A “Student Workshop on Combating Addiction” was organized by the Healthy Living Club of Erzurum Technical University within the scope of the project titled “Smartphone Awareness: Head and Neck Risk Map in Young People,” carried out under the University Student Communities Cooperation and Support Program (UNIDES) of the Youth Services General Directorate of the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
The program, held at the Life Center, was attended by ETU Rector Prof. Dr. Bülent Çakmak, academics, institutional representatives, and many students. In addition to university students, teachers and students from various high schools also participated in the workshop, which was organized to raise awareness about combating addiction and to encourage conscious technology use among young people.
In his opening speech, Rector Prof. Dr. Bülent Çakmak stated that while technological developments make life easier, they also bring new areas of risk. He emphasized that digital addiction, social media addiction, and the physical and psychological problems associated with smartphone use are increasingly common, especially among young people.
Expressing that combating addiction is not limited to fighting harmful habits alone, Rector Çakmak stressed the importance of developing a healthy lifestyle culture, raising awareness, and strengthening young people’s social connections. He underlined that the workshop serves as an important platform where young people can express their own problems, needs, and solution proposals. He also noted that universities, as institutions that generate solutions to social problems, will continue to support the physical, social, and psychological well-being of young people.
Within the scope of the workshop, participants were provided with academic and scientific information regarding addiction, digital addiction, and the effects of smartphone use on young people. During presentations delivered by experts, risks such as attention deficit, sleep disorders, social isolation, and musculoskeletal problems caused by prolonged screen use were particularly discussed.
Directorate of Corporate Communications and Promotion
12 May 2026
