Expert Advice: How to Prevent Mobile Game Addiction in Children

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  With mobile phones available everywhere, mobile game addiction is becoming more and more common in children.
• Developing a mobile game addiction can interfere with your child’s development and have severe health consequences.
• A gaming expert talks about what you can do to prevent your child from becoming addicted to mobile games.

Video games are considered a great way to keep a child entertained for a while and many games, especially those designed for younger children, can be educational and no doubt that some can be useful for their development.

However, all video games are addictive by design, and developing a gaming addiction can happen more easily than you might think. In 2020, around 12% of boys and 7% of girls in the UK were addicted to gaming, and roughly 8% of all children and teenagers had a gaming addiction. 

Mobile game addiction is also on the rise, as smartphones are small and can be carried around and used anywhere. Gaming addiction can have many negative consequences on your child’s development, both mental and physical, and since it can interfere with their daily activities, it can also lead to underdeveloped social skills.

To help prevent any serious and lasting consequences of mobile game addiction in children, Daniel Tamm, a gaming expert from Gembyte.com, gives advice on how to prevent your child from becoming a mobile game addict.

1. Create a Routine and Have Strict Rules

It is easy to get carried away while playing mobile games, but setting strict rules and adhering to them is a great way to prevent that from happening. Just like adults, children will benefit from a daily routine, and you can put gaming time in their everyday schedule. 

Limiting gaming time to a specific part of the day is also a good idea. Allowing your child to play games only after they finish their homework will encourage them to prioritise their school tasks and focus on them without any distractions. 

You should also consider setting no-tech times and zones. For example, your child shouldn’t be allowed to play games during meals and keeping their bedroom a no-tech zone will allow you to monitor their activity more closely.

2. Encourage Alternative Activities

Depending on your child’s interests, you can encourage them to spend time outdoors or make up some fun activities you can do together around the house. 

Talking to your child about the benefits of spending time outdoors and showing that you care about their interests and hobbies will motivate them to be more active and spend less time playing video games absentmindedly. 

3. Monitor Your Child’s Screen Time Closely

Getting lost in a game is easy, but ensuring your child doesn’t spend too much time playing mobile games is crucial in preventing addiction. There are apps that can help you keep track of your child’s screen time, but it is good to monitor it by yourself as much as possible.

It’s not just the amount of time they spend playing; we all know that video games can affect the player’s mood, and some can cause anxiety and aggression. Keeping this in mind, you should be very selective when it comes to the type of games you allow your child to play. 

In conclusion, Tamm says: “Those addicted to mobile games showcase similar symptoms like other addicts, such as not being able to stop playing, playing games to elevate their mood, not being able to focus on anything else for too long, and thinking about playing all the time. Games are created to be addictive and draw us in, and it is sometimes hard for adults to resist them, let alone children. In order to prevent mobile game addiction in your child, it is crucial to mindfully introduce them to technology as soon as they start using it, set rules from the beginning, and monitor their activity as closely as you can.”

Credit link to https://gembyte.com/ who commissioned the article.