If you are a parent, worried about your children, and therefore stumbled upon such an article, then do not worry because you are not the only one thinking about this.
A child’s upbringing is a whole lot of responsibility. Not having a check of their watch hours might significantly affect their mental health and childhood. In this modern era, it has become challenging to keep your children away from gadgets. Online games are rapidly overtaking outdoor activities. The games that barely require you to move.
A lot of people are now coming up with innovative ideas to tackle the problem of negative impacts of online games on children. Games are being developed that are less addictive and focusing more on infotainment. Also, parental control apps are being launched to keep a check on your child’s activity.
Kids Online Gaming Effects
Online games are interesting, addicting, and whatnot. But if played for a more extended period, they can cause some serious long-term effects on a child’s brain. I mean, we all are aware of the toxic impacts of online games on children. Some of them are;
Headaches
Recurrent headaches are the most common side effect of online games. Kids who play games for a longer time face such sudden headaches at times. These could be the result of eye strain or mental stress.
No Physical activity
Another significant side effect of online games is the lack of physical activity. Kids lie on their couch, turn their devices on, and spend hours playing games by lying in the same position. It not only causes fatigue and obesity but also makes them physically weak.
According to Care for Kids, physical activity is crucial for a kid’s development as it improves their cardiorespiratory health, builds strong muscles and bones, and also reduces the likelihood of anxiety and depression.
Nintendinitis
Ergonomic problems linked with thumb, wrist, and hand due to prolonged playing of games on devices can cause nintendinitis. It is a term associated with all sorts of hand problems related to playing games on consoles.
Poor self-care
Kids who tend to spend hours playing games on their devices pay no attention to their overall health. They do not drink adequate water, nor do they pay heed to their posture while playing. Moreover, extended exposure to bright screens causes eye strain and, in turn, weakens their eyesight.
These and many more problems arise from using devices for an extended period. To combat this problem, parents can do certain things to protect their kids from harmful impacts of online games and safeguard their child’s time and deteriorating health.
What is the Best Way to Protect My Kids from the Negative Effects of Online Gaming?
Talk it out
Parents should tell their kids the adverse effects of more screen time. Talking to them and making them understand this is very important. Scolding or punishing them is not an option. They should be given the liberty to cope with the obsession.
Keep them busy
Another way to get rid of your child’s gaming habits is to keep them occupied. Make the day’s schedule and try to leave only two spare hours for them to play games. In this way, they will remain busy throughout the day doing their homework and other house chores, which will keep them physically fit and healthy.
Choose meaningful games
Not all games are harmful if appropriately chosen. Also, not to forget, there are certain good impacts of online games too. Numerous games are made to provide your kids with information, like quizzes, puzzles, and spelling bee games. Try to develop your kids’ interest in such games. Games with missions and fighting are addicting, and they are seen to impersonate aggression issues in kids; thus, they should be avoided.
Apps
Various parental control apps help you to keep an eye on your kids’ movements. Even if you are with them or are a working parent, you can still keep track of your child’s activities remotely.
mSpy
mSpy is a useful app for parents. They can see what their kid is doing on his phone. And if he is playing the game, they can check for how long he has been playing it. Without even letting the kid know, you can examine their activity on your phone via notifications. You can download this app on all sorts of devices.
Qustodio
Qustodio is a parental control app. It tells you about your kid’s location and provides you with the apps that he has used and for how long.
Screen Time
Screen time is another prominent name in the Parental control apps. As the name shows, it is an easy-to-use app that helps parents control their child’s screen time. Just keeping track can help parents mend their kids’ habits. They can determine if an individual app is being used more often than usual and for more time. This way, they can either restrict the timing of using that app or delete it from their kids’ phones to avoid any risk.
The good impact of online games
When talking about the harmful effects of online games, good impacts should not be overlooked. Many scientists have proved that online video games make kids smarter. They increase their thinking and decision-making ability. Also, creativity and problem-solving skills have improved in individuals with an addiction to online video games.