Technology is not going away. Students need to learn how to keep themselves and others safe online, evaluate the accuracy of information, and how to balance their media time with other life activities. The also need to understand the connection between gaming and gambling, and how game developers use behavioral science to keep people playing.
COCA Prevention Specialists offer programs on Teens & Technology for a variety of audiences on a number of different topics. All presentations focus on digital citizenship and the links between gaming and gambling.
Each session is 45-60 minutes and classroom presentations are geared towards a maximum of 35 students.
Technology is not going away. Students need to learn to keep themselves and other safe.
Session one focuses on practicing good digital citizenship: showing empathy for others, evaluating the accuracy of online information, protecting their privacy, avoiding cyberbullying and maintaining a healthy balance between online and offline activities.
Session two focuses on the parallels between gaming and gambling. We discuss how behavioral science is used to keep people playing and show students how video game creators stack the odds against the players, just like a casino does.
In this one-session presentation, students learn how to be good digital citizens who respect others, protect their privacy, and understand their digital footprint. They’ll also learn about the parallels between video gaming and gambling, and how to balance media with other activities.
To help parents and professionals become aware of technology addiction and up-to-date on trends, we developed a presentation that looks at the connection we as a society have to technology, how choices made online can have consequences and how technology can be addicting. We also discuss how technology addiction works in the brain and how it can manifest in behaviors. Ideas for disconnecting are also presented.
