Play is an important part of youth development and includes many benefits such as developing imagination, cognitive processing, problem solving, and social skills. One prominent youth play is gaming. Did you know that over 2 billion people in the world play video games and up to 4% of gamers are currently addicted to playing video games (3.05%). Are you familiar with the most addictive games and Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) (Petry, 2019)? Attend this session to learn 12 factors of possible risk factors of IGD (i.e., stress, long game time, bullying) (Pew Research Center, 2022) and healthy gaming tips.

Presenter: Dr. Deborah G. Haskins, LCPC, MAC, ICGC-II, CCGSO, BACC, CGT

Learning Objectives:

1. Review youth gaming trends and most addictive youth video games.
2. Identify 12 possible risk factors of Internet Gambling Disorder.
3. Review youth gaming prevention tips and identify 2 resources for treatment, prevention, and outreach.