Make no mistake; gaming can be a fantastic past time—one of the best, in fact. While consoles get an undeniably lousy rep, the wide variety of fantastic games now out there could well see your kids learning like never before.
That said, any parent does need to keep an eye out for signs of gaming addiction, which takes this love of playing to new, and unhealthy heights. When addiction sets in, it can fast undo any gaming positives, as well as incorporating a range of unhealthy behaviors including –
- Withdrawal symptoms
- An inability to concentrate
- Mood shifts
- Etc.
Left unchecked, these symptoms can lead to health problems, including insomnia, anxiety, and a great deal more besides. As such, your initial reaction on identifying this problem may be to restrict or altogether remove gaming privileges, but that might not be the best idea. This approach could see you bearing the resentment of an addiction unfulfilled.
Image by Jessica Lewis: CC0 License
Instead, then, consider the following ways to address gaming addiction once and for all.
Log their usage
Block out the percentage of time your child spends gaming over a week, and don’t be afraid to show them the results. They’re unlikely to listen if you tell them that they’ve had enough, but they can’t argue with a chart that clearly shows they’re gaming for more than 50% of their time right now. With the shocking facts in front of them, you should hopefully find that they begin to restrict gaming time off their own backs.
Find reasons for them to get outside
Gaming addiction leaves your child with little incentive to get outside. That’s why you need to provide one. Make an effort to embark on family games like football matches, or cornhole sessions using supplies like those you’ll find it you click here. If you’re all outside having fun, then your child will find it much harder to keep playing. Even if this method only gets them away from the screen for an hour or so, it’s a fantastic way to start cutting those addictive chords.
Join them in their gaming
It may seem like the opposite of what you’d expect, but joining your child in their gaming could also be a fantastic solution. Without trying to drag them away, your presence will help them to come out of themselves, all while doing what they love. Even better, your ability to pick the game you play could see them getting the most of gaming benefits again, especially from an educational perspective. Best of all, your presence encourages the socialization that’s so sorely lacking from gaming sessions. That’s better than leaving them locked away in their bedroom on their own all the time and could, in turn, help to break those bonds at last.
Any addiction is terrible news, but an excessive gaming habit is by no means impossible to alter. Simply approach the matter with these slow and steady pointers, and you should find that your child starts to bring themselves out of their unhealthy cycle.
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