COST LONG READS: Loading solutions for the problematic use of Internet COST Action EU-PUI
Summarizing our work in a COST – European Cooperation in Science and Technology longreads. Interview with Action’s Lead Professor Dr. Naomi A. Fineberg and our second Podcast with Science Communication Coordinator Dr Julius Burkauskas.
Children’s rights in the Digital Services Act
5rightsfoundation.com
The COST Action Chair has signed on behalf of the Action in support of the “Children’s rights in the Digital Services Act”
As well as:
The “Children’s rights in the Artificual Intelligence Act”
And the “Children’s rights in the General Product Saftey Regulation (GPSR)”
Raising awareness about the Problematic Use of the Internet in Films
The internet is a powerful force for good, but can also have damaging effects on the health and wellbeing of people. Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) includes a variety of behaviours such excessive gambling, gaming, pornography watching, social media use and compulsive shopping among others. It often affects young people and those suffering from mental disorders and in many cases it becomes amplified as a result of the social isolation and increased reliance on digital communication arising during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PUI is responsible for considerable burden and suffering for afflicted individuals and their families.
A group of researchers within the COST Action CA16207 – the European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) worked with artists to bring new and excellent research in the field to a wider audience, while raising awareness about the risks associated with such behaviours and providing innovative solutions. Prof Ornella Corazza at the University of Hertfordshire who led the art-work commented: “This video project is a fantastic achievement where the arts of animation, music, sound design and addiction science come together to convey an evidence based message on the problematic use of the Internet to a public audience through the medium of film. I hope you will enjoy the clips as we enjoyed the process of making”.
The film will be launched at the international conference on the ‘State of the Art in Problematic Usage of the Internet; Models, Mechanisms and Interventions’ which will take place at the Royal Science of Medicine in London on March 30th – 31st 2022.
Voiceover versions:
Newsletter
EU-PUI Newsletter Number 7
30/10/2020
Thanks to the hard work and organizational skills of Zsolt Demetrovic and Orsolya Király team we had a wonderful International Training School and Public Meeting. We are really grateful that so many great lecturers and researchers come to share their knowledge and experience. This was a unique opportunity to share, learn and discuss recent theoretical and applied developments in the field of problematic internet use.
EU-PUI Newsletter Number 6
15/04/2020
Caring for the safety and well-being of our community has been and always will be our Action’s most important priority, especially during challenging times like these.
EU-PUI Newsletter Number 5
02/10/2019
We had a very productive set of workgroup meetings in copenhagen, culiminating in our management committee meeting where we were able to discuss the great progress we made in the last four months. Thank you to everyone who came to share their excellent ideas to drive the Net&Me COST Action Ca16207 forward.
EU-PUI Newsletter Number 4
12/06/2019
First of all I would like to thank everyone for bringing their expertise and experience, and engaging in such a fruitful constructive and open exchanges throughout the whole day fourth management committee meeting of COST Action CA16207 “European Network for Problematic Usage of the Internet” in Warsaw…
EU-PUI Newsletter Number 3
20/10/2018
A lot of hard work went into making our third COST Action meeting go off so smoothly. I would like to thank all who made it happen. Our host, Prof. Jose Magrina Menchon, and his team did an excellent job organizing and managing both our meeting and “Hooked on WiFi” event…
EU-PUI Newsletter Number 2
I would like to express my deepest gratitude to each of you who participated in COST Actions meeting in Cologne on 22nd of April. Over 50 internationally renowned scientists and practitioners gave their time and resources to attend and to contribute. You made our meeting a great success and it was a true pleasure to see so many of you there! I hope you used the opportunity to extend your existing research networks. I am sure that this healthy cooperation will continue to enrich our work in the future.
Special thanks must go to Prof Dr Matthias Brand for hosting us during the event and to our Administrator Ms Natalie Hall and the four work packages teams and their leaders, who did outstanding work in presenting what was achieved in a half a year period…
COST Action Newsletter
We are proud to announce the start of our new COST Action CA16207 project. We have been working hard organizing the material for setting up our project’s website, which is called “Net&Me”. Please take a look at the website to find out more about our members and activities…
Media Releases
04/08/2021 – The author of “The Midas Game” Abi Silver talks about gaming being a ‘spiritual opium’ for teenagers.
22/06/2021 ***Now lockdown is easing, are you having trouble adjusting? Many people are having problems with adjusting to the easing of lockdown restrictions. Researchers at University of Hertfordshire want to learn the reasons why. ***
THE SURVEY IS OPEN FOR ALL THOSE AGED 18 YEARS AND OVER WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE AND SHOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES TO COMPLETE
07/05/2021 *** Our Action member Artemisa R Dores awarded with the Best e-Poster Prize at the European Psychiatry Association virtual Congress 2021***
Please see the full study published in Frontiers in Psychiatry journal.
13/03/2021 ***A new methodology to define and diagnose problematic video gaming***
Press coverage of Castro‐Calvo, Jesús, et al. study “Expert appraisal of criteria for assessing gaming disorder: An international Delphi study.” Published in Addiction journal.
24/07/2020 ***Now lockdown is easing, are you having trouble adjusting? Many people are having problems with adjusting to the easing of lockdown restrictions. Researchers at University of Hertfordshire want to learn the reasons why. ***
THE SURVEY IS OPEN FOR ALL THOSE AGED 18 YEARS AND OVER WHO WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE AND SHOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES TO COMPLETE
07/07/2020 – Our COST Action Lithuanian Representative Vilma Liaugaudaite gave an interview on PUI to National Radio.
07/04/2020 ***New Study on Fitness lifestyles, Body Image and New Habits during the COVID19 Pandemic***
Take part in our up to 10 minute survey. Results will help identify the impact of physical distancing and improve mental health.
28/05/2020 – Ineteracademy Partnership Young Physicians Leaders alumna and our COST Action member Biljana Gjoneska comment on preventing problematic internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic.
20/05/2020 – Lithuanian press release about preventing problematic internet use during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our COST Action communication manager Julius Burkauskas comments via the “Skaitmeninės etikos centras”.
25/02/2020 OUR FIRST PODCAST/ Interview with Net&Me COST Action Ca16207 UK National Representative Dr Davis N Mpavaenda on Problematic Internet Use.
31/12/2019 Our Net&Me COST Action Ca16207 member Prof. Mark Potenza interviewed by Sigutė Limontaitė for “DELFI” on addiction to pornography.
09/12/2019 – COST Action Members Edna Grünblatt and Susanne Walitza talk on Problematic Internet Use: Screen Addiction.
29/11/2019 – UK press release about problematic smartphone use basing on COST Action Member Sam Chamberlain comments via the Science Media Centre (SMC)
15/11/2019 – The Times, front page: “Experts claim addiction to shopping is a mental illness” – newspaper article basing on COST Action Member Astrid Mueller’s study “Online shopping in treatment-seeking patients with buying-shopping disorder” – published on Comprehensive Psychiatry
This study got the attention of printed and eletronic newspapers (please see links below) and generated several radio interviews:
15.11.19: Jeremy Vine, BBC Radio 2
22.11.19: Holly Keogh, talkRADIO
26.11.19: Claudia Sandler, PULS 4, Austria
27.11.19: Daniela Schulze, Uniradio Mephisto 67.6, Leipzig, Germany
09/10/2019 COST Action National Representative Dr Zsolt Demetrovics “Previous research has linked escapism to psychiatric distress and gaming disorder in recreational gamers. While esport gamers have many positive motivators like skill development, our study found that excessive immersion by some individuals can indicate mental health issues”
09/10/2019 COST Action National Representative Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones – A new public body is necessary to effectively regulate the UK video game industry
08/10/2019 COST Action National Representative Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones reacts to the news that first kids set to receive NHS therapy treatment for gaming and social media addiction
08/10/2019 Another interview by Lithuanian COST Action National Representative Ms Vilma Liaugaudaitė (article in Lithuanian)
COST information day 2019 September 17 in Montenegro
COST Action CA16207 (5.25)
13/09/2019 Lithuanian COST Action National Representative Ms Vilma Liaugaudaite gave an interview on problematic usage of mobile phone (article in Lithuanian)
19/08/2019 Our COST Action‘s representative Dr. Henrietta Bowden-Jones comments on the situation that addicted teenagers travelling to overseas clinics as there are no NHS facilities to treat gaming disorder
30/04/2019 Our Net&Me COST Action Ca16207 member Prof. Mark Potenza interviewed by Diane Sawyer for a ABC 20/20 episode on gaming, screen time and internet use
01/04/2019 Expert reaction to study on depression and social media as published in EClinicalMedicin. Prof Naomi Fineberg, spoke as a Chair of the COST Action group into Problematic Internet Usage commenting research study ‘Social media use and adolescent mental health: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study’ by Kelly et al.
09/03/2019 “Riscos e Desafios” (Risks and Challenges) is a Portuguese initiative, by Administração Regional de Saúde do Norte and supported by Net&Me COST Action Ca16207, which addresses all 1st year Porto Polytechnic students and aims to promote academic success and prevent risky behaviour by developing core competencies for well-being and health.
19/01/2019 E- Magazine Portal: “Science for All”. Title: “The Digital Revolution – a Problem or a Solution for the Human Evolution”. Author: Biljana Gjoneska (Research Associate, MASA) (article in Macedonian)
12/2018 – Problematic Internet Use and Its Impact on Anxiety – Dr. Vera Nezgovorova, Dr. Eric. Hollander, Dr. Naomi Fineberg, Dr. Jon Grant, Dr. Sam Chamberlain, Kyra Citron
In this blog post we provide a description of Problematic Internet Use, describe screening measures existing in the field and key unanswered questions, provide clinical patients examples, introduce COST project, suggest a design of an upcoming study, describe available applications (“apps”)