Follow-up – Jawdat Nasri
Electronic games have now become a great danger to children, as many of them spend most of their time in front of these electronic games, whether they are on smartphones, tablets, or home gaming devices.
Many studies have proven that electronic games have benefits for the development of the mind, especially intelligence games, but there are many types of electronic games that affect the health of the child.
Dangers of electronic games for children:
Obesity, muscle weakness, and vision problems in children.
Excess nervousness.
Academic failure and poor achievement.
Not interacting with others and tending to be introverted.
According to behavioral experts, there are many ways to help prevent children from becoming addicted to electronic games and spending a lot of time playing them.
Tips and solutions for the treatment of addiction to electronic games
Talk to the child:
Parents should talk to the child openly about the harms of electronic games and their excessive practice.
Fixed time mode:
Parents must set a specific time to use the computer and iPad, preferably for one hour per day, and for study purposes only. Protection programs can also be used to ensure that the child uses these devices responsibly.
Keeping away electronic devices:
If the child is a user of Xbox or Playstation games, the devices should not be left in his hands, and it is important to place them in a safe place and allow them to be used for two hours a day only, and on school holidays only, so that the child’s focus or interest in other activities, the most important of which is study, is not affected. and solve assignments.
Submit an alternative:
It is important to occupy the child with other enjoyable activities. For example, he can register him in a training club to train in his favorite sport, encourage him to read books, and practice creative and artistic activities. This will help occupy his time and give him the entertainment and pleasure he used to get from playing electronic games.
Promote true friendships:
The child must be involved in different clubs in order to form new friendships that compensate him for the friendships of electronic games, and there is no doubt that moving away from playing electronic games as the child used to do in the past will leave him with a great social void, so care must be taken to compensate for this deficiency by providing opportunities The child will make new friends.
Time Management:
The child can be encouraged to organize his time and distribute it successfully between studies and various activities, so that he does not feel bored or pressured by the many responsibilities, so he feels that he needs to escape into the virtual world of electronic games.
Avoid complete deprivation:
It is important not to inform the child that keeping him away from his favorite game is a punishment, and to tell him that he can play it without spending too much time that he used to devote to it in the past, and it is also important for the child to feel the parents’ control over these games and their importance in entertaining children his generation, while constantly reminding him of the seriousness of excessive gaming on his physical and mental health, in addition to highlighting the negative effects of addiction to these games on his proper development and study.
act wisely
If you happen to find a child making a mistake while playing or not adhering to a rule, such as playing for a longer period of time than he is allowed, do not prevent him from playing or disconnect the devices from the Internet, as this may lead to his persistence in his behavior, but rather tell him about the damages he did and the benefits of his commitment By the rules.