Help, my child has a gaming addiction!

Displays, raising children without it is almost impossible these days. Often frantic attempts are made in the first years of life to prevent them from doing so, but somewhere in our current screen society they still fail. Children are confronted with it everywhere. If it is not at home, it is at school or with friends. Raising screen awareness is in many cases a better choice than banning it completely. As we all know, the unknown is very interesting, especially with children.

Conscious use

And let’s be honest, we all spend quite a few hours a week staring at a screen these days and you can also wonder how bad or how harmful this is. It also brings us a lot of beautiful, interesting and educational. But there is always that line between something that is good and something that is too extreme. This is a dividing line that is difficult to draw. When is your child “just gaming,” and when is he or she addicted and ready for rehab? The latter sounds very intense, but unfortunately it is increasingly necessary for a game addiction in children. Here are a few points to watch out for when it comes to game addiction in children.

The symptoms of a gaming addiction

As a parent you often know better than anyone when something is going too far. You feel it in your gut that it’s not right. Yet this feeling is sometimes difficult to substantiate and you doubt your own objectivity. Something very common. It is therefore nice to have some handles when it comes to whether or not you have a gaming addiction.

When your child spends excessive hours gaming, it’s time for alarm bells to go off. At such a moment, start a conversation with your child and honestly explain your concern. Look carefully at the reaction, because there may also be other problems, such as filling up ‘free time’ because he or she has no friends in real life. Then these are problems that you may be able to tackle yourself by taking up a new hobby.

But if someone reacts aggressively, very defensively or anxiously, it seems that there is an addiction. Immediate admission to rehab is something to consider. Game addiction is something that you have to tackle at the core, to turn the tide quickly. But always consult your doctor first.

Other cases

In addition to the first reaction, you will also be able to pay attention to other things with a game addiction. Think of neglecting one’s own body and appearance, deteriorating school performance and fewer social contacts. All things that do not fit the behavior and pattern of a child. Also agreeing on a maximum number of hours that can be played, and not complying with those agreements, is a strong signal.

In short, a child with a gaming addiction is extremely annoying and a great challenge. It is good to realize that this also applies here; the sooner you catch it, the faster the recovery. Don’t be afraid to get professional help either. Many parents want to do it themselves and solve it, and see it as an inability when it doesn’t work out. But it is certainly not the latter, it can happen in every family!