

or many years, parents have raised concerns that their children might be addicted to video games.
The emergence of Fortnite and other online games has since seen gaming addiction in young children and teens spiral.
Now, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has officially added video game addiction — characterised by "a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour" that "takes precedence over other life interests" — to their International Classification of Diseases (ICD) database.
Read the full article on NZHerald.

Although many youth may not be harmed by heavy SMU, distressed youth may be particularly vulnerable. The aim of this study was to experimentally examine the effects of reducing SMU on smartphones on symptoms of depression, anxiety, fear of missing out (FoMO), and sleep in youth with emotional distress. Compared to the control group, the intervention group showed significantly greater reductions in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and FoMO, and greater increases in sleep.
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A study has found screen use for children is linked to long-term problems with attention, self-control and planning. The University of Auckland study - which pulled together research from around the world - found 81 percent of 58 studies showed at least one negative link between screen use and the brain's executive function, or management system.
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Australians must prove they are over 18 before they can access adult content such as porn, R-rated video games and sexually explicit AI chatbots under new laws. The changes will protect children from harmful content, with platforms fined for breaches, Australia's online safety regulator said.
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