1 in 10 young gamers shows signs of addiction
Too many kids, teenagers and young adults are addicted to computer games nowadays… It’s really worrying, yet they simply don’t realise that they’re addicted. Society nowadays is so different from 20 years ago; in the way technology is used, and in the way people interact.
Game addiction is linked to the upbringing of the child. Parents have need to put in a lot more effort into influencing their children and in teaching them the morals and values of living in the society. With the Internet, the whole world’s information is out there, parents can no longer “lock in” their children. Then there’s peer pressure, and many other exposures through the media.
Controlling game time is one method in preventing game addiction, but helping young gamers understand is far more important. It’s like the story about whether you should teach someone to fish or whether you should just feed them fish. The first step to ‘fixing’ an addiction is to find its underlying source, then tackle the problem from beneath… Anyway just read the article, I’m starting to not make any sense…
(from news.com.au)
1 in 10 young gamers shows signs of addiction, study finds
April 21, 2009 08:45am
- Study compares gamers with gamblers
- Looks at 1178 children and teens in US
ABOUT one in 10 young gamers shows signs of addictive behaviour that could have negative effects on family, friends and school work, according to a new study.
The US study of 1178 children and teenagers found some young gamers showed at least six symptoms reminiscent of a gambling addiction.
These included lying to family and friends about how much they play games, using games to escape their problems and becoming restless or irritable when they stop playing.
They may also skip homework to play games or spend too much time playing and do poorly in school.
The study was carried out by researchers at Iowa State University and the National Institute on Media.
“While the medical community currently does not recognise video game addiction as a mental disorder, hopefully this study will be one of many that allow us to have an educated conversation on the positive and negative effects of video games,” said Dr Douglas Gentile, an assistant professor of psychology at the university.
Dr David Walsh, the president of the National Institute on Media and the Family which strives to minimise the harm of media on the health and development of children and families, said the findings were a wake-up call for families.
“This study gives everyone a better idea of the scope of the problem,” he said.
The study of 1178 children and teenagers aged 8 to 18 found some displayed at least six of 11 symptoms of pathological gambling as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.
Addicted gamers played games 24 hours a week, twice as much as casual gamers.
Some addicted gamers even resorted to theft to support their habit, according to the findings that will be published in the journal Psychological Science.
“While video games can be fun and entertaining, some kids are getting into trouble. I continue to hear from families who are concerned about their child’s gaming habits. Not only do we need to focus on identifying the problem, but we need to find ways to help families prevent and treat it,” said Dr Walsh.
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