Negative effects of mobile games on children

Negative effects of mobile games on children

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A small child playing a mobile game in bed
      Image: BBC news

Overview

Friends, here we shall discuss the negative effects of mobile games on children. These days you will see many parents showing concerns about their children’s addiction to mobile phones.4

Factually parents are responsible for this, to much extent. 
Think, who introduced the mobile phone to the child.

Many parents start showing mobile to the baby aged less than six months.

Different people give different excuses for this. Most of the parents may be seen saying that they do this to feed their children.

A baby's brain develops primarily throughout the first two years of life. Because of this, it's crucial for infants and toddlers to explore their surroundings and encounter a variety of sights, noises, tastes, and sensations.

Children learn about their surroundings by interacting and having fun with others.

Minimum prescribed age limit for screen time


Babies under the age of 18 months should not be exposed to any screen time, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

Video chatting with grandparents, other family members or friends is an exception to this guideline because it is regarded as excellent time spent socializing.

Toddlers between the ages of 18 and 24 months can begin to spend time watching a screen with a parent or caregiver. This age group of children can learn when an adult is present.
 

It's acceptable for children between the ages of 2 and 3 to watch up to 1 hour per day of excellent educational television or screen time.

Do this when starting toddlers on screen time: 


During screen time, supervise small children. Playing an educational game or discussing something you both see in an age-appropriate TV show or video, is good.

Before purchasing games or apps for your child, do some research. Many of the thousands of apps and games that make the claim to be educational are actually not.

Find out which ones are the greatest by conducting an online search. When sharing with your child, preview whenever you can.

Give time, not mobile to your child:

  • Give your child plenty of time away from the screen each day. Play is crucial for education and the development of creativity. 
  • Give yourself plenty of time to engage in learning and socializing with friends who have children
  • Encourage your child to exercise every day as well.
  • Screens should be turned off an hour or more before night and during meals.
  • TVs and other electronics should not be used in the bedroom. 
  • When not in use, turn off TVs and other screens. 
  • When you are with your youngster, turn off your phone. Your interactions and your child's play may be disturbed by this.

Negative effects of video games:


Today's youth are largely addicted to gaming and spend the majority of their time playing games on mobile devices. 

There are a number of negative risks connected to gaming.

Children now have worse eyesight than ever, and excessive eyestrain from playing video games may be one of the main causes of this eye damage, believes Keith Holland, a specialist who has examined the impact of video games and computers on children's eyes.

In the USA, teenagers make up 63% of the country's over 225 million cell phone subscribers.
 
When they are playing video games, people blink as little as possible. This causes excessive eye dryness, headaches, difficulty concentrating and light sensitivity.

Many kids engage in gaming when they're feeling lonely or irritated. It is now important to watch out for young children. 

Think about how playing hazardous games affects children's conduct negatively.

Many children play video games while they're depressed or angry. It is, therefore, vital to be cautious around small children. 

Consider the detrimental effects that playing risky games has on children's behavior.

Relationship Between Mobile Game Addiction and Depression:


Two children playing video game on computer
Children now have worse eyesight than ever, and excessive
eyestrain from playing video games may be one of
the main causes.

A survey was done to examine the relationship between mobile game addiction, depression, social anxiety and loneliness. 


The findings showed that adolescents who were addicted to mobile games had greater self-reported levels of melancholy, social anxiety, and loneliness.

Additionally, a difference in gender was seen in the relationship between social anxiety and mobile gaming addiction, with male teenagers showing a higher correlation between the two. 

This suggests that, compared to female adolescents, male adolescents may feel more social anxiety if they use mobile games compulsively.

We all spend more time online than in the actual world as we live in a period of advanced technology.

Technology now has complete power over our minds and lives. 

At the same time, we are disregarding and not paying attention to how much time our children spend on technology. Our kids now spend a lot of time playing games on their phones. 

Some addictive games like Fortnite, PUBG, or GTA, among others, are negatively harming children's brain development.

It's interesting to note that MRI scans showed that all addicting video games might have a similar impact on children's brains to alcoholism or drug dependence. 

Children who play mobile games for an extended period of time experience the same alterations in brain structure and function as alcoholics or drug addicts.

Video gaming can be addictive, a condition is known as "Internet gaming disorder," according to some studies.

Unsupervised game playing by kids is permitted by parents, which is unquestionably a big issue. 

Children are becoming so dependent on smartphone apps that they have no interest in playing outside games. 

The health and development of our children are negatively impacted by these behavioral changes. 

It has been noted that today's youth are less interested in their surroundings and have less interaction with nature.

Mobile games have negative effects on a child's brain:

Children become violent:


Kids get violent because the majority of video games have violent content. Children who play more violent video games are more likely to act violently and have more aggressive thoughts.

Children may suffer from a Lack of Attention:


Short attention spans are destroyed by mobile gaming. According to studies, kids' academic performance suffers the more time they spend playing video games simply because they aren't paying attention.

They may face concentration Issues:


According to studies, playing video games can have a negative impact on kids' ability to focus. Although it can help with short-term concentration, it is bad for long-term concentration.

Children may become short Tempered and Impulsive:


There are many chances that children who spend too much time playing video games will develop impulsive tendencies and anger issues.

Some may suffer from suicidal behavior: 

It can be inferred from the way mobile gaming consumes children on a daily basis that the child is willing to try anything. They do not hesitate to harm those around them in addition to themselves. 


What should you do?


A small kid holding and watching a tablet
To prevent addiction, have your kids follow
 a tight gaming schedule. 

It could be difficult to prevent your children from playing online games. It is time to limit time. It can be detrimental in many ways if recreational gaming becomes an addiction. 


Here is some advice that every parent should know:


  • To prevent addiction, have your kids follow a tight gaming schedule. 
  • To improve your children's physical and mental health, encourage them to engage in more physical activity. 
  • To keep your kids busy during the day, spend more time with them. 
  • Do not let the screen use before going to bed.
  • Parents too avoid the use of mobile at dinnertime and an hour before bedtime.
Your family will have the chance to spend thoughtful, cherished time together when everyone agrees to put down their devices. 

You don't want your child to spend too much time watching screens, even though they may keep them occupied with unlimited screen time. 

In today's screen-filled environment, it's not always simple to place limits on kids' access to TV and video games.

Tools you can use to protect your child from explicit content:


You an use methods to prevent your children from viewing graphic material on TV and the Internet. 

You can set up parental controls on the majority of routers, web browsers and TVs to filter or prevent objectionable content.

There are also built-in options or programs you can download that let you create content filters if your kids have cell phones. 

Additionally, many of them let you block particular websites, web searches, or even terms.

Educate and explain to your kid the reasons for restrictions:

  • Your children are considerably more likely to abide by the limits you establish if they realize that you're restricting screen time because spending too much time in front of a screen has negative effects. 
  • Your children may be more inclined to rebel against or disregard the rules you are trying to enforce if they believe you are just "being cruel" to them.
  • Explain the dangers of violent video games, TV shows, and movies based on what is age-appropriate. 
  • Make sure to talk to your children about the risks of online predators if they use the Internet.
  • Make sure that every family member participates in the conversation around screen time and helps to establish a set of guidelines that everyone can adhere to. 

You should ask your child's

passwords:


You might want to think about requesting the

passwords of your children's social media and

online accounts. 

Children are sometimes incapable of handling

interactions online and are therefore susceptible to

cyberbullying. 

The decision will need to be discussed as a family,

but ultimately it will be up to you as a parent to

decide how to best safeguard your child while yet

giving them some privacy and autonomy.


Make Your Child’s Bedroom Screen-Free


If your kids are allowed to use devices away from you, you won't be able to watch what they're doing on them. 

For this reason, you might want to establish a rule prohibiting the use of TVs, video game consoles, and laptops in your child's bedroom. 

This also applies to portable devices that your children might be enticed to use after bedtime, which might disrupt their sleep.

Update your own knowledge on social media:

The youth of today are tech-savvy. Most of them are more knowledgeable about electronics than most adults. 

Parents must stay current on the newest social media platforms, applications, games, and trends.

For instance, unless you are aware of the risks yourself, you cannot teach your child about the dangers of social media. 

In the same way, if you don't know how particular media are rated, you won't be able to stop kids from consuming them (like violent video games).

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Questions People Ask About Negative Effects of Mobile Games; 


Q. How does gaming affect a child's brain?

A. Interactive and instructional video games and applications, according to the experts, had a beneficial impact on young children's brain development. However, children's brain development was harmed by aggressive and only amusing media.

Q. Do video games affect learning?

A. According to a summary of the data published in American Psychologist, playing video games, including violent shooter games, may improve children's learning, health, and social skills. 

The report is being released at a time when psychologists and other medical specialists are still debating how violent media affects young people.

Q. How does gaming affect the brain?

A. When playing violent video games for just 10 to 20 minutes, the brain's arousal, anxiety, and emotional reaction-related regions become more active, while the executive function and emotion regulation regions of the frontal lobes become less active.

Q. How long should kids play video games?

A. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, the recommended amount of time should be between 30 and 60 minutes each day during the school year and 2 hours or less over the summer.

Q. Do video games affect memory?

A. The findings of a survey revealed a substantial correlation between video game addiction and memory (poor memory) and attention scores (worse attention)

Q. Can video games damage your eyesight?

A. Long-term harm to your eyes can result from playing video games too much. Digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome is what this is.

Q. How do you know if your child is addicted to video games?

A. Eight Warning Signs of Child Gaming Addiction
  • Having an obsession with video games.
  • Giving up other pursuits, such as hobbies or obligations.
  • Requiring additional gaming time to sate the craving.
  • Becoming upset when video games are taken away.=
  • Unable to decrease game time. 
  • Continuing playing games despite issues.

Q. What is gaming disorder?

A. Gaming disorder is a pattern of gaming behavior characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing prioritization of gaming over other pursuits to the point where gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

Q. What part of the brain is affected by video games?

A. The Cerebrum is the most crucial part of the brain when playing video games. The coordination of movement, touch, vision, hearing, judgment, problem-solving and learning are just a few of the many tasks performed by the cerebrum.

Q. How do gamers protect their eyes?

A. If you play for fewer hours, you can wear anti-glare lenses to prevent slight glare. But if you want to play video games for a long time, be sure to buy good computer glasses. 

To safeguard your eyes as you play your games, premium computer glasses like Eyezen are built with blue-cut lenses.

Q. Do video games cause depression?

A. In especially among young people and adults, a 2017 systematic review found a link between excessive gaming and psychological disorders such as sadness, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Q. Does gaming cause dark circles?

A. While excessive screen time doesn't necessarily lead to dark circles, it can undoubtedly raise the likelihood that they do.

Q. What is the 20/20 rule?

A. You may have heard about this guideline from your eye doctor if you find yourself staring at screens all day. Basically, you should aim to gaze away from a screen for a total of 20 seconds every 20 minutes at anything that is 20 feet away from you.

Q. Is 4 hours of gaming too much?

A. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises limiting screen-based entertainment to no more than two hours each day.

Q. What's better for kids TV or video games?

A. According to a study from Australia, playing video games is preferable to watching television for kids. Researchers from the Queensland University of 

Technology conducted the study, which revealed that children's cognitive abilities were enhanced when they spent more time playing video games than watching television.

Q. Can video games cause anger problems?

A. Playing violent video games like Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Kombat can make someone more likely to feel, act, and think aggressively.


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