Video Games & Your Kids – How Parents Stay in Control
by Hilarie Cash, PhD and Kim McDaniel, MA
Like many parents, I’m concerned about my kids not spending too much time in front of a screen. Whether that be television, computer, or video games. Ever since becoming a parent I decided that I would not own a video game system. One reason for this is because I have seen how they interfere with other, more important activities like reading, spending time with family, helping around the house, etc. It seems that boys in particular have a hard time accepting limits around gaming. Since I have two sons, I didn’t want any part of the constant fighting over the system between themselves and refusing to accept boundaries and limits that I see in other families. I’ve also observed kids missing sleep and even social interaction with peers because of spending too much in in artificial world, with detrimental effects.
This book gathers research, science and data about why parents should be concerned about video games. Rather than being the greatest invention since the baby wipe, video games aren’t always just harmless fun. For one, video games are highly addictive. Video games have negative effects on the body and the brain – not only do video games contribute to a sedentary lifestyle but they also retrain the brain and the way it thinks. This has deleterious effects on how a child learns and their ability to learn outside the game. Video games can also lead to a reduced attention span and reduced ability to deal appropriately in social situations.
Interestingly, the authors aren’t totally opposed to video games but remind parents that they must be very careful about their use. This book is helpful to a parent to give them confidence in their gut feelings that allowing a child to have unrestricted access to video games is a bad thing. It also gives you some pointers from these experts on how to spot video game addiction and how to get help for your child – and even yourself or a spouse if you are the ones with a problem.
Carrie Lauth is a work at home Mom of 4. Read more of her opinions on parenting books and other products at http://www.naturalmomstalkradio.com/blog
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I think it’s important to stay active and engaged as a parent above all else. The trouble with a lot of parents where video games are concerned is that they use them as a babysitter. The TV too for that matter.
We have a video game console in the house and decided as a family to make it the Wii. We chose it over the other options because it’s not a sedentary experience and there are a wealth of games available that the entire family can enjoy together. My mother loves to play Wii Sports and it’s good exercise for her too! In fact, my husband just added the Wii Fit to our set up and it is absolutely brilliant. I use it almost daily.
Where choosing games is concerned we use the online rental service Gamefly which, along with the Wii, makes sense from an active parenting perspective. First of all, they have parental control features that allow users to password protect their accounts to prevent children from accessing inappropriate games. Secondly, they have full ESRB ratings, professional and user reviews so we can get a good idea of what we’re renting before we rent it. If all else fails, we simply pack it back up in it’s envelope and ship it back. The service works exactly like netflix.
Outside of the obvious benefits to parents actively participating and monitoring their children’s gaming habits, using Gamefly’s service also lightens the financial burden considerably.
New games run upwards of $60 piece so it ends up making far better sense to rent if you want to enjoy a variety of games without having to shell out the money for every single one that gets released.
There is rarely a moment when my kids are using the Wii without myself or my husband and when they do they are only allowed to do so when chores and homework have been completed.
Setting down firm ground rules and getting directly involved in gaming yourself is a huge step toward ensuring that your kids are striking a healthy balance.