How To Prevent Mobile Game Addiction in Kids?

Gaming has a new fan following- kids. Children are falling prey to screen time and getting addicted to it. It harms their physiology, psychology, and social growth. Mental health is the primary concern as mobile game addiction in kids threatens a child’s life.

How Does Mobile Game Addiction Affect Kids?

Smart phones in a toddler’s hand are the new normal. All you see is a child’s unprecedented phone game addiction. If gaming activity, screen time, and habit remain uncontrolled, the gaming addiction repercussion is severe.

It affects mental health exposure to long hours of gaming is an invitation to the unsocial segment. Many kids sink into depression, suicidal tendencies, and violence and become aloof from the real world. The urge to win becomes so heavily imbibed in their minds that all they think is ‘that next level,’ ‘one more level to win,’ ‘how can I win this game,’ ‘what are the cheats of the game?” etc.

a) Bad Physical Health

Kids like to sit in their comfort zone and play virtual games. They refrain from playing outdoors. The gross motor skills remain underdeveloped. The stamina and immunity level goes down, and hunger disappears, hampering the growth years of a child. The child becomes physically inactive, has excessive weight gain, has a risk of type two diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, and is prone to other diseases.

b) Distraction

It becomes a task to make kids sit for an assignment. They seem to get distracted soon. Children become restless and anxious about being active in the digital world. Mobile game addiction in kids is so much that it disturbs their sleep patterns. They are under constant stress to pass the next level successfully. It hampers study time and needs more attention in studies. As a consequence, children perform poorly in their schools and colleges. Their concepts remain unclear and future unstable.

Tips to Prevent Mobile Game Addiction in Kids

Phone game addiction is like any addiction that is difficult to curtail but not impossible to eradicate. Parents can take the following tips to prevent mobile game addiction in kids.

a) Keep Your Kids Engaged In Non-Digital Activities

The idea is to keep kids away from screen time, phones, television, tablet, etc. There is an array of activities that you can engage your child in as-

• Read a book
• Paint together
• Board games
• Role play games
• Picnic or outing
• Outdoor games
• Play dates
• Art and craft activities
• Culinary activities
• Gardening

b) Use Parental Control App To Keep Tracking Their Online

One of the best possible solutions of online game addiction is to track your child’s online activity is to install a parental control app. A renowned parental app allows you to restrict the websites, games, time-lock, and applications keeping children away from online predators. You can follow how long your child is online; the website visited the chats, games played, calls attended, etc. You can monitor your child in real time by being away. There are several benefits of parental monitoring apps which can help parents to keep track of their kids at every stage of their online activities.

c) Create A Tech-Free Zone At Home

It is vital to practice what you preach! While browsing your mobile, you cannot say,” This is a tech-free zone!”. Make designated areas of your home tech-free zones. These can be a dining room area, living room, or bedroom. Sit as a family together and together decide upon the gadget-free zone. Please do not make it a tedious affair, but inculcate family activities and make it a happier spot.

d) Block Harmful Games

The best game addiction solution is to block harmful games involving cyber bullying, sharing personal information on consoles, computers, and devices, webcam usage, hidden fees, online predators, and malware. The games play with the mindset of kids asking them to do illicit things. Children fall prey to pornography and sexual abuse in due course. If you have a parental control app, you can block harmful games and make available those games that are age-appropriate.

e) Set A Time Limit For Gaming

You cannot restrict a child from gaming. You can certainly set a time limit for gaming. You can do so either by mutually agreeing upon the time or through a parental control app that allows you to game timing. You can set 30 minutes to 1 hour. It will keep the kids under supervision and relax that your child is under the time limit radar.

f) Develop Daily Routine And Schedule

It is significant for a child to stay in a routine and follow the same. Develop a daily routine that may include workouts, outdoors, cleaning the house, prayer time, dining time, study time, and gaming time. Schedule fun and engaging activities periodically. It includes picnics, recreational activities, boating, bowling, camping, and more. Promote positive behaviour and appreciate the self-control in the kids.

g) Keep Educating Them About The Side Effects Of Gaming

Children may need to understand why parents are behind them for lesser gaming time. Educate them about the side effects of gaming as how gaming affects the-

• Mental health
• Poor academics
• Distraction in studies
• Poor sleep pattern
• Be unsocial
• Inattentiveness
• Violent and irritated
• Depression and anxiety
• Poor-self esteem

Children will start self-control once they are aware of prolonged gaming repercussions.

Kids are in a whole new world with gaming. Generation Z and Generation Alpha cannot be secluded from gaming, but tips and tricks can curb addiction. There is a web world waiting to tangle upon the kids. As parents, it becomes the prime most duty to safeguard the kids. Thanks to parental control, applications like TiSPY protect kids and prevent them from online predators, harmful games, and illicit sites.

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