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YEŞiLAY
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GreenCrescentPresidentProfessorÖztürk:“GreenCrescent ismak-
ing available education on technology addiction aimed at age groups
across all of Turkey”
Green Crescent President Professor Mücahit Öztürk, who started
his speech by extending his thanks to participants and all who con-
tributed, stated that GreenCrescent has expanded its vision on the
fight against addictions throughout thehistorical process to include
tobacco, alcohol, drugs in accordance with the needs of the com-
munity and, today, to also include gambling and technology addic-
tions. “As Green Crescent, we hold a large-scale and international
meeting in relation to the areas of concern. We decided to hold this
year’s international congress on technology addiction. I ampleased
tobeorganizing the thirdof the International Congressof Technolo-
gyAddiction, which the first and secondwere held in Istanbul under
the leadership of Green Crescent. I believe that by organizing three
different international congresses in Istanbul for the first time in the
world,wehavemadeamajorcontributionto increasing internation-
al awareness on behalf of our country,” he said.
Öztürk,whostatedthattherapiddevelopmentandpopularityofnew
age technology tools also leads to unexpected negative outcomes
said: “Therefore, while until recently Green Crescent was concerned
with the addiction of substances such as tobacco, alcohol and drugs,
which we refer to as chemical addictions, it has included technology
addiction,whichhasemergedasaresultofnewdevelopments,within
itsarea.Weseethatthebehavioraladdictionswecomeacross invar-
ious areas such as gambling, eating and drinking and shopping, have
becomea risingdangerworldwide in recent years, particularlyamong
the young population. As Green Crescent, we have developed the
world’s most comprehensive structured school-based prevention
program under the name the Addiction Prevention Training Program
of Turkey (TBM).The trainingwecarryout togetherwithourNational
Ministry of Education tomake the TBMcontents available to 20mil-
lion students via school counsellors are ongoing. Unlike the other
modules, we started the technology addiction training that was de-
veloped under the TBMat the pre-school stage.
Our training, which also includes the technology addiction modules
in addition to the types of addictions, has reached youth leaders
throughtheYouthandSportsMinistry,religiousofficialsthroughthe
Presidency of Religious Affairs and vocational counsellors through
Turkey’s employment agency, İşkur. Green Crescent makes im-
portant contributions to the academic vision of our country’s fight
against addictions through its e-library, magazines, publications,
postgraduate and doctorate scholarship programs and peer-re-
viewed journals.”
FromEmineErdoğan tomothers: “Don’t allowthe screen to takeover
your children”
Emine Erdoğan, who participated in the 3
rd
IInternational Congress
of Technology Addiction sent a postcard to all mothers to draw at-
tention to technology addiction. Erdoğan, stressing the importance
of protecting children from being taken over by the screen, wrote,
“Let’s protect our children from becoming addicted to technology.
Let’s be rolemodels to themby adopting an anthropocentric view,”
on the postcards and wished all mothers a happy Mothers’ Day.
In the postcard sent by Education Minister Avcı, he wrote that he
wished all studentswould use technology consciously.
The local and foreign scientists, decision makers, academics, school
counsellors, psychologists and social services employees who par-
ticipated in the congress took a closer look at technology addic-
tion, which is described as the disease of the age. Experts such as
Professor Mark D. Griffiths, Gary Wilson, Dr. Kenneth Woog, Mary
Sharpe, Dr. Michael Rich, Darryl Mead, YoungYimDoh andProfessor
Kemal Sayarwere also among the speakers at the congress.
Experts spoke on the problems caused by technology addiction,
which is considered themost important disorder of our age, partic-
ularly posing amajor risk for youth and children. Stating that patho-
logic internet use, video game and cellphone addictions, cyberbul-
lying and cybersecurity, social media, online gambling and shopping
addiction pose a rapidly growing risk for the world, experts gave in-
formation on what needs to be done for the safe use of technology
andspokeaboutthehealthproblemsresultingfromsuchaddictions.
International Congress of Technology Addiction held by Green Cres-
cent with the support of the MEB and KÜLT featured simultaneous
conferences and panels.
Prof. Nabi Avcı
Emine Erdoğan
Prof.Mücahit Öztürk
Prof.
Mücahit Öztürk
Dr. GülşenÖztürk