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Local coalition and pediatrician warn sports-betting apps pose risks for teens
Summary
At a Feb. 3 Encompass Coalition session in Northborough, substance-use coordinator Emily Tylik and pediatrician Dr. Safdar Medina warned that mobile sports-betting apps and targeted marketing increase risks for adolescents and urged parents to watch for mental-health warning signs and seek help.
Emily Tylik, substance use prevention coordinator for the Encompass Coalition, and Dr. Safdar Medina, a pediatrician at Tri River Health Center and assistant professor of pediatrics at UMass Chan Medical School, spoke Feb. 3 about growing risks that online sports betting poses for adolescents.
Tylik opened by citing local survey data: the MetroWest adolescent health survey at Algonquin Regional High School (2023) showed that 13 percent of male students reported betting on real sports events through online gambling. "We're here today to talk about sports betting and the commonalities it might have with substance use, specifically in adolescence," she said.
Dr. Medina defined sports betting as wagering money or something of value on the outcome of sporting events or specific in-game…
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