How to prevent children from becoming addicted to gaming during long holidays?
Children and young people today are inseparable from their smartphones nowadays. The issue of gaming addiction is becoming increasingly prevalent.
Lunar new year holidays
Easter holidays
Summer holidays
It may become worse especially during long holidays.
While playing healthy electronic games is harmless, addicting too much can lead to problems, because addictive behaviour affects the brain's prefrontal cortex and the mechanism of dopamine release.
Dopamine
Reward pathway
Continuous stimulation of the reward pathway in the brains will create a sense of dependence. It will also affect people's everyday lives.
Appropriate amount of play benefits mental health
In fact, moderate gaming can bring numerous benefits.
Completing a level
First place
First in group
Including increasing enjoyment in life, temporarily relieving stress providing a sense of achievement when completing levels and stimulating social conversations with others.
How to keep children from gaming addiction?
However, if children play video games absorbingly during holidays, how can parents handle the situation?
1. Maintain Daily Routines
Busy concentrating on study in daily lives. More or less making ones have the "I-have-to-play-till-I-have-enough" mindset as compensation during holidays. But if ones game unrestrainedly, unconsciously it may turn into habits. Therefore, it is essential to maintain daily routines during school holidays. Don't let gaming disrupt life.2. Make family activities more fun
Boring life compels children to gaming to kill boredom. Engaging more in fun activities as a family can help children discover happiness beyond gaming and improve parent-child mutual conversations and intimacy. Good parent-child relationships can keep children from gaming addiction effectively. It will also increase the motivations for children to work with parents.
3. Understand the Psychological Needs Behind Gaming
Is it necessary for children to rely on gaming and the players' words to gain praise and recognition?
Exams
Choosing subjects
Socially excluded by friends
Or whether gaming is getting rid of troubled thoughts and stress? Understanding the real causes why children spend long hours gaming to provide guidance accordingly can help parents guide children towards healthier ways to fulfil their psychological needs.
4. Establish a sense of purpose in Life
The joy of gaming is temporary. Spend more time reading about other people's meaningful stories broaden children's visions, help children understand that through meaningful activities. Ones can get lasting happiness and a sense of achievement.
5. Set gaming limits together
Establish rules about when and how much gaming is allowed. Put them into effect continuously. The agreements should be clear about when gaming is allowed and the consequences for breaking the agreements. And the date for reviewing the effectiveness of the agreements.
6. Adjust Parenting Styles
Authoritarian and prohibitive
Neglectful
Too permissive
Parents should strike a balance between being authoritative and understanding. To care about their children’s psychological needs while setting reasonable rules for their behaviours.
Psychological needs
Set reasonable rules
Finish the game
To increase children's motivations for controlling their own gaming behaviours.
7. Lead by Example
Parents should demonstrate responsible internet and smartphone use to set a good example for their children. Children will then be more likely to obey, to learn from parents’ restrained behaviour.
Student Health Service, Department of Health
December 2023