World's first rehab clinic for kids addicted to games (story from UK Mirror ) opened in Amsterdam, NL in January of this year. It is really revealing to read how kids who are addicted to computer games, feel when they are kept away from it. They feel angry and frustrated. Could keeping them away from their games lead to violence?
And the story from Mirror also has advice for parents, which I copied it here word to word -
1 MOVE the computer into a family room, so you can monitor the amount of time they spend on it. That way you will know if they are on it all night.
2 GET your child interested in other hobbies outside of games consoles, especially sports and exercise which takes them out of the house. It doesn't have to be a competitive sport - it could be swimming. This way they will get an adrenalin rush from something healthy rather than a computer. It will also help them to be more sociable.
3 SPEAK to their teacher and make sure they're not being bullied or experiencing any other problems at school. Your child may be turning to computer games to boost their self-esteem because they're feeling low or are under-performing in lessons. It may be that they need extra support educationally.
4 SET up rules, such as not allowing kids to eat in front of their computer or PlayStation - this means they will have to spend time away from the screen.
5 JOIN in occasionally. By showing an interest in their games it gets you involved, too. It will give you something to talk about and keeps the lines of communication open between you and your child. And your take-it-or-leave-it attitude might help to dilute their obsession with a particular game.
As a parent, even I do not follow their advice. But I think it is worth it.
