Internet addiction among children is a growing concern. Online access is a vital part of the modern world and an important tool in children’s education.
According to a study, roughly 23% of youth in the United States, aged between 8 to 18 years report they feel “addicted to video games” (31% of males, 13% of females.) Children are spending a considerable amount of time (an average of 44.5 hours per week) in front of screens.
What are the negative effects of gaming addiction?
It leads to behavioral and mental changes among children. Gaming addiction increases anxiety, depression and decreased interaction with family members and other people.
Lack of other hobbies and poor academic performance because of gaming addiction slows down children’s mental growth.
Lack of physical activities makes the young lethargic, which also leads to weight gain.
An analysis by Health – Behaviours in School-based children (HSBC) data shows that children with obesity have lower satisfaction levels in life and are more prone to being bullied. This can lead to lower participation in class and reduced educational performance.
Gaming addiction increases health-related problems. Some of them are eyesight problems, attention deficit issues, insomnia, etc. It also reduces their verbal fluency, social skills, worsens learning ability and creates concentration problems.
A different way to look at gaming-
As we know every coin has two sides, Online gaming improves multi-tasking skills and it develops early learning skills among students. It improves critical thinking skills, leadership skills and team building and teaches languages.
Therefore, balance and keeping a tab on gaming is the key.
Being a parent how to stop your child’s from addiction:
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- Address the problem, discuss the situation and show your child you are on the same page.
- As a parent show you care:
- When you notice behavioural changes in your child, ensure you open communication channels with your child. Let the child feel confident that he/ she can confide in you.
- There is a significant possibility that the child is seeking gaming as an outlet for pent-up anger or frustrations.
- Do not let the child feel threatened by questioning too much.
- Allow the child to express freely without being judgemental and do not give advice.
- Steer your child towards other hobbies or activities of interest to keep them busy.
- Speak often about maintaining a healthy mind and healthy body.
- Set reasonable rules and boundaries for your children.
- Instead of punishing work with your child to establish clear boundaries for limited internet usage.
- Set a stipulated time for video games, maybe an hour after schoolwork or homework, and stick to this time frame.
St. Mary’s High School, the best school in Kalyan, strongly condemns any form of addiction, but we also realise that every child is trying to express him or herself. Therefore. we are committed to providing multiple avenues to channelise children’s energies at our campus.
by:- Debashree Mukherjee