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Many parents today face the fact that children play all kinds of video games more and more. Be it a gaming console, a video game platform, or mobile games, kids are involved in these types of entertainment way more than before.

This is not a problem per se but it becomes one when children start developing gaming addiction and literally become problem gamers. Even adults can easily fall victim to problem gaming and children and younger teenagers are particularly vulnerable to these types of addiction.

This is why parents need to educate themselves and their children on the issues and nuances of playing games and be able to early identify and manage the problem of gaming and gaming addiction in their kids. In this post, we briefly describe the matter and provide some recommendations.

Understanding Gaming Addiction

Gaming addiction is just like any other addiction. It is a chemical reaction of the brain to a particular stimulus or stimuli that causes getting used to the activity that brings that brain stimulation. Like any other addiction, gaming addiction has physiological, psychological, social, and environmental factors and causes, and has to be managed correspondingly.

There are two key problems with children’s problem gaming and addiction. Firstly, parents may not even be aware of such an addiction existing, so they may either totally ignore the symptoms until these are very severe, or misunderstand the cause and effect.

Some parents take tough measures like depriving their children of using smartphones, etc., and while it may help in some ways, it is not an effective strategy in the long term. Think of it as alcohol addiction or drug addiction; if mere deprivation was an efficient tool, treating those addictions would have been a breeze.

The second problem is that most people are not even aware that games can trigger addictive mechanisms. We all know that casino gambling can be addictive and yet even this concept is comparatively new and fresh in our minds. However, it is hard for us to suggest that games created for children and targeting children can (and do) cause addiction and problem gaming. The hard part is that, to be honest, almost any game can cause addiction if it has certain triggers and mechanisms in it.

(Basically almost any entertaining activity can become addictive; there are still people who read tons of books and no one questions their adequacy because reading is considered a noble type of activity but the reality is that heavy readers are addicts)

Now, the biggest problem so far is that video games and mobile games exist for entertainment but even more so, they are created by the publishers to make money. And certain mechanics, features, and triggers in games make players pay more money for games. So publishers are not very hesitant with adding all those triggers to their games, including games that target young children. The result can be not only spending all their pocket money on a game but also an addiction.

Of course, some children manage to play it healthy and enjoy video games in a moderate manner but this is a very rare case. Such children usually have many other significant activities in their lives, like sports or arts, etc. And yet, even these activities are not a guaranteed prevention for developing problem behavior. So the best strategy is to educate yourself, watch out for the symptoms, and contact the school psychologist.

Strategies to Prevent Gaming Addiction

First of all, be a role model. If you yourself play games, watch TV, or hunt down some 100 free spins no deposit promotions at online casinos from time to time, do it a sensible way. Have a balanced schedule for your entertainment and other activities, spend time with the family, and make sure you pay attention to what your kid is interested in.

Encourage other activities like sports, socializing, and hobbies; pursue them yourself, or at least do not prevent your kids from doing what they like. Some parents prefer convenient children over happy children; a child sitting at home playing a video game is preferable to them than a child somewhere out exploring the world.

Set clear boundaries, time limits, and gaming schedules. You can consider parental control apps to track your kid’s activity online.

The Impact of Gaming Addiction

The impact of problem gaming on children and teenagers can be really severe because their emotional instability does not allow them to manage on their own, let alone cope with frustration and mood swings when parents apply severe deprivation strategies.

Problem gaming issues go far beyond spending most of the kid’s time playing a game. They can experience mood swings, sleep disruption, loss of appetite, and general apathy. A sedentary lifestyle does not add to their health and well-being, as well.

Anxiety, depression, and attention disorder are typical for children with gaming problems. This condition causes grades to go down, lack of interest in school and other activities, and even hanging out with friends is no longer an entertaining activity unless friends also play the game.

However, social skills usually tend to decrease due to isolation and lack of communication and interaction. Failures at school and potential conflicts at home because of the child’s gaming patterns contribute to worsening the situation even more.

Recognizing gaming addiction in children and managing it on your own is hard so the best idea is to address a psychologist. However, there are several things you can do yourself, like the ones described above, to prevent gaming addiction in the first place.