Is gaming harmful for teenagers

Everybody always says "it's not what you know, it's who you know" This is our mission. I think we can all agree that they are also a major cause as to why you lack the skills necessary to attract women, network, and live the life you want to live, instead of the one where you feel stagnant procrastinating at home night after night.

Brent Conrad Clinical Psychologist for TechAddiction From the time computer games made their way into family homes, parents have wondered if violent video games may negatively affect children and teenagers. Today, parents still worry about the effects of violent computer games and of course it also remains a popular topic for the media.

However, with a growing Is gaming harmful for teenagers of children and teens spending excessive time playing computer gamesperhaps parents should be more worried about teenagers addicted to computer games than the effects of violent video games. An examination of the literature reveals that those who study video game addiction sometimes disagree on the proportion of children and teenagers addicted to computer games.

Compared to other psychological difficulties such as depression and anxietyteenage computer game addiction is obviously a relatively new problem faced by families. As more therapists work with teenagers addicted to computer games and more researchers study the problem, they are becoming better at detecting the signs of addiction, testing for video game addictionand offering help to parents with teenagers addicted to computer games.

Still, there is much confusion about exactly what computer game addiction is and how parents can help a teenager who seems far more interested in playing in a virtual world than living in the real world. Parents who are attempting to help teenagers addicted to computer games are advised to take note of the ten critical points below.

For now, computer game addiction is not an official psychological disorder. The possibility of including computer game addiction in future editions of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is being debated, but currently it just a way to describe someone whose life appears to be negatively impacted by excessive gaming - and is not a recognized addiction.

Common sense suggests that the more Is gaming harmful for teenagers teen plays computer games, the more likely his play has crossed over into the "unhealthy levels of play" category. However, because computer game addiction is not an official diagnosis there is no set number of hours per day signifying an addiction.

Parents who are worried that their teenager is spending too much time playing computer games and neglecting other activities should not assume that their child will eventually get bored of video games and that gaming is simply a phase.

True, some teenagers addicted to computer games do eventually develop other interests and their gaming subsides…but there are also those who develop even more extreme gaming habits as they get older.

Parents should not depend on the problem taking care of itself. Most kids and teenagers can and do play computer games without developing an addiction.

For these teens, computer games take priority over all other activities, and development in other areas for example, school, relationships, clubs, sports is sacrificed so that more time can be spent in front of the computer screen.

It really does not matter if this is called an "addiction" or not. If he continues to play despite experiencing significant negative consequences in other areas of his life e. If a student regularly achieved As and Bs prior to becoming hooked on computer games but is now only bringing home Cs and Ds, parents should establish very clear rules around gaming including the possibility of a ban until marks have improved.

Furthermore, it is critical that any rules around gaming are not only set, but consistently enforced. Setting limitations on computer games but not following through by enforcing the new rules is potentially more harmful than having no limitations at all.

Of course, this is certainly not the only intervention, but it is almost impossible for a parent to successfully place limits on gaming if the child can still access the game in the privacy of a bedroom.

The most popular treatment approach for computer game addiction is cognitive-behavioral therapy CBT. CBT for gaming addiction involves challenging and replacing unhealthy thoughts cognitions about computer games e.

Parents seeking assistance from a therapist or psychologist should consider meeting with him or her prior to the first appointment with their child. Although the issue of teenagers addicted to computer games is being taken more seriously by mental health professionals, there are those who dismiss the possibility of video game addition entirely and focus only on discovering the "root cause" of the problem.

The therapist should at least consider the possibility that computer game addiction is the primary problem and offer direct treatment for this issue if necessary.

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Related to this point… 9. At times, computer game addiction is a symptom of another psychological, emotional, or interpersonal problem. True, computer game addiction can be the primary presenting problem…but there is considerable evidence that excessive computer use also can be triggered or exacerbated by difficulties such as depression, anxiety, and poor social skills.

For example, a teenager who is struggling with depression may embrace computer games because he does not feel capable of dealing with real world problems. Of course, turning to online games is very unlikely to make the challenges he faces in the real world go away, and potentially makes them even worse.

In this example, the therapist must not only treat the unhealthy gaming, but also the depression which may be feeding the addiction. Despite the challenges and inevitable frustrations of dealing with teen computer game addiction, parents must remember never to give up teenagers addicted to computer games.

Although changing unhealthy video game habits is not always easy, teenage computer game addiction can be treated especially if parents have the critical information and strategies they need for planning a successful video game addiction intervention.This is an excellent article.

I like how you define the benefits of video gaming and provide solutions to get out of an obsessive lifestyle that may be limiting. Psychology Today states that the comparison between video gaming and gambling is flawed, because there are no financial stakes or material losses involved with video games.

Winning a video game requires cognitive skills and sharp reflexes, while winning at gambling is a matter of luck. Learn about the good and bad effects of video games to kids from preschoolers to teenagers according to researchers, child psychologists and neuroscientists.

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