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The Implications of Gaming Disorder being classified in the ICD-11

According to the World Health Organization, Gaming Disorder is defined in the draft 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) as a pattern of gaming behavior (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests […]

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The Unemployed and Video Game Addiction: New Trends in the Workforce

“Video games are addictive, I know if I have a few hours I will be rewarded,” Christopher said, a 22-year-old video gamer. “With a job, it’s always been up in the air with the amount of work I put in and the reward.” Christopher represents a group of video-game-loving Americans who, according to new research, […]

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What parents can do to cut screen-time in children

Parents often ask what they can do to limit their children’s use of screen devices. I have talked much before about the dangers of too much screen time among children. They need to go outside and play, but many don’t know how to play without using a digital device. Here are six tips that may […]

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What is RESTORE RECOVERY ™ to assess and treat Internet addition?

The Internet Addiction Toolkit is designed for counselors and therapists from a variety of backgrounds. It is a comprehensive training program with key features such as assessment tools, handouts, research articles, and worksheets that you can integrate into your counseling practice. I developed the program because I received questions from so many health and mental […]

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Addicted to Fantasy Sports Games is Real

Lately, I have received numerous calls from reporters to patients about the addiction to fantasy sports sites – especially to the latest in daily fantasy sports sites. Wow, instead of waiting an entire season, they can now achieve immediate gratification in winning each day, much like an addiction to gambling and betting. When considering the […]

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Children and Media Addiction: What Parents Should Know

In its 2013 policy statement on “Children, Adolescents, and the Media,” the American Academy of Pediatrics cited these shocking statistics from a Kaiser Family Foundation study in 2010: “The average 8- to 10-year-old spends nearly eight hours a day with a variety of different media, and older children and teenagers spend more than 11 hours […]

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Does Internet addiction make it easier for ISIS to use video games to recruit soldiers?

ISIS has been recruiting in new and strategic ways using video games to lure in children and teenagers. Game players in general can utilize ISIS-based games to recruit soldiers. ISIS supporters are distributing a sickening video game that allows users to play the role of Islamic extremists on a mission to murder Westerners. Supporters of […]

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Smartphone Addiction a Growing Problem

In Taiwan, pediatricians and psychiatrists have categorized Internet and electronic device addiction as an “emerging pediatric disease,” citing a four-year-old boy who is a heavy user of tablets and experiences withdrawal symptoms when not able to use the devices. According to the Taiwan Internet Addiction Prevention Association, children exposed to electronic devices at an early […]

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Should video games be considered a collegiate sport? I say No…

Last week, I was flying home from Germany where I met with my research colleagues at the University of Duisburg-Essen. We held an entire symposium on Internet addiction including cybersex addiction, social media addiction, and Internet gaming addiction – an especially potent addiction in countries such as Korea, China, and Taiwan. Imagine my surprise when, […]

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What the US can learn from China and Korea to treat Internet Addiction

China estimates it has over 20 million Internet addicts and became one of the first countries to declare the affliction a clinical disorder, prompting the World Health Organization to recognize Internet addiction. In the DSM-5, Internet Gaming Addiction is only recognized in Section 3 as a condition for further study. In China, people who spend […]

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