With only days until Christmas, one of my friends is panicking about the video game console she’s bought for her two sons.
The six and eight-year-olds have been nagging her for it nonstop. But now it’s under the tree, she’s having doubts.
“I’m worried because I’ve heard horror stories about kids becoming antisocial and grotty,” she says. “I don’t want my boys to become zombies.”
Another mum I know can relate to that. Her 12-year-old would spend his life playing games if he could. The games console they bought four years ago has became the cause of some major battles.
“All he cares about is playing games,” she says. “He’s never been very outgoing, but now he hardly has any friends because all he does is play on that thing. So far it hasn’t affected his school work, but it’s definitely affecting his personality.
“We try to restrict the amount of time he uses it, but we end up having huge fights. I’d happily throw it out except it cost too much money.”
Parents are right to be worried – too much time spent playing games on consoles or computers can have negative effects, according to researchers.
These include:
The possibility of an increased risk of aggressive behaviour if your children regularly play games with plots that are violent and aggressive.
Social isolation if they spend too much time cooped up playing games alone.
oissing out on other usual childhood activities, including playing with friends, reading, or doing physical activity outside, which are all important for their physical, social, intellectual and emotional development.
Struggling at school. Research shows that children who watch TV or play video games for more than 10 hours a week don’t do as well in school as children who are in front of screens for less time.
Greater chance of developing depression, anxiety or some kind of social phobia.
Increased risk of being unhealthy and overweight.
However, the crucial point to remember is that it’s not actually playing games that causes these problems, but the amount of time spent doing it. The type of games they play also matters.
How much?oost child development experts recommend total screen time – that includes watching TV and DVDs, surfing the internet and playing computer or video games – should be one to two hours a day. Any more than that, especially if your child is under 10, could be detrimental to their wellbeing.
Set gaming limitsLimiting screen time is the first thing you should do. But you can also:
oonitor the games they play. Check the content for violence and remember that sometimes the bad parts of the game may not emerge until they reach a higher level. Read reviews on the internet before you buy them. Encourage them to play games that are educational as well as fun.
Encourage your kids to choose games that can be played with friends. This helps to prevent social isolation.
Evaluate games by looking at the kind of skills they require. Do they involve problem-solving, strategy development and multitasking, or kicking and punching?
Is gaming good?Research has shown that playing the right games and not overdoing it can have benefits. These include:
Teaching skills that involve abstract thinking, problem solving and multitasking.
Improving hand-eye co-ordination, motor and spatial skills.
Learning to make fast decisions, use logical reasoning and develop skills of anticipation and estimation.
Helping with perseverance, memory and reading skills if they have to follow some written instructions.
Meanwhile, active video games that involve physical activity – such as dancing, tennis and boxing – may help control the weight of obese children, according to a study carried out by researchers at the University of Auckland. The two-year study found that encouraging children to play the games had a small but definite impact on their body mass index.
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