Context/Background The project aims at empowering adults to deal with situations of excessive preoccupation with Internet/screen abuse (known as Internet Addictive Behaviour - IAB), equipping them with the skills and the tools to modify their behaviour. It draws on contemporary research findings and considers that Internet/screen overuse is not a “childhood or adolescent disease” but also a growing risk among adults. Objectives Design, develop, test, implement, and disseminate an innovative training framework and eventually a hands-on service that will enable adult individuals with excessive Internet or computer activity to modify their behaviour towards healthier use thus improving also their social life. Through targeting excessive Internet use I AID also battles social exclusion. Number and profiles of participants The partnership comprises 6 organisations with complementary expertise: a digital strategy agency with vast expertise in the development of bespoke applications and tools, a training consultancy with strong adult training component, a technical consulting company actively researching Internet/screen addiction, a University Psychology Department specialising in Internet Addiction related problems, a training centre addressing issues related to digital skills and adults, an adult training organisation which develops software to complement and support its training approaches. Approach Methodology and Project Activities - Design of User Models, comprising a "Situational" Layer of personalisation with demographic data and a "Behavioural" layer with information concerning Internet use. - Definition of "Desirable Situations", which refers to a desired situation for the user in terms of Internet use. - Elaboration of Personalised "Withdrawal Plans" to achieve the desired situation, defined based on the user models and the informal classification of adults (as per the elaborated User Models) and the desirable situations based on classification. - Development of Internet Addiction Pal to guide the process of data collection from adults, in order to classify them and elaborate personalised withdrawal plans composed of distinct actions. - Customisation, Set-up, and Configuration of a Learning Motivation Environment to facilitate the supporting content for the implementation of the actions and a retention service to help the adults which moderated their screen time to remain on the right path and avoid relapse. - Creation of Supporting Content to assist with the implementation of the actions of the withdrawal plans. - Creation of units for helping learners that have reduced screen time to remain on the right path - Validation Training Exercises to assess whether project outcomes are able to answer users’ needs with regards to screen abuse moderation and enhance adult educators’ competences on dealing with IAB. Impact The desirable impact is to enable adults with an excessive Internet use to correct their computer overuse following personalised withdrawal/moderation plans. This will be achieved through novel training pathways that will enable them to enhance and practice various transversal skills, to identify personal situational and behavioural factors that may trigger compulsive or excessive use of Internet and, finally, apply certain strategies, to take a step towards positive computer activity and, consequently, healthier behaviours and well-being in their personal, professional or family contexts. Long term benefits The adoption of the proposed training approach will lead to a number of important benefits for target groups, such as: - Enhancement of adult educators and practitioners’ professional skills profiting from innovative pedagogical approaches to deal with excessive technology use by their trainees. - Extension in the provision of services for adult training organisations, health associations and civil society organisations who already address adult learning. - Equipping addiction NGOs, therapists and clinicians with services and tools to complement their social and psychological contributions to their target groups (i.e. vulnerable audiences, clients). - Empowerment of parents that seek guidance on how to deal with IAB with the help of their families; - A small but a decisive step towards “enabling adult training associations and adults to connect with, express their opinions to and influence elected policy-makers and civil society organisations” regarding wise and active use of Internet by all adults.
The project aims to empower adults to deal with situations of excessive preoccupation with Internet/screen abuse (known as Internet Addictive Behaviour - IAB), teaching them skills and giving them tools to modify their behaviour. It draws on contemporary research findings and considers that Internet/screen overuse is not a “childhood or adolescent disease” but also a growing risk among adults.
The Internet has become an integral part of people’s lives. However, the increased time spent online is prompting questions about whether users are in control of their internet usage and if they are aware of the side effects and the causes of the maladaptive behaviours related to excessive or problematic Internet use. Recent research and clinical practice have shown that it is not always or not only the time spent online that makes internet use problematic and “excessive”, but the impact of internet use on what might be called a ‘balanced life’. • Excessive online exposure may affect physical health (i.e. the sedentary lifestyle can be a prime risk factor for kids’ obesity); • Frequent multitasking due to digital lifestyle could affect their ability to stay focused leading to poor work or academic performance; • The constant feeling of being online negatively impacts their emotional well-being that may lead to poor sleep quality, anxiety, and/or even depression. • Problematic media use may also be related to lower empathy and social well-being or abstention from physical and offline social interactions. That is why the Eramsus+ project I-AID (Internet Abuse Identification and personaliseD withdrawal strategies) was born.