A volunteer distributes awareness pamphlets on the dangers of video games.

Sohaila Ahmed, Staff Reporter

The Eastern Region Police Department along with the University of Sharjah Khorfakkan Branch, continues to raise awareness about the dangers of video games and their effect on the behaviour of teenagers and children, and their health and safety. The campaign targeted a number of schools, government departments and roads in the Eastern Province. Moreover, it is considered to be a significant preventive measure to mitigate the effects of video games, in addition to its major role to educate members of the society.

The campaign brought together a number of students from the University of Sharjah, Khorfakkan branch, who are working on their graduation projects, under the supervision and coordination of a number of officers and personnel from the Eastern Region Police Department. The campaign included various awareness activities, in which a number of educational lectures were given and pamphlets about the dangers and effects of video games were distributed, besides spreading awareness through the various mass media.

This comes within the framework of the Sharjah Police’s keenness to adopt, support and sponsor innovative projects for the University of Sharjah’s students, and to benefit from such projects in delivering a message about safety through the initiatives and campaigns addressed in the graduation projects, which contribute in finding innovative solutions to real-life problems or suggesting ideas that increase security and safety.

Recently, the students of Faculty of Communication – Public Relations Department in the University of Sharjah – gave an introductory lecture on the dangers of video games and their impact on the public health and safety. They shed light on games such as PUBG and Fortnite which have a serious impact on the behaviour of players.

Col. Al Hammoudi stated that the adoption and idea development of the projects comes in the shadow of the distinctive talents of the Sharjah University students, from scientific studies that enable them to find innovative and practical solutions to real-life problems, and their creative suggestions of ideas that will contribute in achieving and increasing safety and security.

This came during the press conference that was organised last Sunday by the Eastern Region Police Department, in collaboration with the University of Sharjah – Khor Fakkan Branch – to launch the “Watch Out” and “Glitch” campaigns.