Youth Speeches Mediated on the Web Radio About Digital Games and Mental Health

Karlla da Conceição Bezerra Brito Veras, Raimundo Augusto Martins Torres, Edine Dias Pimentel Gomes, Breno da Silva Albano, Josenice Vasconcelos Martins

Mental health. Technology. Teenager. Health education.

Digital Information and Communication Technologies enable dialogues with youth about mental health and the overuse of digital games available in cyberspace. Thus, this study sought to understand the knowledge and sayings of youth about the use of digital games on the Internet and how their excess affects their mental health. We opted for a qualitative approach, exploratory-descriptive type, carried out in the cyberspace of The Web Radio AJIR, contemplating the communication content of the Program In Tune With Health - S@S in connection with the youth of public schools in the state of Ceará, Brazil. The participants were 85 young schoolchildren. The main knowledge and sayings of youths form, addictions in digital games, time limit on social networks, consequences of the abusive use of digital games, games and influences for violence, excessive games and elevation of anxiety and mental disorders, leading to depression and guidance to help people dependent on the use of social networks. Thus, the dialogues produced on the radio web were promoters of education for health care with school youths on the prevention of violence, digital dependence and what are the practices considered appropriate for the use of video games on the Internet.

Received: 21 Jul 2021, Received in revised form: 15 Aug 2021, Accepted: 22 Aug 2021, Available online: 29 Aug 2021

10.22161/ijaers.88.47