Yeşilay, which deals with addiction prevention and the ELTE Faculty of Education and Psychology focused on new directions and fresh research results during their professional symposium in Istanbul, on the 17th of November. The event was the first to thoroughly examine the connection between new digital technologies and behavioural addictions.
The event “Behavioral Addictions Symposium: Artificial Intelligence and Beyond” was opened by Mehmet Dinc, the president of Yeşilay. In his speech, he highlighted that their civil organisation plays its role as the oldest and most recognised preventional organisation in Turkey, helping youths and adults suppress their addictions. The conference’s plenary lecture was held by Attila Szabó, the Faculty’s professor, who analysed the potential risk of addiction in using Artificial Intelligence.
The event continued with more presentations, introducing different aspects of the topic: Süleyman Agah Demirgül, PhD student at the Faculty of Education and Psychology, introduced the connections between pornography usage, body image disorders and ruminative thinking. Léna Nagy, teaching assistant, presented the trauma mechanisms of compulsive sexual behaviour, while PhD student Bhavya Chhabra presented the possibilities of new criteria for exercise addiction based on an international comparative study. Neha Pirwani reported on physical activity strategies to prevent smartphone use.
As a result of the high-quality professional event and the constructive dialogue, the two institutions envisioned long-term, forward-looking cooperation.
More photos: Yesilay Facebook