ABOUT
THE PROJECT
The internet has become an integral part of children and young people’s lives. However, the increased time spent online is prompting questions about whether they are in control of their internet usage and if they are aware of the side effects and the causes of the maladaptive behaviours related to excessive Internet use.
Recent European research analysis has shown that it is not always or not only the time spent online that makes internet use problematic and ‘excessive’, but the impact of internet use on what might be called a ‘balanced life’.
Excessive online exposure may affect physical health, children’s ability to stay focused leading to poor school or academic performance negatively impacts their emotional well-being and it may also be related to lower empathy and social well-being or abstention from physical and offline social interactions.
The GameOFF project will develop a serious game that will be used to promote a more conscious attitude towards modification of Internet addition activities.
AIMS
GameOFF has as primary objective to produce approaches and tools to help those working with young people reach out to them with a view to help them adopt a balanced approach to technology use by gaining a deeper understanding and interpretation of causes, risks, and effects of constant online commitment and by identifying and reacting to addictive formulas.
ACTIVITIES
The main objective will be achieved through the following activities leading to concrete results:
– Elaborate and validate a training approach to train youngsters on the identification and interpretation of causes, risks, and effects of constant online commitment based on personalised user profiles.
– Investigate the extent to which Internet use is similar or varies across the participating countries.
– Design and develop a serious game based on the training approach which will be used by trainers to support the young trainees in their journey towards screen time moderation.
– Design campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of a balanced approach to media and technology.
– Reach out to youth trainers and youth organisations with the aim of increasing smart and thoughtful and focused use of technology.
– Develop and test a set of ‘best practices’ & recommendations.
BENEFITS
Adopt a balanced attitude towards media and technology.
Prioritize focusing on a single task and not multitasking in educational, work, or social contexts.
Recognize the importance of face-to-face communication, in addition to online communication, in supporting rich social relationships.
Apply a thoughtful and intentional use of social media and technology.
RESULTS
At the completion of the project, results will comprise:
– Support of an online network to promote communication and reflection between users from different countries: on the one-hand with Internet addition researchers, therapists, youth trainers, etc, allowing them to exchange opinions and experiences; and on the other hand, young people with excessive internet activity allowing them to experiment with different Internet addiction modification/withdrawal strategies.
– Increase awareness to the research community, youth organizations, health associations, educations, and general population.
– Support new teaching methodologies and pedagogical strategies by adapting innovative ICT tools.
The European Commission’s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Game OFF
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