Prevention resources
If you would like to talk to your child about their Internet use, get support to help them manage their screen time, or involve their school in the prevention of risks related to hyperconnectivity (e.g., conferences for parents, workshops for youth, establishing a policy), these organizations can advise you:
La Maison Jean Lapointe
Since 2008, this organization’s prevention department offers an innovative addiction prevention tool for Quebec teenagers through high schools and school boards in the province. The APT Addiction Prevention Integrative Strategy is available in 17 regions in Quebec.
L’Arc-en-ciel, prévention des dépendances
A non-profit organization that focuses on addiction prevention by promoting healthy lifestyle habits. Its service offer takes into account the needs of each of its target clienteles and offers several addiction prevention services (alcohol, drugs, gambling, Internet and social media, etc.) through a multitude of in-school workshops and conferences for all audiences that meet regional needs.
Intervention resources
If you have difficulty managing your time online, are worried about losing control, or are concerned that your Internet use will lead to negative consequences in various spheres of your life (relationships, school, work), these resources can help you:
Trouve ton centre
Trouve ton centre is a reference tool that aims to facilitate access to the services provided by various addiction prevention, treatment and harm reduction centres as well as to their contact information. Trouve ton centre is the directory of Quebec’s addiction prevention network.
MSSS: Directory of addiction resources by region
This directory is intended for anyone seeking to help someone who is struggling with an addiction problem and should help direct the person in difficulty towards a specialized resource. It presents the public resources that provide treatment services as well as private or community residential facilities for addiction or pathological gambling that are certified or in the process of certification.
Your regional CISSS
Integrated Health and Social Services Centres are present throughout Quebec. They ensure the access, continuity and quality of health and social services for the population and are reference points for people with physical or mental health problems. Users can receive appropriate services or be directed to other organizations that can treat their problem within the territory of the CISSS.
Cavendish Addiction Readaptation Centre of the CISSS de la Montérégie-Ouest
At the centre, professionals are there to support you and provide treatment or services adapted to your situation and needs. The following services are available: specialized evaluation with a professional; external rehabilitation, either group, individual or with your family and friends; a social reintegration service; 21-day residential rehabilitation service (for adults); referral to specialized residential rehabilitation services (for youth), etc.
Referral service of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec
The Ordre des psychologues du Québec provides a search tool for the general public, either online or by phone, to find a suitable professional in private practice according to various criteria. To ensure results are easily obtained, the online tool proposes three criteria to launch the search: reason for consultation, clientele, and location.
For adults
Clinique Nouveau Départ
Private addiction treatment clinic located in Montreal operating for more than 30 years. Its multidisciplinary team includes doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, nursing staff, psychotherapists, psychometricians, social workers, and coaches. The cyberaddiction treatment offered by the clinic combines a medical and psychiatric evaluation, a psychometric evaluation, and psychotherapy specialized in the treatment of addiction.
For young people
Le Grand Chemin
Not-for-profit organization whose free services are intended for teenagers ages 12 to 17 who have developed or are developing addiction problems related to excessive gaming, cyberaddiction or drugs. The program at Le Grand Chemin centres is eight to ten weeks in-house with a four-month follow-up in social reintegration. Their mandate is to welcome youth from all over Quebec.
For young people
Directory of private practice psychoeducators
Directory to help you find a psychoeducator in your area. Psychoeducators work with people struggling with adaptation problems that manifest on a behavioural level in various spheres of their lives. In order to recommend an effective intervention, they evaluate an individual's psychosocial adaptation and adaptive abilities, establish a program, recommend an intervention plan, oversee its application, and evaluate the results of the intervention.
Première Ressource, aide aux parents
Première Ressource, aide aux parents offers unlimited free and confidential consultations by phone, email or chat in English and French Monday to Friday 8h to 17h. The consultation service is for all questions on parenting and the parent-child relationship. Their team of psychosocial professionals listen to the individualized needs of the parent and respond with personalized solutions that are practical and adapted to today's reality.
Helplines
These helplines offer 24/7, free and confidential professional support:
For adults
Tel-jeunes Parents
Specialists in parent-child relationships, the professional counsellors of Tel-jeunes Parents provide free and confidential services to parents 365 days a year: 24/7 by phone, between 2 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. by online chat, and by email. The intervention model is based on “reality therapy”. Counsellors therefore do not provide ready-made answers or instant solutions, but rather work to equip parents so they can find their confidence.
Phone
1-800-361-5085
For young people
Tel-jeunes
Services for young people that are free and confidential, in addition to being accessible 365 days a year. By phone (24/7), by text or chat (between 8 a.m. and 10:30 p.m.). The intervention model is based on “reality therapy”. Counsellors therefore do not provide ready-made answers or instant solutions, but rather work to equip young people to help them have better control of their lives.
Phone
1-800-263-2266
514-600-1002
For young people
Kids Help Phone
Kids Help Phone is a national support service that is accessible 24/7. It offers a professional intervention service, information, resources, and a volunteer support service for youth, in French and in English. Whether by phone, text, mobile app or through its website, Kids Help Phone is always open to young people, in any moment of crisis or need.
Phone
1-800-668-6868
686868
Jeu: aide et référence
Accessible and bilingual specialized phone service that is free, anonymous, confidential and available 24/7. The counsellors identify callers’ needs, evaluate the various potential solutions, recommend relevant actions, and direct them to appropriate resources. They encourage people to reflect on their gambling habits and refer excessive gamblers and their loved ones to help resources.
Montreal area:
514-527-0140
Everywhere in Quebec:
1-800-461-0140
Useful links
ERSB – Entertainment Software Rating Board
Thinking about buying a video game for your child? Click below to find age-appropriate options.
Parents.Quebec
If you are looking for other resources, visit the Parents.Quebec website. Created in partnership with the Fédération des comités de parents, the Ministry of Education, and the Quebec English Parents Committee Association, the objective of the Parents.Quebec portal is to help parents of students guide their children towards academic success. Parents are asked to complete a short questionnaire, then receive recommended resources adapted to their situation. An FAQ section, an online chat tool, and video clips are also available on the website.
Books
For teenagers
Green Screen
Now more than ever, our lives are filled with tension between tech and nature, being online and offline. This is the daily paradox that BESIDE explores in Green Screen.
Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked
In this book, the author tracks the rise of behavioural addiction and explains why so many of today's products are irresistible. By reverse engineering behavioural addiction, he explains how we can harness addictive products for the good and how we can mitigate their most damaging effects on our well-being, and the health and happiness of our children.
Off: Your Digital Detox for a Better Life
We spend more time online than we do asleep. With so many ways to stay connected, procrastinate and distract yourself, it's not easy to let go. This book will help you log off and wake up to less stress and more time.
My Brain Has Too Many Tabs Open
The author explores the cost that our digital life inflicts on our offline existence and offers a toolkit to anyone who has lost their way. Learn how to recognize and label harmful habits–both of yourself and others–and find actionable answers in this book.
Stop Staring at Screens
Technology was designed to make our lives easier, and yet it's one of the biggest drivers of family rifts and stress. Making healthy and realistic decisions about when and where you really need technology can be tricky but is essential for restoring harmony in your home.
Parenting in the Screen Age: A Guide for Calm Conversations
In this book, you’ll learn how to: Bring up screen time without making your child or teen defensive; Talk through difficult issues like online social cruelty, sexting, and mental health; Engage your child in creating boundaries around Netflix, video gaming, and social media; Have screen time limits that actually work–with less of the sneaking or arguing.
Phone Detox
A palm-sized book filled with insights, ideas and meditations about the complex relationship we have with our phones.