© dpa
A new contact point for addiction prevention was opened in Berlin on Wednesday: the Center for the Prevention of Behavioral Addictions.
This was announced by the Senate Department for Higher Education and Research, Health and Long-Term Care on Wednesday. The aim of the center is to raise public awareness of the risks of excessive behavior and to develop and promote targeted prevention measures.
The new center will initially focus on the topics of gambling, gaming and social media. Senator Dr. Ina Czyborra emphasized the importance of the prevention center: "Behavioral addictions, including gambling, gaming and social media addiction as well as compulsive shopping and the excessive use of online pornography, are a growing problem that affects people from all areas of society." The addiction commissioner for the state of Berlin, Heide Mutter, also praised the initiative, which encourages a balanced and healthy lifestyle. The prevention center for behavioral addictions was established by pad gGmbH.