Video Game Addiction. Are Video Games Truly Bad for Kids’ Health? Video games take a lot of heat.
They’re blamed for making kids fat, lazy, violent, and withdrawn, among other social ills. But are these criticisms justified? A recent study in the journal Pediatrics set out to determine whether all video game playing is bad for kids’ health, and which factors determine whether certain kids might be more at risk. Arthur Carlo Franco Researchers surveyed more than four thousand public high school students in Connecticut. The results suggest that physical and mental health problems linked to video games depend on a student’s psychological investment in those games.
The researchers classified a student as a problematic video gamer if he or she agreed with all of the following statements: I have been unsuccessful in cutting back.I experience an irresistible urge to play.I experience tension that is only relieved by playing. Distracting and Expensive. By: Jon Henshaw, M.A.
Video games can be bad for you, but not for the reasons you might think. They're not bad for you because they'll make you violent — because they won't. However they can be bad for you for other reasons. Here's a look at the top 5 reasons why video games can be bad for you. 1. Addiction is defined as "The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or involved in something 2. It cost a lot of money to stay current with the latest video games and hardware (console and/or computer). Losing relationships. Listen Lots of kids love video games.
In fact, they like them so much that they might hear something like this from mom or dad: "Enough! Unplug that thing and find something else to do! " It can be good advice, even if you were just about to crash through to the next level. Why? It's hard to get enough active play and exercise if you're always inside playing video games. Really overdoing video games also could affect other important stuff, like friendships and how well a kid does in school. But here's the good news: Playing video games some of the time can be OK. A good game will be the right one for how old you are.
You might challenge your mom, dad — or even your grandma — to swing the bat in a game of baseball or try out some fancy moves in one of the dancing games. Reviewed by: Mary L. Violence in childrens future. An increased rate of violence and aggression among children and teenagers, is one of the most important problems faced by today's parents.
But we hardly spare a thought to the fact that entertainment media like television, video games and movies, can be an important factor contributing to the growing trend of violent behavior among children and teenagers. Video games are perhaps the most significant source of entertainment for young children that were first introduced in the year 1970. From then it has pervaded the world of child entertainment and become a subject of many studies and researches for its presumed role in influencing child behavior and psychology. Results of many such studies have pointed out that video games can have greater adverse effects on children than television and movies.
As compared to television, video games demand active participation of the player and therefore, can have far reaching effects on child behavior and psychology. Video Games and Eyes - Kids Vision Problems. Many parents wonder if spending too much time playing video games can hurt their child.
Questions arise about obesity and aggressive behavior. While extended periods of time playing video games may possibly affect a children's weight and behavior, many parents often forget about the possible effects on their eyes and vision. Playing video games for extended amounts of time can cause children to experience many of the same symptoms seen in computer vision syndrome in adults. Extensive viewing of the game screen can lead to eye discomfort, fatigue, blurry vision and headaches. Kids seem to become so engrossed in video games that they forget to take breaks. Prolonged game play without significant breaks can cause eye focusing problems, as well as eye irritation. Focusing problems: The eyes focus much differently on a video screen than on a flat surface, such as a piece of notebook paper.
If your children enjoy playing video games, encourage them to take frequent breaks. How Bodys affected. Whether your child plays video games on a portable unit, a television or the Internet, excessive gaming can affect his life.
Video game addiction can be as problematic as gambling and affects players as young as 8 years old, notes Keith Baker, director of Smith and Jones Addiction Consultants, in an article for Brigham Young University’s NewsNet. Be aware of the effects of a video game compulsion to keep your child's hobby in check. He shouldn't be getting anymore than two hours of screen time per day and this includes time playing games, watching television and surfing the Internet, according to HealthyChildren.org.
A video game addiction can be harmful if your child is unable or unwilling to participate in any interests or extracurricular activities other than gaming.