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What Parents Should Know About Gaming Addiction

Picture of Stonewater Recovery By   ·  2 minute read
The number of adolescents who have developed a gaming addiction has risen in astounding numbers over the last few years. So much so that the World Health Organization (WHO) has dubbed gaming addiction as a viable mental health disorder. With games such as Call to Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Minecraft, and more recently Fortnite, the number of teens who need help to cope with a gaming disorder has become a real concern. Parents are reeling in how this all happened and want to understand the signs of how their teen may be affected with a gaming addiction. Statistics from the Pew Research Institute have been acquired from the surveys they have conducted among teens about gaming. The most important aspect is that more than ever teens can play games easier than they could before.
  • 8 in 10 teens, which comes to more than 84 percent, have a game console in their home.
  • 90 percent of teens ages 13-17 have access to a cell phone, game console, or computer that gives them the ability to play video games whenever and wherever.
  • 97 percent of all boys play video games on some device compared to a 83 percent of girls.
With the ease of gaming devices these days, addiction is inevitable to continue to increase over the years although parents may unintentionally ignore the signs. Getting educated on what to look for in a gaming addiction is imperative to help teens who are out of control.
  • Playing video games for longer than 6 hours a week.
  • Anxiety when waiting to play their game.
  • Spending their total allowance solely on video games.
  • Playing video games instead of socializing with their friends in person.
  • Nervous anticipation when waiting for a new game to drop.
  • Experiencing aggression when they are unable to play their games.
  • Using all their free time to play games rather than going to events.
  • Being overly stimulated due to prolonged gaming.
Gaming addiction had not been considered to be as bad as it was once thought to be until recently with the diagnosis from the WHO. Teens can experience brain impairment, hyperarousal, and emotional dysregulation which is why getting them assistance for a gaming addiction as soon as possible is critical. If your teen needs help with their gaming addiction, there is help out there. Although not all rehabilitation facilities offer gaming addiction treatment, there are facilities that do. Seeking assistance from a therapist or counselor could help you to get the information that you need in order to help your teen.

Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center has a program that can help the whole family to begin to heal. We offer essential recovery support skills to show the teen and their family how to implement a strong network that can reinforce healthy living.

Call us today to start living in recovery: 662-598-4214