How Online Games Addiction Affects Children: Warning Signs and Smart Remedies for Parents

In this fast-paced world, you cannot ignore the importance of the internet in our everyday lives. The gradual upgradation in internet speeds in India as a consequence of a 2G network taken over by 3 G, 4G and lately 5G, has changed the world in the past few years like never before.

The packages and speeds of data provided by the network providers and that too at cheap rates, have ensured that people are now getting more and more glued to their mobiles, laptops, computers, notebooks, etc. It has revolutionized networking in India and the younger generation has benefited the most from it. The resources of research available for the younger generation have increased manifold and now students can have access to each and every piece of information that they require for their studies.

The younger generation is getting addicted to online games

However, this has also ensured that the younger generation has fallen prey to the apps and games that, ironically, have sneaked quietly into our mobiles, voluntarily or involuntarily. Nowadays, kids and teenagers too have the privilege of having a mobile phone at their disposal. They are particularly interested in the game apps and playing online games has almost become a religion. The amount of chaos that these online games have created in the lives of the younger generation in general and students, in particular, is immense.

Recently, a boy from Alwar, Rajasthan (India), has fallen prey to the menace of online games, which has completely changed his life for the worse. The child lost his mental balance after playing online games like PUBG and Free Fire, which he reportedly lost. The boy had developed a deep addiction to these games and suffered severe tremors after losing some games on this app. The boy had to be sent to a special school, where they had to formulate a special schedule of sports activities for him. It was ensured that this boy was allowed to win every game to overcome his fear of loss and get his confidence back.

Examples like these are so common these days, where the kids are getting addicted to these games and end up losing their mental balance. These online games are responsible for even costing the kids their lives (from suicides) since they can’t come to terms with the fact that they have lost the game. This is a very serious issue and a direct consequence of the advancement of technology entering our homes and further into every mobile of our family. As a consequence, these gaming apps force their entry into the mobiles of our children without parents even noticing the impact they can have on them.

What is online game addiction?

These online games or video gaming addictions (also known as gaming disorders) force the mind of child to focus only on the virtual world, while just cutting off the child from the outside world. Once glued to their mobiles, they just spend hours on video games that are overwhelmingly engrossing and stressful for the mind.

When prolonged, this habit starts to affect the mind and thus it becomes an addiction. Nearly 3–4% of people all over the world are said to be affected by this addiction to online games, which has an impact on their personal, social, educational and professional lives.

Some researchers put online game addiction in the same class as gambling addiction since the results of both are almost the same. In gambling addiction, the person loses rationality and is unable to understand the implications of their actions on their personal and social life.

Likewise, during addiction to online games, the person seems to lose control over himself and is forced to remain attached to his device and continue with it to win at any cost.

In both situations, the person seems to be lured to the result, which is winning. However, it happens that even after winning, the person is not satisfied, but the mind directs him to start it again and continue from there.

Comparatively, in gambling, there are financial stakes involved, while in the case of online games, it is a matter of reaching a virtual sense of achievement. Also, gambling depends on the laws of probability and chance, but playing online games requires a person’s skills and alertness to achieve the end result of winning. Therefore, this analogy somehow seems to be flawed.  

Signs and symptoms of online game addiction

Video gaming or online games addiction does not happen overnight, but it takes time for the subject specialists to declare it an addiction. The major symptoms of addiction happen over time.

If people are seen being persistent with this addiction and the associated behavioural changes for over a year, then it can safely be concluded that the person is suffering from an online games addiction. Some of the symptoms of this disorder can be summarized below:

Prioritizing playing online games

Every task takes a backseat and the most important task seems to be restarting the game. It is a situation when every other important job in hand seems boring and all that matters most is the video game, which needs to be played with more aggression or sharpness so that the previous loss is compensated with a win.

Not socializing like before

A normal person who used to interact with friends and relatives does not seem to be interested in meeting them anymore, as the time spent on them is diverted to playing video games only.

Not smiling as they used to

The burden of the consequences of losing in video games weighs heavily on the person. The frequent smiles and laughter in the normal, hilarious situations seem to be gone and the person seems to have developed a serious personality.

No interest in studies anymore

A normal person or child who used to take a keen interest in his studies is finding ways and means to avoid the studies and wants to hit the mobile play button as soon as possible to satisfy his urge to play video games.

Prefers to remain indoors

The main reason for staying indoors is obviously to play the online games that the apps are offering. The charm of playing outside with friends is no longer a priority for the child.

Not cutting down on the playing time

When asked to use the time spent playing games on some other creative activity, the child finds it difficult to adhere to, and the advice of the parents or guardians doesn’t affect him.

Losing interest in other activities

The person addicted to video gaming will gradually lose interest in other chores or activities like gardening, cycling, playing football, etc., as the time spent on gaming doesn’t allow him to focus anywhere else.

Only playing games provides relief

The addicted child will feel out of place and restless all the time. The only thing that provides temporary relief to him and increases his concentration is playing video games.

Regular complaints from school

By not being able to concentrate on studies and other extracurricular activities, the child will perform badly in these fields. Therefore, getting complaints from the school complains about the performance of their kid, the parents are under pressure too.

Increase in anger and anxiety

In normal discussions, the parents observe the anger and frustration of the child increasing day by day.  This affects the normal life of the kid and his mental state.

Personal hygiene goes for a toss

The kid who used to be up-to-date to compete with his counterparts in school and elsewhere is no longer interested in personal hygiene, as his quality time is eaten away by playing online games.

Seems to be lost and out of place

An addicted child will always seem to be lost in thoughts as he is thinking about the losses he suffered while playing and how to win the next one to regain his confidence, although it is just his state of mind.

Anxiety/ increase in aggression when stopped

When the game-addicted child is asked by the parents to stop playing for his benefit only, the child does not listen. On being forced to stop, anger, anxiety and even shouting become the regular behavior of the child.

Loss of appetite and sleeplessness

The child does not take food and is deprived of sleep due to playing for long hours. The loss of appetite is generally seen and the frequent emotional outbursts are observed by the parents. The impact of losing in video games has a bad effect on the normal mental condition of the child, who takes it to heart while trying to win the next one.

Reasons behind the video game addiction of the child

Normally, if we notice that the child or the person who is desperate to play video games all the time, irrespective of its consequences on his overall life, we believe that he is addicted. This is the normal definition and a common-sense answer in the language of a common man. But is it that simple to understand the impact of online games on a child, student or even a grown man or woman, whatever the case may be?

There are many hidden aspects to this theory that ultimately culminate in turning a sane person into an addictive freak. To understand the basic reason for this video gaming addiction, we need to know some harsh realities regarding these online games, which are purposely designed by the gaming companies, which we shall discuss later. Understanding these realities will help us better understand the basic reasons for passion turning into addiction.

For now, we need to know about the reasons that are believed to be behind the game’s addiction, which the kids develop over time. Some of the reasons may be

1) Instant Gratification and Rewards

Sooner or later, children are introduced the the online games through friends or their known ones. But, these are designed to provide quick wins, badges, coins, or level-ups, leading the child to play more of them, which triggers the brain’s dopamine release — the feel-good hormone. This makes children want to repeat the behavior, again and again and so the addiction begins to take place.

2) Temporary escape from the Stress

There is always a stress factor which into play in today’s world, and the kids are no exception. They too have to face the stress of tough assignments, homework, and exceeding the expectations of parents, teachers, etc. Some kids use games as a means to avoid stress, school pressure, or social challenges. The game world becomes a safe space where they feel in control and confident, unlike the real world. This gives them a temporary relief from the real-life problems that are staring them.

3) Peer Influence and Online Community

Children are connected with friends and classmates and often play the same games their friends are playing. They don’t want to feel left out of their friend circle or team, so they get hooked to stay relevant in their social circles. Whatever others are doing, they soon start to follow the same and repeat it. This slowly leads them to addiction without they being aware ot it.

4) Lack of Supervision and Screen-Time Rules

Often, we have our rooms filled with electronic gadgets all over the place. When children have easy access to these devices (especially in private spaces like bedrooms), they can lay their hands on them at will and start to use them as and when they feel like. Besides, the parents also don’t fix any screen time limits, so running these gadgets comes easily to them, leading to addiction.

5) Highly Addictive Game Design

The online games that the kids play are not just simple games that they enjoy playing. Online Games are purposefully engineered by behavioral scientists in such a way that they tend to hook kids to be addicted. It is a huge market and much research goes into developing these online games in a particular fashion. There are stages in these games that the kids deem as challenges to be overcome. Some of the tactics they use are:

• Levels that get harder and more challenging
• Daily login rewards
• Fear of missing out (FOMO)
• In-app purchases that encourage endless play

6) Low Interest in Outdoor or Offline Activities

The family backgrounds of certain children are also to be blamed for this online game addiction. Some families consider it futile to let their kids play with others due to being overprotective or class seekers. Such children aren’t encouraged to play outside and thus they are compelled to restrict themselves to in-house activities. Reading books, doing creative work or have mostly family interactions or limited outside exposure leads the kids to often turn to online games out of boredom or lack of stimulation.

7) Emotional Needs Not Being Met

Sometimes, kids who don’t feel heard, appreciated, or emotionally supported may seek validation and success in the game world, where they feel powerful and seen. This, in a way, is a forced diversion towards the online world, which provides them the much-needed comfort and solace. The emotional needs are, to some extent, met by the online game, which keeps them glued and concentrated.

8) Parents’ Screen Habits

Parents need to know where to draw the line while using mobile phones and other electronic devices. The work-from-home culture has brought in many nuances to it and being online is one of them. But, if parents are often seen on phones or laptops themselves, kids naturally imitate them and try to use them whenever they find the opportunity.. Digital behavior is modeled at home, knowingly or unknowingly. Sooner or later, the kids are drawn towards these online games and thus, addictions are not far away.

9) Sleep Disorders and Irregular Routines

Heavy usage of mobile phones means that these are being used till late at night too. The damage that these late-night usages of the screen is well known. Irregular sleep, late-night device use, and unsupervised screen time at night can affect the child’s brain chemistry, making the body crave dopamine hits from games instead of real-world joy.

10) Unawareness About Digital Dangers

Many parents aren’t aware of how sophisticated and manipulative modern games have become. This lack of awareness allows the problem to go unnoticed until it becomes serious. It is rather seen as a pride by the parents that their child is quite tech savvy, without knowing that this unchecked behavior by them could lead them to trouble later on. What seems to be a genuine and learned child who can compete with the world, is caught by this addiction within no time and without the parents knowing about it.

How to treat online game addiction

Some of the simple ways to treat online game addiction can be employed by parents, such as

Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)

This therapy is a psychotherapeutic treatment through which the addicted person is made to focus on the current goals instead of getting involved in online games. This therapy emphasizes stimulus control, self-monitoring, learning adaptation techniques and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones.

Emphasize on Exercising

Make sure to make the child addicted to online games to exercise early in the morning, so that any negative impacts of continuous sitting for long periods are done away with. This will make his brain heal faster and will encourage him to focus on other sports too.

Use apps that monitor the time

Parents should use apps that are meant to control the length of time the child can use the device for playing. This is very important as adhering to this schedule will ensure that the child does not get enough time to remain attached to the game, even if he wants to. This will recreate his interest in other outdoor or indoor sports activities.

Plan regular outings

This will ensure that the child gets to spend time with the entire family and encourages him to participate in discussions, sports and intermixing with other children or elders. Any long outing, such as picnics, family weddings or weekend tours to hill stations, will refresh his mind and break the cyclic pattern of gaming.

Watch out for any devices at night

Ensure that the child does not get any access to the playing device at night, as he will definitely try to have a go at it when there is no one to watch him. Try to keep the gadgetry out of the bedrooms and put it in the open so as to discourage him from using it at night.

Involve yourself in the game purchases

Make sure that you remain in the loop while any online games are being bought by your child. Read the instructions and the rating so as to ensure that the child gets to play online games that are suitable for his age only and not complex ones that require high involvement of the brain and time.

Encourage the child to develop other hobbies

Let the child develop other hobbies like gardening, painting, football, cricket or badminton, etc., so as to remain healthy and happy.

Abstain the addicted child from playing online games temporarily

Try to force the child to abstain from playing online games for at least a month. This will ensure that the dopamine (happy hormone) levels are recreated and the balance ensured, which was lost due to extreme gaming.

Some of the frequently asked questions regarding online game addiction