Holistic support to address gaming disorders amongst youths
We live in a digital era where smartphones and virtual environments prevail. COVID-19 has brought to the fore how excessive technological device use and reduced social interaction can impact our mental health. This problem, however, is neither new nor triggered by the pandemic alone. The negative effects of online gaming have been known for some time and in 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) classified ‘gaming disorder’ as a mental health condition1.
Gaming disorder is significantly more pronounced in youths due to their lifestyle preferences, in comparison to other demographics. To raise awareness of this issue and help address the effects that gaming disorder has on mental health, MINDSET Care Limited (MINDSET), the mental health charity of the Jardine Matheson Group (Jardines), together with TOUCH Community Services, launched DigitalMINDSET in August 2019.
DigitalMINDSET is a nine-month programme for youths aged 12 to 21 who have developed mental health issues such as difficulties coping with their emotions and in some cases, violent behaviour, due to excessive gaming and technological device use.
The programme takes a holistic approach to intervention, combining one-to-one meetings, family counselling and group therapy sessions that include behavioural and personality profiling. DigitalMINDSET also incorporates experiential learning and facilitates meaningful conversations to enable youths to gain awareness of their behavioural tendencies and emotional states.
Apart from physical support, it also prepares the youths for a world beyond gaming. The goal is to help youths get back on track with the relevant tools they require to better manage their mental health and emotions during their transition to adulthood.
Since its commencement, the programme has received over 900 enquiries and enrolled 91 youths on board. This affirms the reality of this growing concern and the need for an initiative to address an underserved segment, particularly around the mental health for at-risk youths.
Jardines too takes an active approach to supporting these youths. We organise learning journeys to our Group companies and our Jardine Ambassadors (employee volunteers) also serve as mentors.
In December 2019, we invited youths from the DigitalMINDSET programme to visit Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, where they experienced first-hand the lively behind-the-scenes work involved in the running of a five-star hotel. The learning journey was an eye-opening experience for these youths who have spent a majority of their time engaging in virtual environments. The visit sparked an avid interest and discussion about their future careers and Jardine Ambassadors served as mentors and role models to share career options to further inspire the youths.
DigitalMINDSET is funded by MINDSET through a S$1.6 million support over five years. The programme is part of Jardines’ overall contribution of funding, people, expertise, networks and other resources to support mental health initiatives.
To reach out to DigitalMINDSET, please email [email protected] or call TOUCH Community Services’ counselling helpline at 1800 377 2252.