Helping young people balance device usage and real life

When Jurong West Secondary School's counsellor learnt that some students were attacking their parents for confiscating their devices when they had been using them for too long, he turned to Touch Community Services for help.

Mr Gymy Lim, 35, said: "There were students who turned violent and pinned their parents to the floor when they tried to take away their devices."

In response to a growing need, Touch Community Services has started DigitalMindset for people aged 12 to 21.

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Touch Youth Intervention senior counsellor and DigitalMindset lead Shawn Soh said the goal is not to stop young people from using their devices or gaming altogether, but to help them cope better with the demands of real-life and healthily manage their emotions, through individual and group therapy sessions.

Run in collaboration with Mindset, the charity arm of Jardine Matheson Holdings, the programme kicked off this month with some 20 participants.

Its 17 counsellors assess behaviour and usage through a questionnaire and an interview to see if intervention is needed.

Consequences

Touch said it saw 90 cases related to excessive gaming and device use last year, nearly a three-fold increase from 2015.

"Young people today are different... and it's inevitable they have to use their devices for some time every day," said Mr Soh, 30. "What we do is help them realise the consequences their gaming habits have on their lives and the people around them, and then teach them coping strategies."

He said young people game excessively for a sense of achievement, immersion in virtual reality and social interaction. The programme thus tries to provide an alternative outlet for these impulses through group therapy, where they take part in activities such as dragon boating or laser tag.

This article was first published in The New Paper. Permission required for reproduction.