A Closer Look at Kids’ Video Games Habits

All children and adolescents use various video games in their daily activities. However, they are not at the end of determining limits to their actions and generate addictions that bring terrible consequences. That is why The Woman Post suggests some tips so you can get better control over these games.

A study published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics by Markus Dworak reveals that too many video game creates an addiction in school-age children. The data collected suggest that it is linked to many psychological and psychiatric problems, such as emotional, behavioral, and somatic complaints. In addition, it affects family interaction and brings serious consequences of brain hyperactivity.

The findings show that excessive consumption gave a reduced amount of slow-wave sleep, including impairment in the verbal cognitive memory performance. The results indicate the negative influence not only on sleep but also on the learning and memory of the child.

The New Addiction to Fortnite or Free Fire Video Games

The health crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic forced the radical confinement and mobility limitations of children, adolescents, and entire families. Some parents continued with their daily work routines, others just followed the rules and continued their work online. However, in children and adolescents in one way or loneliness was channeled into the video games of Fortnite and Free Fire.

Rachel Ehmke, editor-in-chief of the Child Mind Institute published an article in which she expresses that video games implement a combat technique. Experts highlight the effect of accidents and the need to win against another group makes them continue to play. In addition, video games are responsible for encouraging the social component, that is, children and adolescents have the alternative of inviting their friends to the game. This action makes them constantly connected and induces more adrenaline because they are real-time 3D shooting games.

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On the other hand, children and adolescents cannot measure when it is too much and set limits. For them, the more you play the more you share with your friends, and the more you earn. However, Dr. Anderson suggests that the child and adolescent should interact with friends, participate in extracurricular activities, and get enough sleep. In addition, be up to date academically and maintain positive relationships with the family.

Tips for Preventing Video Game Addiction

Nancy Petry, a professor at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine and a behavioral scientist on addictive disorders, suggests that healthy boundaries should be placed on video games. In addition, it offers practical and proven strategies by some families to manage video games in the lives of their children.

1. Games are only after your other responsibilities: You must start from the premise that schoolwork is first, even delegate some household activities, such as keeping the room tidy and clean, organizing the materials you implement in the school, collaborating with some household chores, among others, and then, video games.

2. Clear boundaries with video games: Some experts recommend that the time should be between 30 and 60 minutes a day, on school days, and up to 2 hours on non-school days. In children under 6 years of age, the times should be reduced.

3. Rules should be designed for periods and then re-evaluated: The reasonable span should be 1 to 2 months and then reevaluate and continue to decrease if the possibility exists.

4. If your child breaks the rules, there must be a consequence: Set a multi-day or total ban on video games if you break the rules.

5. Know and approve the video games in which your children excel: They must be informed about the gambling preferences of minors.

6. Monitor and employ the rules: Regardless of whether other scenarios arise, such as an illness or if you don't have school activities, you can't break the rules.

7. Suggest other recreational activities: The ideal is to modify excessive behavior, consider replacing video games with activities such as sports, music, painting, crafts, among others.

8. Add value to activities other than video games. If your little one is interested in a sport, then you can invite him to a stadium to watch a game. This action can excite you to take up more time to practice.

In short, these games have become so attractive to them since the pandemic, that they have unintentionally created an addiction of them. Therefore, parents should prevent their children from getting so involved in video games because it is not healthy for their well-being.