How To Prevent Gambling Addiction In Children And Adolescents
In recent years, the number of children and adolescents engaging in problem gambling behavior has increased. Advertising and the emergence of online gaming have only contributed to the aggravation of the problem. Parents, teachers and institutions need to take countermeasures to prevent the spread of gambling addiction among young people.
Gambling addiction is an addictive disorder that manifests itself in persistent and maladaptive gambling behavior. For the person suffering from it, gambling becomes a top priority in their life, to the point that it leads them to neglect all their other goals and needs. His attempts to stop gambling are doomed to fail, and when the person is forced to do so, he becomes restless and irritable.
Why is gambling addicting?
- Visual and auditory strategies. Many games that possess addictive potential feature a large number of sounds and lights that they use as a lure.
- Intermittent reinforcement. In some games, the reward is not achieved with certainty every time a certain behavior is adopted. On the contrary, it appears randomly and intermittently. Reinforcements of this type are the most effective in maintaining a conduct and, at the same time, are the ones that make it more difficult to eliminate it.
- Escapism. There is another important component to gambling addiction and that is its ability to offer an escape from reality. Many people can use gambling to alleviate their emotional distress instead of employing other, more suitable strategies.
Randomness: a key factor in the formation of gambling addiction in young people
Gambling and betting are the ones that generate the most addiction, because obtaining the reward becomes unpredictable. Every day, this genre of games is becoming more and more available and accessible for children and adolescents, although they are prohibited until they reach the age of majority.
In addition, a new type of video game has been born that has some components associated with randomness. Many of them offer purchase options that allow you to get additional content for the game. And, many times, the reward is obtained randomly. For this reason, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between video games and gambling.
This reality negatively affects young people who, in an unclear way, begin to find themselves immersed in this kind of addiction dynamics. Being introduced to gambling at an early age has been shown to significantly increase the risk of developing an addiction.
How to prevent gambling addiction in young people
The normalization of the game
The advertising broadcast by public televisions in time slots protected for minors is incessant. Gambling has been given the status of a harmless and socially desirable pastime. We have completely normalized the existence of these advertisements, present on television and on the Internet, as well as the proliferation in our neighborhoods of places where it is possible to bet.
We must protect our young people from exposure to these messages that glorify pathological play by presenting it as valid entertainment. However, it is very difficult to prevent some of these advertisements from reaching them.
For this reason, the family becomes a key factor. The position taken by the family towards the game has an effect on the beliefs of the young person. We must therefore try to convey to him the danger and seriousness of these behaviors, both with words and with actions. In addition to counseling by example, it is very important that we sit down and talk to our young people.
Informing them about the risks and mechanisms of gambling addiction will have a preventive effect. It is important that when we refuse them access to or pay out for certain games, we explain to them the reasons why we disagree.
Leisure alternatives
Play has become one of young people’s favorite leisure time activities. To prevent them from developing inappropriate or excessive gambling behaviors, it is important to offer them alternatives.
We need to encourage another type of entertainment, such as playing a sport, spending time outdoors or going out to socialize with friends. Placing our young people in groups where they can pursue their hobbies is an excellent opportunity for the use of their free time.
Availability
The advent of the Internet and smartphones has made it possible for children to have thousands of play possibilities at their disposal. We must adapt the use of these devices to the age of the young person. We therefore monitor the time they spend online and, above all, the content they access.
