It’s a difficult subject, but it’s important to talk about it.
Note: This article is an automated translation. For the original article, click on Français in the menu.
Reading the mainstream media articles about the documentary, I was afraid it would be just another documentary made against video games and the internet in general. Fortunately, and as I should have suspected, these were just the usual sensationalist clickbait tactics to attract more views for their articles, since that’s not the subject of the documentary at all.
Before commenting on the BYE_ documentary, I would first like to offer my sincere condolences to Alexandre Taillerfer and his entire family. I would also like to thank him for the initiative he has undertaken.
Message to parents: I strongly recommend watching the documentary with your children. However, be careful not to jump to conclusions and use this documentary as an excuse to justify your personal opinions on video games.
As the documentary describes, young cyberaddicts use video games as a refuge to escape their problems, to gain a sense of worth they struggle to find elsewhere in the “real world,” to avoid being judged, and so on. While this may be a problem in itself, it’s much more of a symptom of a deeper problem than the direct cause of all their current problems.
Again, playing a lot of video games doesn’t mean your child has a problem. For example, the scene at the Gaming Café bothers me because it can be too easily misinterpreted. According to the Canadian Mental Heatlh Association,
the youth suicide rate in Canada is the third highest among industrialized countries. Studies vary, but between 20 and 40% of young people have considered suicide. This alarming statistic covers ALL adolescents, regardless of their passions and hobbies. So it’s not just a problem related to video gamers.
I love the “Youhou” initiative, which I think is a very good approach to suicide prevention among young people.
Whether personally or through the Fédération québécoise de sports électroniques, suicide and cyber addiction are extremely important issues for us, and concrete actions are currently underway, particularly in terms of prevention.
Link to the documentary: https://ici.tou.tv/bye?r
I strongly encourage you to listen to this round table: https://www.facebook.com/iciradiocanadapremiere/videos/1778150032205987/
Resources available to help you:
https://www.cyberaide.ca/app/fr/
http://www.aqps.info/besoin-aide-urgente/#liste-cpsregionaux
https://jeunessejecoute.ca/fr
http://www.entraideparents.com/
