Children and gaming addiction

Posted by Vit on January 10th, 2020

Gaming addiction is an acute problem. One or another form of this psychological illness can affect both children and adults. What is gaming addiction in children, where does it come from and what measures should parents and teachers take if this happens to child?

The influence of time and technology

The process of education now and then confronts the parent with difficulties, and this is normal. However, there are times when the situation goes beyond the norm. And modern parents are increasingly faced with the problem of gambling/gaming - the excessive addiction of children to computer or mobile games (which can evolve into more adult games, like games in online casino). Parents can notice similar problems mainly at the age of 8 years and older. Separately, it is worth considering such a problem as gambling addiction in adolescents - in this case there is a great risk that your child will go with this problem into adulthood.

We live in an age of high technology. And any mass phenomenon, as you know, can bring not only benefits, but also harm. The engine of progress is good only in skilled hands or under proper control.

Modern youths are a generation that does not remember life without the Internet, without smartphones and without video games. A child may not yet be able to read and write, but he will already in general terms understand how to use the modern gadgets of his parents. You can even say that today's children are smarter than their peers from previous generations, and this will be true, at least regarding technology.

Video games are not evil

It is immediately worth noting that the Internet and other computer technologies are tools for performing a variety of tasks. Time spent at the computer is used not only for work and study, but also for leisure. And it’s normal that with the same internet you can relax from all the surrounding information by reading something interesting or looking at pictures with cats, talking with friends on social networks and so on.

Moreover, video games to one degree or another are educational. The same games for preschoolers will help you learn numbers, colors, and engage in other developmental activities in an interesting presentation. An older child, although sometimes playing on a computer, can easily deal with maps and a navigator, for example. And computer games by themselves in the modern world are a genre of art, a part of which your offspring may want to become an adult, providing himself with a prestigious profession by modern standards.

Consequently, video games and the Internet themselves are not evil. But the psyche of adults is much more stable in comparison with metal perception of their children, so parental control is needed.

Gaming and our children: how to prevent addiction

Not every parent sees a problem or a social threat in games. Thanks to mobile devices you can “distract” your child during the wait in a line or during car ride for example. And when your child sits at a computer for a long time at home - you will most likely be partly glad that he does not disappear all day on the street without your supervision. That’s true, and there is nothing wrong with that. But it is important not to miss the moment and in time identify the possible development of the problem. At an early stage, gaming addiction in children and adolescents can simply be neutralized. Sometimes even a peaceful and sincere conversation can prevent the development of unhealthy cravings, which would be fraught with consequences.

In matters of gaming addiction, for parents, as elsewhere, the middle ground is important. Parents have a difficult task to maintain a safe environment for their children, while the offspring themselves cannot be responsible for their actions (mostly).

Therefore, it is important to face the problem. Do not close your eyes and do not attribute the problems to a difficult age, do not see a lesser evil in them. And then an absolutely harmonious and healthy atmosphere will reign in your family.

Gaming addiction in adolescents: play wisely

Remember how realistic cartoons seemed to you in childhood. Being under the age of 7 years, children weakly distinguish between emotions from real and virtual. And when entertaining content is perceived as something real - interest in it will gradually become stronger than interest in things from the real world. At the same time, it is at this age that the foundation of personality is laid. The future of your offspring will largely depend on these years.

In video games, everything is bright, beautiful, everything is possible, and everything is easy. This is a world of illusions. In moderate doses, it will give joy and an elevated mood. And on an excessive scale, it will kill any interest in the real life, “not ideal” world, in which you have to make efforts to achieve your goals.

The most dangerous entertainment

Firstly, excessive enthusiasm for games for the younger generation is harmful because in our Internet spaces you can easily download any game content. Even one that will have an age limit for which your child actually does not fit. In pursuit of new sensations and in the process of searching for alternatives to already tried entertainment, the child’s psyche of the gamer is becoming more and more sophisticated. Video games with scenes of blood, violence and eroticism will not take long to be discovered by your kid in online world.

Nevertheless, even adult games on the computer are not the most dangerous component in the issue of young gaming addict. It is true that it will not be surprising to anyone that modern children have access to eroticism and pornography, violent films or simply too harsh jokes. Even if you are puzzled by parental control, anyone will have at least one classmate who does not have a password on the computer.

In general, some accessibility of adult content for teens is a relative norm. This is not to say that computer toys are very dangerous in this regard. The time spent behind them matters.

Which “toys” take the most time? These are two categories - online like Counter Strike and mobile social like PUBG. That is, everything where your offspring do not play alone, but surrounded by other players. Everything where is direct competition between the players of the same server.

In networked games, it is not skills, ingenuity and reaction that are of primary importance, but the amount of time spent in them.

“While you sleep, your enemy is swinging” - such a saying goes in the circles of young video game lovers. By the way, here’s a mini test for you: try to say this phrase during the casual talk with your child. The reaction will be indicative. A child who is far from this saying will not understand it. But those who are “in the subject” will demonstrate a vivid emotional reaction.

How to fight with the problem

Modern methods of education, in principle, dictate the absence of strict prohibitions and aggression, this is reasonable. Therefore, in matters of gaming addiction in a child, pedagogy and condescension are also relevant.

Bans will do little - the children will find a way to play somewhere. Trying to protect him from video games will only set the teenager against you. Moreover, the forbidden fruit is sweet, and in youth a rebellious spirit is peculiar...