Video Game Addiction Digital Media Management

Do you have a kid who seems lost in his video games? Do they sneak them when they are not supposed to, find loopholes in digital media management filtering programs, and fight with you over turning them off? Are they spending tons of time immersed in a digital reality, and avoiding homework and socialization? These are your signs! Video game addiction!
The problem is that the video games begin to be valued over parental approval and relationships. Socialization and homework are seen as interruptions and avoided. Your child may be daydreaming about video games in school instead of receiving instruction and acting out video games on the playground. How will they learn the skills and rewards of the real world if they aren’t participating?

Are All Their Friends Doing It?

Your child may argue that all their friends are doing it, that they can’t talk to their friends if they don’t join in online games. You may feel uneasy about the time they spend in games, watching games on youtube, and thinking about games. You may be unsure about where to set the boundary and what is reasonable.

Is Bedtime a Tantrum?

Your child may even be bullying you into buying them games and letting them play them, even past their bedtime, with the threat of a terrible tantrum. This is bologna. This is harmful to you and your child. Letting them have everything they want does not fit with your idea of
parenting.

Trust Your Instincts

Be smart and learn to trust your instincts when it comes to parenting, and get some help if you are unsure. You can engage me to help define some structure around reasonable limits, dealing with the fits and arguments, and creating rewards and consequences that will help your kid reset to habits that will lead to improvement in their mental and behavioral health.

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How can you monitor and manage your children’s use of the internet?

Do you think it’s a good idea to let them have connection in their room or should they be in a family common area where their use can be supervised and monitored?

If you have ever accidentally googled links to inappropriate sites, what are the odds your child might?

How do you know if your kid has a video game addiction? Do they sneak playing and break rules to get to play? Do they get in trouble over playing? Does playing video games interfere with their schoolwork? Does it interfere with their relationships with peers or family members, like you? Sounds like an addiction to me. Does an alcoholic keep booze in their house? Why or why not? Codependence and enabling means you buy in the idea that they NEED their video games to be okay. How is this possible? I can see the idea that they can become dependent and think they need them- is this healthy? I’m thinking human beings lived and thrived on this planet for a long time before video games came along- they are unique to this generation; I’m thinking this must mean we can be okay without them. My kids know if they don’t respect the rules about internet use and video games, if they end up causing us too many problems, I am okay with getting rid of them- I certainly don’t need my kids to have these things.

If you have a kid on the spectrum who is young I would advise you to be very wary of letting them play too much, as they get older I often hear parents lament the fact that there is nothing else their child enjoys doing, no other reinforcer, and it is the only way they can unwind and escape. How did this happen? I’m pretty sure we had kids with autism spectrum disorders before we had video games, and they found a way to make it. If you are only just beginning the war with your child over electronic use, watch out!

Video Game Addiction Resources

Get a review of resources to keep kids safe online and monitor their use, as well as safe websites that are fun and will challenge brainy kids in my other blog on this topic here.

The above link will take you to https://intensivecareforyou.com/adhd-autism-video-game-addiction-tips-and-tools-to-manage-digital-media/

I also have a video course on this site “Digital Culture and Child Development.” Why do I think this issue is a big deal? We’ve launched one huge experiment by putting these devices, these screens, in kids hands. In my Autism Clinic and Family Counseling Center, most conflicts, fights, and family assaults are not occurring over video games. In fact, I now see about one kid a month who has attempted suicide because their parents pulled to plug on video games after fight after fight and all the school grades went from A’s to failing. That’s a pretty big deal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_addiction