Raising Awareness about Cyberbullying and Game Addiction for 200 Students at Nguyen Du Secondary School**

On May 24, 2024, RTCCD, Ms. Kellogg, and the Social Work team at RTCCD conducted a session with more than 200 seventh-grade students of Nguyen Du Secondary School (Hoan Kiem District – Hanoi) on the topics of Cyberbullying and Excessive Gaming – Gaming Addiction.

Within the framework of the International Student Exchange Program in Vietnam between RTCCD and Abroader, Ms. Kellogg (a Master’s student at Western New Mexico University – USA) held two 60-minute sharing sessions with the students. These sessions addressed the issues of Cyberbullying and Excessive Gaming – Gaming Addiction.

Cyberbullying and Students’ Perceptions

During the first 45 minutes of the session on Cyberbullying, Ms. Kellogg helped the students gain a better understanding of what cyberbullying is, its long-term and short-term effects on both victims and perpetrators and ways to respond to cyberbullying. The students had a valuable time not only learning about Cyberbullying but also recognizing the behaviors and manifestations of this issue. Ms. Kellogg emphasized, “Bullying can come from anyone, anywhere, and at any time!”

Through these discussions, the social work team of RTCCD aims to help students become aware of cyberbullying so they do not engage in bullying or become victims themselves.

Game Addiction and Excessive Gaming – How to “Detox” Effectively and Healthily

As summer vacation approaches, students will have more free time and may easily indulge in video games, especially when their parents are not at home. So how can children be kept from getting too caught up in games and becoming addicted?

This question was addressed by Ms. Kellogg during the second part of her presentation on Gaming Addiction and Excessive Gaming, where she provided students with alternative ways in which they might dedicate their time and how they might apply the information learned to minimize the effects of gaming addiction in their lives.

The students learned what gaming addiction is, the harmful effects of excessive gaming, and simple but effective ways to control their gaming habits while still prioritizing learning and other daily activities. Typically, students should balance activities to ensure that their day has a mixture of physical, social, and psychologically stimulating activities in order to minimize how much time is spent on computers and mobile devices.

The students were very receptive to the presentation and interacted enthusiastically with the included Jeporday activity designed by the Social Work team and Ms. Kellogg. The message for students was: “If you find it too difficult to moderate your time gaming, ask for help from your parents. By working together and making a conscious effort to include any movement and communication activity into your daily routine. You will likely start to see improvements in your physical, mental, and emotional health.”

In the final part of the session, Ms. Kellogg also shared tips on how to stay safe when using the internet and social networks.

Vice Principal of Nguyen Du Secondary School, Ms. Bui Phuong Dung, reflected on the session, saying, “This is an extremely practical activity for students, especially as summer vacation is coming and students will have a lot of time exposed.”./.