Pokémon cards, video games, Candy Crush… Many games can be addictive for young people. How in this case can you help your child drop out? And when does addiction become a problem? Answers.
Does your little one swear by Pokémon cards? Good news: you are not an isolated case. In playgrounds, gaming fads circulate as quickly as winter viruses. However, while it is fun to see your child get hooked on a particular game, this new passion can quickly turn into an addiction.
Be careful with excess in a game
Children love to play…and they often enjoy repetition in their activities. The famous Frozen song, repeated at the top of their lungs by thousands of children, is proof of this.
However, when the game or activity becomes the guarantor of the child’s general well-being (without it, your child no longer wants to get dressed or go to school…) his new passion for this activity can become problematic.
Reacting in time is therefore essential.
Addiction: how to react as a parent?
Firstly, Amélie Boukhobza recommends taking an interest in your child’s new passion.
“Perhaps take an interest in it in order to understand what is captivating about this game. Is it the pleasure of collecting, the social aspect of exchanging cards, or even the strategy of the game itself? even ? Understanding this attraction can help you find alternatives or complementary activities that feed your interests in a more or less equivalent way.“, she explains.
Next, it’s important to set healthy boundaries.
“That is to say, establishing clear rules regarding the time spent on the game and the appropriate times to play it (for example, not on the eve of school days, not just before bedtime, etc.) can help prevent a excessive use. And if there are budgetary expenses necessary for the game, obviously we keep a close eye on it! We establish with the child a budget not to be exceeded and we can perhaps take advantage of this to teach them money management“, reveals the expert.
Last point: encourage diversification of activities. If your little one is glued to his video game, teach him to find pleasure elsewhere… and stay attentive to his behavior.
“We must remember what the psychological and developmental balance of a child is, which is made up of sporting activities, meetings with friends, music, work, etc. So as soon as this balance is disturbed, we consider there is a problem! Neglect of school responsibilities with drop in grades, avoidance of homework… Social isolation, change in mood: irritability, anxiety, anger…“, details Amélie Boukhobza.
If all games are not equal, the worst of all is probably still “video games that completely distance you from real life“, concludes the expert.
