The effects and consequences of Internet addiction might seem less showy and dramatic than, for example, the effects of substance abuse or bullying. Internet addiction is a much more silent problem, and as such, it might be more easily ignored or even not recognized as a problem. In this chapter, it is argued that an effective prevention program against Internet addiction should fi rst of all promote positive youth development among adolescents. Results from previous research showed that students participating in Project P.A.T.H.S. showed higher levels of psychosocial competencies and less problem behavior than students in a control group. Project P.A.T.H.S. aims at reducing adolescents' antisocial behavior, substance use, and Internet addiction primarily by improving their psychosocial competencies. This chapter will illustrate how these developmental issues are explored within the special teaching units included in the extension phase of Project P.A.T.H.S. on Internet addiction.
In this paper, adolescent prevention and positive youth development programs in non-English speaking European countries are reviewed. A survey of the literature published in English, Italian, German, French, and Spanish language between 1994 and 2014 reported a total of 61 programs which have been evaluated by studies using quasi- or true experimental designs. Several observations are highlighted from this review. First, prevention programs outnumber positive youth development programs in Europe. Second, some countries spend significantly more effort and financial support on preventive programs than others. Third, some countries/regions deal with some specific adolescent problems more than other regions. Fourth, there are variations in the use of international standards for implementing and assessing programs as well as disseminating results. Finally, while most of the existing school-based programs are conducted at the local level, there are very few cross-country projects.
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