A new report has found that younger in BC are resorting to the game and games with money in their free time, since the opportunities for online game have increased in Canada.
The McCeary Center Company report used data from the 2023 A adolescent health survey. C., which was completed by more than 38,200 young people between the ages of 12 and 18, and focused on questions about the game and games.
He shows that 34 percent of respondents said they had involved in at least one of the eight game activities for money, such as buying items in the game and betting in sports, in the year before the survey, which is carried out in BC every five years.
Since the last report of the company on the subject was published in 2021, the study indicated that there has been an expansion of sports betting opportunities in Canada after the federal government legalized sports bets of a single adult game.
In addition, the report indicated a greater awareness of the online game, including game activities in the games.
A recent report by the McCeary Center Society analyzed the findings of the BC adolescence health survey in 2023, which was completed by more than 38,000 young people from 12 to 18 years in 59 of the 60 school districts of BC. Annie Smith, co -author of the report, said the online game activity had increased among young people since the last survey in 2018.
The executive director of McCeary Center Society, Annie Smith, said that the most popular activity between the group of surveys was using real money to buy items within the video games, although she pointed out that the data was not traced in the 2021 report made by the company.
Smith said there was a decrease in some forms of game, such as buying lottery tickets.
However, 20 percent of young people said they had involved in game activities specifically, a two percent increase compared to the previous report.
“That includes online sports betting, which has doubled in the five years between the surveys, and playing cards and dice has more than duplicated,” said Smith.
“We know that the game is much easier to access for young people when it is online.”
The lowest rates of the youth games, said Smith, was in the regions of Vancouver Coastal and Fraser, while higher rates were reported in the north, interior and on the island of Vancouver.
The report also indicated how many young people are aware that they need help when it comes to games with real money and gambling.
According to the study, 12 percent of young people reported that they needed help due to the problematic activity of the games, while one percent said they needed help with the game.
Some of the people who recognized that they needed help included young people who did not have close friends in person, had friends online who never knew and experienced hunger and deprivation.
“We had many events about young people who wanted to participate in physical activities, knowing that it will be better for them than what they are doing, but really struggling to make that change and need for support,” said Smith.
Concerns raised about youth game
“With almost all kinds of addictive behaviors … the younger begins, the more difficult it is to stop,” said Professor of BC Elizabeth Saewyc, who leads stigma and resistance between the vulnerable youth center.
Saewyc, who did not participate in the report, said that the fact that higher rates of juvenile gambling were reported outside the urban centers in the low continent showed the need for more support in rural areas.
She said that young people in smaller communities, who may have difficulty finance organized community centers or sports, could seek to resort to games or games of random online to make connections.
The professor added that, because many young people reported to match after bedtime, they can suffer immediate health risks, including the effects of loss of losing sleep.
“It affects its concentration, it affects its mood, it affects its memory, it affects its ability to do well in school and … it can actually contribute to anxiety,” Saewyc said about lack of sleep.
Saewyc said there are ways for families to support young people who run the risk of gambling or problematic games.
He suggested by saving electronics at night, having open conversations with young people about the game without judging and encouraging them to participate in more daytime activities.
