Have Video Games Taken Over Your Child?

Have Video Games Taken Over Your Child? Related Information:

Many moons ago, video games were reserved for older children of around fourteen or fifteen, and even then the games were limited and not all kids had games consoles. However, these days it is a different story. The kids that play video games are getting younger and younger, and it is not unusual to see a pre-school child glued to the screen with a controller clamped into his hand.

Moreover, advanced technology means that there is a wide choice of consoles, a vast choice of games, and these companies have billions to spend on advertising and marketing. So, your child sees a console or game advertisement blare out of the TV for the tenth time that day, and the next thing you know he is nagging you for console. And from the wide choice of consoles, you find one you can afford, a few games are thrown on for free as a special offer, and voila, your child is ready to begin. But from there, it is often downhill all the way.

Kids are very impressionable and it doesn’t take long for them to become obsessed or addicted to things like video games. The continual adverts and promotions from the games industry don’t help, simply glorifying video gaming and tempting your child with new and more exciting games. Many kids quite happily spend hours locked away playing these games, and coupled with the time they spend watching TV, it amounts to a lot of ‘screen’ time, where they are simply sitting down and staring at a screen.

If this is what is happening with your child, then it is definitely time to set limits. Young children need guidance and discipline, and allowing them to glue themselves to a screen holds no value at all. At this impressionable age, kids need to involve themselves in activity and interaction as well as fun. Before your child plays a game, you should set time limits, and make sure that he sticks to them. Should your child refuse or kick up a fuss, don’t be worries about taking the console away and returning it when you feel he is ready or deserving.

Once the time limit is up, make sure you have something else for your child to do. Don’t just switch off the game and then leave him to sit there alone. Parental interaction is important at this age, and you should think of activities that he can get involved in. If it is a weekend, perhaps you could all go out to the park or have a game of football in the garden. In the winter or in the evening, you could read a book with your child or enjoy some other fun activity such as painting or drawing.

One thing you should avoid doing is putting the console in to your child’s bedroom. A young child should be supervised whilst playing video games to ensure that he is playing appropriate games, to make sure that he sticks to time limits, and to ensure that he is not locked away alone with just video games for company.

Most kids will play video games all day if given half the chance, and it is up to you as the parent to both limit this time and to provide alternatives that your child will enjoy and loom forward to. Remember, don’t let your child dictate how long he plays – you set the limits and stick to them. And, although half an hour to an hour of games will not harm your child, you should ensure that his leisure time is a balanced mix of physical play and interaction with friends and family as well as screen time.