"Freudenberg recalls, 'Never once did I even think that I needed to say 'gambling.' One day, when her oldest son was 11, he was watching someone play video games on a livestream and clicked on a link in the comments. It took him to an offshore online casino.'"
"'It's not like he was just holed up in his room 24-7,' Freudenberg says. 'He ran track. He played soccer. He was a great student. Until he dropped out of college at age 19.'"
"'A third of kids is a lot of kids,' says Michael Robb, the head of research at Common Sense Media. 'They're not all going to have problems. But given how much things have changed in the last couple of years, the way [some kids] are engaging in gambling behaviors is already flashing red signs.'"
Kim Freudenberg's son became addicted to gambling after clicking a link to an online casino while watching video games. Despite being active and a good student, he dropped out of college at 19 due to his gambling issues. This problem is increasingly affecting young boys, with a survey indicating that 36% of boys aged 11 to 17 in the U.S. have gambled recently. Experts warn that while some gambling activities may be harmless, many boys are showing concerning gambling behaviors.
Read at www.npr.org
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