Onlinebrücke BaWü: Ein digitales und individualisiertes Training für junge Menschen mit Computer- und Internetspielsucht

01/11/2021 to 31/12/2023

Even before coronavirus, uncontrolled use of the internet was a problem among young people in Germany. This was confirmed by German prevalence rates of 1.2% to 5.7%. Internet addiction is associated with a variety of negative effects, e.g. poor school performance, dropping out of school, lack of sleep, suicidal tendencies, oppositional behavior and family conflicts that can degenerate into physical violence. Corona has exacerbated this situation even further. Young people have been forced to replace analog social contacts with virtual ones and fill their free time in everyday life with computer games, social networks, etc. Current figures show that computer game time has increased by 75%, while time spent on social networks has increased by 66%. It is foreseeable that the incidence of internet addiction will also increase as a result of coronavirus. The risk of such a problem becoming chronic and not “just a phase” is between 50% and 84%.
How can young people and their families be helped? Fortunately, the number of counseling and treatment services for Internet and computer game addiction has increased significantly in recent years. Nevertheless, there are still some problems to overcome on the provider and client side: 1) Young people are often unaware of their problems or are reluctant to go to a counseling center - especially if they have an addiction problem. They would much rather continue to hide on the internet and distract themselves with what they do best (e.g. computer games). 2) Even if there is a certain degree of insight into the problem, going to a counseling center often remains a major hurdle (fear, shame). Some people also want to deal with their problems on their own. 3) If a young person makes contact with a counselor but is then referred further, the motivation for treatment breaks down. 4) Counseling centers have to develop their own concepts and services, as there is hardly anything to fall back on. 5) There is no network that supports the counseling centers and promotes exchange. 6) The field of Internet addiction is subject to extremely rapid changes (e.g. new games/applications). Continuous training is necessary in order not to lose touch with the target group. 7) The pandemic has led to consultations being interrupted or terminated because face-to-face contact was not possible. This shows how important it is to make digital services possible. Especially as we know that we have to meet our clients where they are - in this case, online.
To address these problems, we want to achieve the following goals with the “Onlinebrücke BaWü” project in Baden-Württemberg: 1) We want to develop an AI-supported online training program for adolescents and young adults with Internet addiction that adapts to the individual needs of the user and is based on evidence-based practice (integration of research, needs of those affected and the support system). 2) We would like to use the online training to build a bridge to outpatient counseling/treatment. Those affected should receive an optional digital counseling service in the online training, which can be continued at the local counseling center if necessary (without changing counselors). As the online training will be closely linked to the work of the counseling centers, it should also be developed together with the counseling centers. 3) we would like to network providers of outpatient addiction counselling/treatment with a focus on internet addiction throughout Baden-Württemberg and support them with digitalization.