{"id":394731,"date":"2023-12-22T08:12:41","date_gmt":"2023-12-22T13:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/americas-school-counselors-say-vaping-gaming-are-tough-issues-for-kids-drugs-com-mednews\/"},"modified":"2023-12-23T05:44:48","modified_gmt":"2023-12-23T10:44:48","slug":"americas-school-counselors-say-vaping-gaming-are-tough-issues-for-kids-drugs-com-mednews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/americas-school-counselors-say-vaping-gaming-are-tough-issues-for-kids-drugs-com-mednews\/","title":{"rendered":"America’s School Counselors Say Vaping, Gaming Are Tough Issues for Kids – Drugs.com MedNews","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm<\/a>. Last updated on Dec 22, 2023.<\/span><\/p>\n

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter<\/p>\n

FRIDAY, Dec. 22, 2023 — Online gaming and vaping to the point of addiction have become widespread enough that most high school counselors regularly confront these behaviors in today\u2019s teens, a new survey shows.<\/p>\n

Four out of five counselors say they\u2019ve worked with at least one student during the past year who had struggled with problematic use of video games or e-cigarettes. However, few said they had the training necessary to adequately help their young charges, researchers found.<\/p>\n

\u201cSchool counselors are aware this is an issue, but it doesn’t seem like we’re providing the training as a profession so that they can address it,\u201d said principal investigator Amanda Giordano<\/a>, an associate professor in the University of Georgia\u2019s Mary Frances Early College of Education. \u201cThey’re seeking their own continuing education and self-study to learn how to meet these needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 41% of teens say they\u2019ve vaped nicotine<\/a> at some point in their lives, while 26% say they have vaped marijuana, researchers said in background notes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese are really distressing numbers because as a society, we\u2019ve worked hard to curb adolescent smoking<\/a> of combustible tobacco products,\u201d said Giordano. \u201cNow with vaping, we see those numbers going back up.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gaming addiction is also a growing problem, marked by compulsive behavior, a loss of control and cravings, researchers said. It was officially recognized as a disorder by the World Health Organization in 2019.<\/p>\n

For the study, researchers gathered data from 221 high school counselors in New York, Georgia and Washington.<\/p>\n

About 81% of the counselors had worked with a student with either a gaming or vaping problem during the previous year, results show.<\/p>\n

About 70% said that gaming issues increased during the pandemic, when kids were stuck at home with little to do.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese numbers are very compelling as they confirm a large majority of high school counselors are going to address vaping and gaming in their work,\u201d Giordano said.<\/p>\n

But counselors expressed uncertainty when asked if they were prepared to help these kids.<\/p>\n

Only 24% felt at least moderately competent addressing problematic gaming, while just 37% felt moderately prepared to counsel teens on vaping.<\/p>\n

Further, the counselors themselves ranked other issues ahead of gaming and vaping as more concerning, including mental illness, poor academic performance, suicidal thoughts, cyberbullying and self-injury.<\/p>\n

The study was published earlier this year in the International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The diversity of these issues highlights the importance of school counselors and the critical role they play in helping teens, Giordano said.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, training programs need to add recognizing and responding to addictive behaviors to the curriculum, Giordano said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI firmly believe that all counselors are addictions counselors — and school counselors are uniquely positioned to intervene early when it comes to addictive behaviors among youth,\u201d Giordano said.<\/p>\n

To confront gaming addiction, counselors should consider lessons aimed at educating students on the topic, teaching them warning signs of addictive behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, a lot of people are discussing advocacy for children and youth about digital media use,\u201d Giordano said. \u201cI think the risk of gaming addiction is an important part of that conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Sources<\/h2>\n