Current youth problems: video games, drugs, social networks and cosmetic surgery.

The use of video games, drug use, the use of social networks and the use of aesthetic procedures in adolescents and young people are a field of research of growing interest for psychology professionals. Four communications related to problems associated with these current phenomena are presented in this symposium. The first communication includes a study investigating the problems derived from the use of video games in a specific profile, such as adolescent females. General studies on the use of video games mainly reflect the characteristics of men, making it difficult to know the characteristics and gaming activity of adolescent women. Next, the second paper presents a study on new media for drug use and abuse, focusing specifically on the current use of bong tobacco in Spain, which has increased significantly in recent years. Thirdly, the problematic use of social networks has been related to psychological distress in young people and this communication specifically presents an investigation about the problematic use of social networks and its relationship with socioemotional skills in this population. Finally, the symposium ends with a paper that reviews the current situation of the use of procedures and cosmetic surgery in young people and its relationship with body image. All these communications address topics of interest due to their impact on public health in adolescents and young people, and which currently require further research to provide professionals with a scientific-technical approach to address the problems associated with the use of video games, bong smoking, problematic use of social networks and cosmetic procedures.

GLORIA GARCÍA FERNÁNDEZ

University of Oviedo. Spain

Gloria García-Fernández is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Oviedo and is a specialist in psychological assessment and intervention in the field of addictive behaviors and eating disorders. She is currently Vice-President I of the Spanish Society of Clinical and Health Psychology (SEPCyS) and Editorial Manager of the journal Psicothema. Throughout her professional career she has combined clinical, academic and scientific work in different institutions and welfare resources such as the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, the Hospital Infantil Universitario Niño Jesús, the ITEM center, and Proyecto Hombre Asturias. She has a degree in Psychology from the Universidad Pontificia de Salamanca, a Master’s degree in Clinical and Health Psychology from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a PhD in Psychology from the Universidad de Oviedo. She has made mobility stays in the field of addictions and eating disorders in international research centers, specifically at the University of Leeds in England, the University of Vermont and the University of California San Diego in the United States and Monash University in Australia. He has numerous scientific publications in national and international specialized journals and has collaborated in book chapters and guides of professional and teaching interest. He has also participated in numerous congresses and conferences in which several of his scientific papers have received awards.

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