There is a growing acceptance of the association between obsessive, compulsive and excessive usage of digital media, e.g., games and social networks, and users' wellbeing, whether personal, economic or social. While specific causal relations between such Digital Addiction (DA) and the negative life experience can be debated, we argue in this paper that, nevertheless, technology can play a role in preventing or raising awareness of its pathological or problematic usage styles, e.g. through monitoring usage and enabling interactive awareness messages. We perform a literature review, with the primary aim of gathering the range negative life experiences associated with DA. We then conduct two focus groups to help gather users' perception of the key findings from the literature. Finally, we perform a qualitative analysis of experts and practitioners' interviews and comments from a user survey on DA warning labels. As a result, we develop eight families of the negative life experiences associated with DA, examine the role of software in facilitating the reduction of such negative experiences, and consider the challenges that may be encountered in the process.

Gamification in businesses refers to the use of technology-assisted solutions to boost or change staff attitude, perception and behaviour, about the individual or collective goals and tasks. Previous research indicated that gamification techniques could introduce risks to the business environment, and not only fail to make a positive change, but also raise concerns about ethics, quality of work, and well-being in a workplace. Although the problem is already recognised in principle, there is still a need to clarify and concretise those risks, their factors and their relation to the gamification dynamics and mechanics. In this paper, we focus on gamification risks related to teamwork within the enterprise. To address this, we conducted three-stage empirical research in two large-scale businesses using gamification in their workplace, including two months' observation and interview study. We outline various risk mitigation strategies and map them to primary types of gamification risks. By accomplishing such conceptualisation, we pave the way towards methods to model, detect and predict gamification risks on teamwork and recommend design practices and strategies to tackle them.

The concept of goals is prominent in information systems and also artificial intelligence literature such as goal-oriented requirements engineering and self-adaptive systems. Digital motivation systems, e.g. gamification and persuasive technology, utilise the concept of behavioural goals which require a different mind-set on how to elicit and set them up, how to monitor deviation from such goals and how to ensure their completion. Behavioural goals are characterised by a range of factors which are not the main focus in classic information systems and AI literature such as self-efficacy, perceived usefulness. To engineer software supporting goal setting, a concretised taxonomy of goals would help a better-managed analysis and design process. In this paper, we provide a detailed classification of behavioural goals and their associated properties and elements (types, sources, monitoring, feedback, deviation and countermeasures). As a method, we review the literature on goal setting theory and its application in different disciplines. We subsequently develop five reference checklists which would act as a reference point for researchers and practitioners in persuasive and motivational systems.

Digital media usage can be problematic; exhibiting symptoms of behavioural addiction such as mood modification, tolerance, conflict, salience, withdrawal symptoms and relapse. Google Digital Wellbeing and Apple Screen Time are examples of an emerging family of tools to help people have a healthier and more conscious relationship with technology. Peer support groups is a known technique for behaviour change and relapse prevention. It can be facilitated online, especially with advanced social networking techniques. Elements of peer support groups are being already embedded in digital wellbeing tools, e.g. peer comparisons, peer commitments, collective usage limit-setting and family time. However, there is a lack of research about the factors influencing people acceptance and rejection of online peer support groups to enhance digital wellbeing. Previous work has qualitatively explored the acceptance and rejection factors to join and participate in such groups. In this paper, we quantitatively study the relationship between culture, personality, self-control, gender, willingness to join the groups and perception of their usefulness, on such acceptance and rejection factors. The qualitative phase included two focus groups and 16 interviews while the quantitative phase consisted of a survey (215 participants). We found a greater number of significant models to predict rejection factors than acceptance factors, although in all cases the amount of variance explained by the models was relatively small. This demonstrates the need to design and, also, introduce such technique in a contextualised and personalised style to avoid rejection and reactance.

The obsessive usage of digital media may exhibit symptoms traditionally associated with behavioural addictions such as mood modification, salience, tolerance and conflict. The educational methods, interventions, and treatments available to prevent or control such a digital addiction are, currently, very limited. Digital Addiction (DA) is yet not formally recognised as a mental disorder by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Recently, in 2018, the World Health Organization recognised gaming disorder. Fortunately, the nature of digital media can also help the hosting of methods and mechanics to combat DA, e.g. in the monitoring of online usage and enabling individuals to stay in control of it. One of the techniques proposed in the literature is Online Peer Groups platforms, towards allowing people to form a group and provide peer support to control and regulate their usage, collectively. Online peer support groups are meant to provide peer support, counselling, motivational and learning environment, and ambivalence reduction through sharing and hope installation. However, there is a lack of research about the factors influencing people with DA to accept or reject online peer support groups. In this work, we conduct user studies and explore the acceptance and rejection factors to join and participate in such DA regulation and relapse prevention method. This will help to design and introduce the method and increase its adoption.