How Video Games Impact Your Child’s Mental Health?

How Video Games Impact Your Child’s Mental Health?

When we see the joy and laughter on our children’s faces as they play their favorite video games, it’s hard to see any downside to it. However, the old saying everything in moderation reigns true as we discuss the negative effects excessive video games can have on your child’s mental health.

How Video Games Can Impact Your Child’s Mental Health? When children play video games for extended periods of time they increase the risk of developing an addiction and there's a lot more to it. COntinue reading #videogames #gaming #mentalhealth #anxiety #videogameaddiction

How video games are affecting children negatively?

1. Risk of Addiction 

First and foremost when people play video games for extended periods of time they increase the risk of developing an addiction. Obviously, some people are more susceptible than others but when it comes to our little ones why take the risk?

Video game addiction is an official mental health disorder after being recognized by the World Health Organisation. They looked at the data and incidences across the globe and found consistencies in the behavior and symptoms that indicate video game addiction.

How video game addiction works in young children and adults alike is it causes them to become addicted to dopamine. Dopamine is a neurochemical responsible for important roles such as memory, cognition, emotions, and learning. When we play video games the stimulation and rewards cause large amounts of dopamine to be released making us feel great. On the downside, long hours of excessive gaming lead to overexposure and desensitization of our brain to dopamine.

 Ultimately it means that we need to get more dopamine to feel the same level of satisfaction and hence more time playing video games. Many of the symptoms that video game addicts feel are largely attributed to their desensitization to dopamine.

It’s evident that an imbalance in this neurochemical can massively hinder your child’s development.

How Video Games Can Impact Your Child’s Mental Health? When children play video games for extended periods of time they increase the risk of developing an addiction and there's a lot more to it. COntinue reading #videogames #gaming #mentalhealth #anxiety #videogameaddiction

2. Decrease Motivation 

A common symptom many video game addicts display is low energy and poor motivation to do anything else except gaming. In children, this can likely manifest itself as reluctance to do homework, poor performance in school, and neglecting other responsibilities.

The reason this happens is due to video games’ ability to shortcut what is known as the triumph circuit.

It’s the portion of the brain that motivates us to achieve things for that triumphant feeling we get after it’s completed. Video games create small achievable goals that provide a consistent level of satisfaction as and when we want it. We can liken it to instant gratification.

In the mind of a child that plays video games excessively, why would they want to invest time and energy “suffering” doing schoolwork or other hard tasks when they can play games for an hour and feel accomplished for it.

If this behavior isn’t rectified it could go on to stunt their capacity for success later in life when it comes to hard work.

Can Video Games Impact my Child’s Mental Health? When children play video games for extended periods of time they increase the risk of developing an addiction and there's a lot more to it. COntinue reading #videogames #gaming #mentalhealth #anxiety #videogameaddiction

3. Decreased Attention and Interest

Video games are an undeniably unique activity. It satisfies our need to see measurable growth, our need for social interaction and is also used to relax and unwind. With an activity that does all of this from the comfort of our own home, it damages children’s interests in other greater pleasures they once had.

You might find that your child is no longer interested in playing outside with their friends, going to their favorite after-school sports club, or playing with their household pet. Gaming often substitutes many important areas of a child’s life that are important for personal growth.

Not only that but some research has shown evidence that they have a negative impact on attention span. Results of a study demonstrate a relationship between video game addiction and other comorbid diseases such as ADHD. Hence it’s important to remain vigilant when it comes to our child’s mental state.

Does Video games impact a chil'd mental health? Yes, if they reach to a level of addiction. Continue reading #videogames #gaming #mentalhealth #anxiety #videogameaddiction

4. Alexithymia 

This is the technical term used for a condition where an individual cannot identify their emotional state. fMRI studies have shown that playing video games suppress negative emotions such as fear, pain, and anxiety. Hence many young people resort to playing video games rather than experiencing these negative emotions.

The problem with this; is that over time young people begin to lose the ability to determine what emotion they are feeling.Rather than learning how to healthily deal with negative emotions, it becomes an overwhelming sensation that they feel the need to run from.

And of course, the main way they know how to do this is through more video games causing a detrimental negative feedback loop.

Does Video games impact a chil'd mental health? Yes, if they reach to a level of addiction. Continue reading #videogames #gaming #mentalhealth #anxiety #videogameaddiction

How to prevent Video Games addiction?

Now that we have explained some of the main effects gaming can have on your child’s mental health and you know what to look out for. Let’s now go through some of the most effective methods to cut down your child’s gaming habits and prevent them from developing video game addiction.

How video games are affecting kids negatively?Yes, if they reach to a level of addiction. Continue reading #videogames #gaming #mentalhealth #anxiety #videogameaddiction

Here are some ways to prevent video games addiction:

1. Set Healthy Boundaries –

Removing video games altogether might be a bit drastic when it comes to dealing with a child who plays excessively. Often it can result in friction between the parent and the child which leads to tantrums, arguments, and disputes that could have been avoided. We recommend sitting down and discussing a reasonable amount of playtime during the week. It could be a certain number of hours a week, a number of games per night, or an allotted slot on the weekends.

The purpose of this is to preserve the enjoyment they get from gaming while still leaving lots of room for productivity. Playing video games nowadays is a very social experience as they team up online after school with their friends. So allowing them some time to play gives them the opportunity to build and maintain friendships

2. Provide Alternative Activities –

As we previously mentioned playing video games is a very unique activity that covers a lot of the needs we have as developing people. To satisfy what gaming once used to, we need multiple different activities that cater to those needs.

a. We will need a stimulating activity. Something that engages them mentally and harbors the opportunity for them to see a measurable growth in their skills. Activities like learning an instrument or a new language are great choices.

b. We will also need a social activity. Something that gives them a chance to meet other kids and socialize in a setting that isn’t over the internet. Activities such as dance classes, after-school sports clubs, or martial arts.

c. Finally, they will need a resting activity. Many children like to rush home from school to kick their feet up and unwind by playing video games. So we will need a low energy activity in order to substitute this. Things like reading or drawing are good examples.

In teenagers and adults with video game addiction, they struggle to find new passions that substitute what gaming used to offer. Large portions of treatment of their addiction are finding new ways to invest their time without gaming. Therefore it is essential that we break these habits now, early on. Give them the opportunity to build a healthy and sustainable passion.

If you think that your child might be at risk of video game addiction or want to know more about how to treat video game addiction, The Mindful Gamer is always here to help.

Love & Light,

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Jhilmil

Quest to live the life surrounded with the charming little bundle's of joy. When they speak, I sing, When they smile, I rejoice , When they hug, I hold them never to lose, Such is my passion for these Gifts of God.This love urged me to navigate separately from my Travel Blog & establish an "All-In-One" Blog for budding mothers. Mum's have multi-tasked this world ,with all her professional commitments , she still makes an extra effort to be a loving, caring and be an intellectual mommy! Cheers, for me too come from the same fraternity, post having a superb academics & close to 8 years of professional experience and blessed with a little one "who has indeed changed my life from Autumn to Spring";)

This Post Has 11 Comments

  1. Cooking_lover_nishtha

    Each n every topic u share with us..it’s mind blowing..helpful for parents.. thank you for sharing informative articles

  2. Alpana Deo

    Video games can become an addition very easily if not handled at early stages. Nothing that starts a pastime, then playing with friends, slowly becomes a habit. Setting time limits is very important and also paying attention to what kind of games children are playing is also very important.

  3. yes nowadays video games are so popular in kids and they can affect their physical and mental health if there is no time limit. setting healthy boundaries and planning alternate activities can help a lot in managing a healthy balance. great tips you have shared in this post.

  4. Harjeet Kaur

    I am totally against video games for little children but then you have to give in to the kids. My grandsons are given time with an alarm on the mobile and have to switch it off right away. children are suffering from ADHD and when the TV itself is called an idiot box then what can we call the new Switch which is the play station now.

  5. Charu

    Video games are addictive indeed. I am all in favour of screen time but constructive use of the same. There are so much educational stuff that kids can pick up that can add to their learning. Screens for young kids is good for edutainment and not merely entertainment

  6. It is true that video games suppress negative emotions as we tend to replace them. Video games eat a lot of your kid’s brains and once they become an addict they throw even more tantrums.

  7. Neha Tambe

    Absolutely correct. Video games are fun, engaging and interesting but over use of any gadget or entertainment is harmful. Keeping healthy boundaries and engaging children in other activities will help.

  8. Ruchi Verma

    My God, video games are like best friends for kids and I agree Neha that it tends to build up a lack of concentration, it’s high time for parents to understand and limit the screen time.

  9. Afreen Ansari

    Video games are a boom and a boon, all depends on how its handled, the blog lists all the details quite in detail, emphasizing the points to look out for

  10. Video games can really become addictive and have adverse effects. Though I am. Ok with screen time it’s limited and has to be something that ja useful. Thanks for sharing the effects and ways to stop addiction

  11. Hansa Kajaria

    My son is 5 and he calls him self a gamer. He plays wonderful games online. However, I have set a limit to his time and he very obediently abides by it.

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