causes of addiction? when used moderately Parents absence present, “involved” Time excessive moderated timidity, introversion, lack of self-control Personality “strong character” Risk perception awareness of the risks lack of awareness of the risks Risk of addiction No problem Physical what possible problems? Behavioral/Social Psychological *

22. How is perceived the risk of digital addiction among adolescents?

23. how is percieved the risk? refers to whom? refers to whom? Oneself Low High Others which devices are considered more dangerous? when it is perceived as low when they are present and involved particularly when they are absent Parents Videogames TV why dangerous? Risk factor “new Generations” Affect the perception and behavior what are the consequences? Alteration of the boundaries Real / Virtual Aggressiveness Physical disorders Difficulty sleeping

24. Quotations of adolescents "When I’m angry, when something gets wrong, I play video games five hours and I'm in another world, waiting that it will pass away." ***"I think we should talk more about it, because when we talk about addiction we mean “drugs”, in truth… in my opinion… digital addiction is a quite serious as the problem.” ***"These guys who stay so much time playing video games after a while 'go crazy. They don’t realize to be in the real world, they think they are in a digital... in the virtual world and not in the real one. "

25. Second remarks To have and to use digital devices does not necessarily lead to the “digital addiction", but certainly increases the likelihood of problematic use, the absence of parents, no rules andno parents’ control. The perception of the risk is low in relation to oneself, on the contrary, it is perceived high in relation to younger children. The low risk perception is a risk factor.

26. 3° Studio Modena, Parma e Piacenza Krzysztof Szadejko Institute for Advanced Study and Research “Donald J. Ottenberg” Chiara Vallini Institute of Education and Formation “Giuseppe Toniolo” Andrea Ascari Director CEIS Formazione Elena Copelli Psychologist – CEIS Parma

27. AIM OF STUDY The purposes of this research were: to explore the use of digital technologies by children 6-11 years old to find the possible presence of problematic use of “digital technologies" among elementary school pupils

28. METHOD N=324 age6-10 years old

29. 30 Focus Group (group interviews) 24 h 18’ file audio 5-6 hours of transcription (quite 180 h) 316 pages (Times New Roman 12p, line spacing 1) 134 481 words an average of 60 codes for each FG total 1813 coded segments CAQDAS-Computer Assisted Qualitative Data Analysis Software Data base

30. RESULTS what risk factors are associated with the use of digital devices? overusing loneliness no rules/older cousins violent video games TV in sleeping room watching TV early in the morning “XXX” websites videogames on line many hours a day devastating emotional impact of violent video games inability to recognize, define & handle negative emotions personal profile on Facebook age! nightmares excessive use elecromagnetic waves what possible problems? Risk of compulsive behavior

31. Quotations of children • C: On average, how many hours a day are you watching TV?M1: Six hours.C: Six hours?M2: I do not! I’m watching only three hours.M3: Only three.M4: Four hours!M5: One or two.(...)M5: It’s my brother who watches TV all day!C: Your brother? And how old is he?M6: Six.C: And when do you start watching TV? At what moment of the day?M7: I just come home from the school, then, I take off my shoes, I throw myself on the couch and turn on the TV!M8: I’m watching TV even in the morning, during my breakfast ...

32. RESULTS what risk factors are associated with the use of digital devices? overusing loneliness no rules/older cousins violent video games TV in sleeping room watching TV early in the morning “XXX” websites videogames on line many hours a day devastating emotional impact of violent video games inability to recognize, define & handle negative emotions personal profile on Facebook age! nightmares excessive use elecromagnetic waves what possible problems? Risk of compulsive behavior

33. Quotations of children • C: I was just wondering, until what time are you playing video games on the evening? • M3: When my cousin comes to my home to sleep one night and my parents go to sleep, we go to another room and when we are sure that my parents are sleeping, I take secretly my video games and we play until 2 am and then we fall asleep. • C: Until two in the morning? • M3: Yes then we fall asleep. • M4: What a bummer! I fall asleep at 3 am!

34. RESULTS what risk factors are associated with the use of digital devices? overusing loneliness no rules/older cousins violent video games TV in sleeping room watching TV early in the morning “XXX” websites videogames on line many hours a day devastating emotional impact of violent video games inability to recognize, define & handle negative emotions personal profile on Facebook age! nightmares excessive use elecromagnetic waves what possible problems? Risk of compulsive behavior

35. Quotations of children C: What do you think, it is right that your parents should control you?! M4: Yeah. M2: Yeah. M: Yes. M7: Noooooooo! M5: Yes that's right! M7: Oh, give me a break!!! M5: Why not? ... Imagine that there are some web sites, like… I went on... Well, I saw images of ... Well, sexual ... Which are not for me! C: That is? M5: Well, porn pictures! Yeah, they were not for me! C: And what happened next? M5: And then, huh ... and I have not looked at them, I immediately click on the cross and went out! M1: What was it about?! M2: Come on! Where?! M8: Sesso.it ... Ha, ha … M3: Vincenzo! Stop it!! C: Did you tell this to your mom? M5: Yes C: Ok.

36. RESULTS what risk factors are associated with the use of digital devices? overusing loneliness no rules/older cousins violent video games TV in sleeping room watching TV early in the morning “XXX” websites videogames on line many hours a day devastating emotional impact of violent video games inability to recognize, define & handle negative emotions personal profile on Facebook age! nightmares excessive use elecromagnetic waves what possible problems? Risk of compulsive behavior

37. Quotations of children 11 years old C: Let’s talk about cell phone .. Do you have any?F: Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!C: Yours personal?F: Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!C: All of you?F: Yeahhhhhhhhhhhh!!! (...)C: Ok ... so all of you have a personal cell phone... with the SIM card?F: Yes!!!C: Yes?F4: Yes, but my parents do not recharge it. Never! I have to steal their SIM card ...(...)C: How do you use your cell phone?F7: I use the phone to play games, for the internet or Wi-Fi and ... to listen songs, to look at the pictures...C: So, you use the cell phone to connect on line too, isn’t it?F5: Yes. I use it to play games, to take pictures, to look at things, and to call ... (…)

38. RESULTS what risk factors are associated with the use of digital devices? overusing loneliness no rules/older cousins violent video games TV in sleeping room watching TV early in the morning “XXX” websites videogames on line many hours a day devastating emotional impact of violent video games inability to recognize, define & handle negative emotions personal profile on Facebook age! nightmares excessive use elecromagnetic waves what possible problems? Risk of compulsive behavior

39. Quotations of children M2: When I see the covers of violent games, such as those with guns and weapons, then I feel that during the night I dream that stuff. C: Let me understand: You've dreamed things related to the game? Who dreamed during the night to shoot, fight, kill the protagonists of the game? (7 out of 12 guys have had these dreams). M4: It happened to me a bad dream, I dreamed that I was in the middle of the war, as it is now in Sirya and then… they destroyed everything. I dreamed I was in a street where around every corner there were bad people who are destroying and then they’ve caught, and then they have dissolved me in acid. M5: I have dreamed the soldiers who wanted to kill me, I tried to hide myself, but another soldier with the parachute found me and shot me in the heart. C: It has happened in the dream, isn’t it, or in the game? M5: Yes, yes, in the dream. Then, when I woke up, I was afraid.

40. Third remarks 1. The absence of parental rules seems to be the major problematic element linked to the "digital intoxication" 2. Children on average spend about 4 hours a day using digital advices, in extreme cases even exceeding six hours, especially on weekends. 3. About 65% of children have TV and other electronic devices in the sleeping room. This exposes them to a risk of problematic use. 4. Although sporadically, but it was found among 10-11 years old males the suspect use of the internet, that means some of them navigate on websites with explicit contents (porno websites). 5. A number of 10-11 years old females already have a personal profile on Facebook justifying the fact with the desire to communicate and create a network of friends. 6. The males show a greater interest in video games than females, what predisposes them rather to isolation. 7. Some of the children 8-9 years old have reported the experience of nightmares related to the violent videogames that have caused emotional trauma.

41. CONCLUSIONS Children and digital technologies: Is the risk for addiction real? Hikikomori phenomenon Digital Detox Programs TC for teenagers with the pathological digital technologies use Prevention and New Researches

42. The future is digital, get set for it !

43. Thank Youk.szadejko@gruppoceis.org Acknowledgments Andrea ASCARI, Chiara VALLINI, Daria VELLANI, Maria Stella PADULA, Paola PIANCONE, Stefania MASSURAS, Nadia LUGLI, Alessandra GENZIANI, Daniela ROSSETTI, Elena COPELLI, Simona MOLLICA, Roberto SACCHETTI www.ceisformazione.eu

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45. Digital addiction: • Is it real or a symptom • of other problems?

46. Future researches The use of violent video games in relation to the nightmares of children aged 6-12 years. "Digital technologies parenting styles and their impact on adolescent’s behavior and personality."