This past week we talked about video games in class, and whether or not they are a reason that so many children are obese today. An article from discovermagazine.com suggests that video games are not only dangerous because of the effects that it has on children's weight, but that they can actually become addicting as well. The study said that boys are four times as likely to become addicted to video games as girls, and kids who are addicted to video games are twice as likely to have ADD than other kids and will have worse grades than kids who are not addicted. The study doesn't necessarily say that playing video games makes children have these negative effects on their behavior - it could be that children who aren't doing well in school desire to play video games to become good at something. But, in my opinion, I think that the massive amounts that children spend playing video games is a negative effect on their progress in school, their ability to have creativity to play in other ways, and the development of an attention span.
I think that the effects that video games have on children cause a need for a major revolution in the parenting styles of today's society. Most parents are too afraid of sending children outside to play, or don't want to have to put up with the child's complaining, so they just stick their kid in front of a TV set and hand them either the remote or an Xbox controller. This has changed so much even since the time I was a kid - either that, or my parents were just different. The only gaming system my family ever owned was a Nintendo 64. We still have that gaming system and play it once every couple months or so for the memories of when we were kids, but my sisters and I were not ruled by this gaming system when we were young. We went OUTSIDE! Every day, sometimes all day. My parents didn't force us to, we wanted to! We came up with so many games and scenarios - I still remember playing orphanage, mommy and kids, runaway slaves, and so much more. We would also ride bikes all the time, play with chalk, jumprope, make forts in the backyard, jump on the trampoline, swing, play hide and seek, and so much more. None of my sisters or I have Attention Deficit Disorder, none of my sisters or I are overweight, and none of us have ever had any problem with excelling in school.
I think that if parents realized exactly how harmful video game systems are on their children's development, they would not allow their children to play them so much. If parents protest in saying that they can't do anything about it, or their kid would hate them or sulk for days about it - who cares! You are the parent, you have the authority, and you need to step up and take charge, for the sake of the good of your child! Yes, he might sulk for days or even months, but in the end you have done what is right, and he will thank you eventually. Parents need to foster creativity and imaginations in their children instead of sticking them in front of a television with a PS3, Xbox, Wii, or whatever it might be. If they are worried about peer pressure to buy their kids portable gaming systems, don't give in. Other people should not rule the way you parent your children, and if you want to help your child escape the possibility of a video game addiction, you will stand up for the health and development of your child by not allowing them to play video games more than they ought to.
Article Source: http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/04/22/some-kids-are-pathologically-addicted-to-video-games-study-finds/comment-page-1/#comment-807276
Image Source: http://www.skuggen.com/2010/08/addiction-to-video-games-curable-with-medicine/
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