The Dangers of Adolescent Gambling.

Presenter: John Patrick Ryan

Faculty Sponsor: Alex Hinerman

School: Northern Essex Community College

Research Area: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences

Session: Poster Session 3, 1:15 PM - 2:00 PM, Auditorium, A70

ABSTRACT

    Adolescence is a critical period of development in a person’s life where exposure to dangerous behaviors can have long-term impacts. Adolescents today are gaining an increasing exposure to gambling due to the current digital age. This study synthesizes existing research on the rise in gambling in adolescents with existing research on the biological effects that gambling has, and whether this might create an increased susceptibility to mental health challenges. The research is collected by analyzing how corporations target adolescents with gambling ads and games digitally and reviewing existing research on gambling during adolescence and whether it can have long-term effects.  While the effects of gambling have been studied for many years, today’s current generation of adolescents have greater access and more exposure to gambling than previous generations, emphasizing the importance of better regulation of digital gambling in the modern world.