Problems With Gaming Addiction and How to Avoid Them

The COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the world by diverting people from physical interaction to online activities. Now people prefer online shopping and e-education, and likewise, youngsters are indulging more in online gaming instead of outdoor activities.

Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) are gaining popularity due to intensive social interaction through video, voice, and text. They are being considered as a source of entertainment and establishing virtual communities to interact with others by far more people.

However, besides being a source of entertainment and fun, it has some negative impacts which every guardian needs to be aware of.

In Pakistan, there have been many unfortunate cases of suicides and homicides involving gamers. The issue of violence and anti-social behavior arises due to excessive online gaming, as different researchers have concluded.

Arthur Cassidy, an associate of the British Psychological Society, says that growing attachment to gaming devices among children leads to suicide or self-harm. Many other studies have shown that children’s excessive involvement in online gaming deprives them of physical activities. As a result, they face problems such as isolation, introversion, misbehaving with family members and others, sleeping disorders, anxiety, depression, etc.

Gaming addictions mainly occur due to a lack of attention from parents. Kids who suffer from loneliness get instant relief by playing online games. It takes them away from reality to a virtual world where everything is controlled by their thoughts and imagination.

Resultantly, they get frustrated, which leads them to violence, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts. Chances of getting blackmailed, getting bullied, and having personal information stolen also increase while playing online games due to an abundance of scammers, predators, and trolls.

What Can You Do?

While online activities certainly have the potential to improve children’s activity engagement and learning, it is important to be cautious of their activities instead of depriving them completely due to their negative effects.

Here are a few steps you can take to protect your children from the negative impacts of gaming addiction.

• Always spare time for your kids and get involved in their social activities.
• Prove yourself as a best friend so that kids may inform you promptly in case they encounter any online danger.
• Always encourage and arrange physical activities for your kids.
• Keep an eye on your kids’ online activity, but make sure not to invade their privacy.
• Advise your children not to add strangers to their friend list, especially at a young age.
• Before purchasing online games, check and verify their age ratings.
• Try playing online games with your children to understand their activities better.
• Instead of buying them a phone or other devices at a young age, let them use your own devices temporarily. They can always get their own in the future.
• Teach your kids not to share sensitive information like passwords, bank data, pictures, location, etc with strangers.
• Teach your kids not to bully others online or offline or cause any sort of harm.
• Try using parental control features in apps.