Gaming Addiction in Children: A Parent’s Guide Keywords

Every parent must have struggled with their little one’s urge to say ‘just five more minutes’ of gaming! But these five minutes instantly turn into hours. In fact, gaming has not become a staple of every kid’s life. Even if a few games actually help in teamwork and problem solving, these often turn into addictions. The main question that arises is—how can you deal with this growing addiction to gaming in kids without becoming the villains of their lives?

Read below this article to explore some of the most helpful tips to deal with gaming addiction in kids.

The truth is—gaming addiction can't be taken lightly. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially classified gaming disorder as a mental health condition in 2018. Other studies have shown that almost 8.5 percent of children and teens globally struggle with gaming addiction. In India alone, this figure is even higher, with 23% of adolescents showing signs of unhealthy gaming habits.

Unfortunately, gaming is everywhere—on consoles, phones, and PCs. If you think gaming is just about racing cars and shooting enemies, you’re probably wrong. It's about interaction, competition, and escaping from reality too. But when it starts to impact studies, relationships, and health, this is where you need to be alarmed before this addiction turns potentially dangerous.

You just need to ask yourself a few questions, whether your child

Skips meals to continue playing?

Neglects homework?

Gets aggressive when asked to stop?

Sacrifices sleep to finish a daily mission?

If your answer is yes, it's gaming addiction!

Perhaps dealing with your kid’s gaming addiction won't come easy. However, with patience and understanding, you can manage this addiction to a significant extent. Here are some helpful tips to deal with gaming addiction in your kids.

This is indeed the most important aspect when it comes to curbing gaming addiction in kids. Clear boundaries are a must, and screen time is not untouched. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children over six years old must not get any more than 2 hours of recreational screen time daily.

You can use built-in parental controls on gaming consoles and smartphones to set daily app limits. Alternatively, a weekly no-screen day can also help in spending some time away from screens, even if it's for a day.

Reducing gaming dependence demands engagement in other alternate activities to get your child’s attention. The main reason why kids often game excessively is because they lack exciting offline choices. Some of the best alternative activities include soccer, swimming, and martial arts. They can even sign up for creative activities, such as painting, photography, or writing. For some family time, perhaps a movie night or a hiking trip can do wonders too.

The one mistake you probably make is labeling games as ‘bad.’ Instead, you should take time to understand what draws your child to it. So what you can actually do is—watching them play for a while to figure out what really excites them, asking them about the favorite part of that game, or playing a round with them. This approach encourages them to listen to your concerns about excessive gaming.

Chances are, if you are yourself glued to your phone during dinner or binge-watching Netflix, it gets really difficult to expect your child to stay away from games. Children learn what you teach. Therefore, the need is to set up and model good and healthy behaviors. One of the best ways is to limit your time spent on mobiles and instead engage in outdoor activities such as reading or simply taking a walk. These little efforts will actually inspire your child to follow healthy behaviors too. 

Although gaming is not as bad as you might think, its addiction is certainly dangerous. Therefore, it's essential to set boundaries when it comes to screen time. The best way is to replace screen time with healthy recreational activities so that your little ones know the importance of balancing in the long run.