As a parent, it is probably annoying to see your child glued to the TV all the time with the gamepad in hand, or with phone in hand playing games for hours, unaware of his/her immediate surroundings. Then imagine how frustrating it will be when such a child is having difficulty concentrating when studying or doing his homework – that’s where worry sets in. In this article, we’ll be sharing tips on how to stop your child’s video game addiction.
The first thing you should note is that playing video games is not bad. In fact, playing video games have many cognitive benefits such as; expanding the imagination, improving problem-solving skills, and boosting brain speed. But as you know, too much of everything is not good. So, when your child’s video game habit starts interfering with assignments, household chores, or sleep time, then you need to take action.
How to Break Video Game Addiction
1. Keep Gaming Devices away from their reach
Out of sight is out of mind, and the less they see it, the less likely they are to be tempted to play it. You can’t be talking about how to stop video game addiction if the games are placed in places where your child spends the most time. Move gaming consoles and devices locations where they have no access. If your child doesn’t have access to the game, he/she won’t even think of playing the game. This will also help your child sleep better at night and stay focused during study time.
2. Restrict Access
Many people will advise against cutting your child off from video games completely because of the belief that deprivation will only increase their craving. However, if the situation is critical, then extreme measures need to be considered.
Regardless, restricting access to gaming consoles or devices does not have to be infinite. You can decide to keep them hidden for a while or send them off to a relative’s house till your child has proved he deserves to have the games returned.
3. Use House Rules to Control Screen Time
Moderation is key if you want to keep your Childs’ video game addiction in check. The aim of creating house rules is to have some level of quality control in the home, in order to uphold certain standards within the household. Monitoring daily screen time and reducing the number of times kids spend playing games can help them gradually cut back their urge to play. When there is control, kids eventually learn how to manage their game time.
Let consequences be attached to each rule. For instance, allocate one hour before dinner on weekends as game time. Punishment for anyone who is caught playing games outside the allocated game time might be that such a child will forfeit the game time for that week. This will make your child less likely to break the rules. You may create consequences as you deem fit, but don’t forget to stay within reasonable limits.
4. Treat Gaming as a Reward
It is when your child sees playing video games as a privilege rather than an entitlement. That way he won’t start throwing tantrums when you deny him access.
Make it clear that doing certain chores or assignments is a way to earn points towards playing video games. So you can decide that each time your son cleans his bathroom, or your daughter does the laundry, they each get a certain amount of points. Ensure they are made aware of the number of points required to earn some video game time.
5. Create other Routines
If you want a more relaxed approach on how to stop video game addiction, try getting your child busy doing other activities. Make sure the activities you choose are interesting or engaging. For example, you can create introduce activities like; bike riding, doing the dishes, helping with the laundry, solving jigsaw puzzles, outdoor sports.
There are numerous activities. Prove to them that there are a lot more exciting things to do besides playing video games. Introducing other activities will help take your child’s mind off gaming and also help build a healthier habit.
Stopping your child’s video game addiction takes a lot of work. You’ll need to exercise patience and be understanding if you want to be triumphant. The good news is, you don’t have to do it alone. Get your spouse involved. Speaking with a counselor at your child’s school can also help you learn how to stop video game addiction in no time.
