Daniela Lobo, a psychiatrist at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, has seen a worrying change in how some teenagers are playing video games.
Some patients in her practice as young as 16 are using their savings to buy loot boxes, which are virtual goodie bags filled with weapons and other items, that draw them into activities that resemble gambling. Often times, they’re not aware of the similarities.
“As people start to develop problems with it, there are increased conflicts at home, lower grades, people missing school [and] sleeping less,” Dr. Lobo said.
In Ontario, almost one-quarter of students in Grades 7 to 12 said they participated in gambling while gaming, according to the latest CAMH youth survey from 2023.
