Post Menu and Details.
- The optimal age and the allowed time
- The negative sides of games
- Healthy Limits on Mobile And PC Games
- The positives
- Why Game Addiction Happens
- Signs of addiction
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Which are healthy limits on mobile and PC games? In the age of modern technology, people spend a lot of time with all sorts of gadgets, computers, including sitting for games. Not surprisingly, parents have questions about how many children can play with a computer or phone, what age is optimal for acquaintance with gadgets, how much time per day a child can spend with such devices? Read about harmless games on androidappsforme.
The optimal age and the allowed time
It is important to understand that much depends on what kind of monitor is installed in your home, how old your child is, what intervals between sitting at a smartphone or computer you give him.
According to pediatricians, the optimal age to start playing on a computer, smartphone or tablet is when your child is five years old. Today, however, it’s not uncommon to see a three-year-old child sitting on a tablet doing tasks on an early development app.
Try to push back the time of your child’s acquaintance with the virtual world as much as possible. It is important to remember that a computer game should not replace communication with parents and close relatives for a small child. At this age, it is crucial to receive live communication, to learn about the world.
There are age restrictions on spending time with computer games, apps on your smartphone:
- from three to five years – no more than 15 minutes a day;
- from five to six – 15 to 20 minutes a day is considered optimal, from six to seven – 25 to 30 minutes
- seven to twelve – no more than an hour a day;
- from twelve to sixteen – two hours a day, necessarily with a break of 10-15 minutes.
The negative sides of games
PC and mobile games can really hurt your child.
- Prolonged sitting in front of a screen, while the child often stops blinking or holds a smartphone close to his face, leads to a decrease in visual acuity.
- Disruption of daily routines. The game can be so addictive that the baby completely forgets what he needs to do (go for a walk with friends, do his homework or go to bed on time).
- The appearance of irritability, aggression if the child plays violent games. Similar behavior can also appear at the development of game addiction, occur in situations of the long absence of the device, impossibility to enter the game.
- Deterioration of skills of dialogue with real people, the occurrence of conflict.
- Passion for games can also affect a decrease in academic performance.
- The appearance of problems with posture, the development of scoliosis are not excluded.
- The probability of development of computer or game addiction.
- Can lead to overexcitation of the nervous system. The appearance of problems with sleep is not excluded.
- Deterioration of the psychological state. In a situation where a child for a long time can not pass a level or a game requires a deposit, which parents refuse, or he plays toys with scenes of violence, excessive aggression, there may be nervous agitation, stress, depression.
Healthy Limits on Mobile And PC Games
Today, students often play with smartphones not only during the breaks between classes but also during lessons. This leads to a decrease in performance, not learning material.
It is important to understand that a complete ban on games can lead to protest, especially in adolescence. In addition, the forbidden fruit is sweet. It is worth considering the fact that in today’s world everyone (from young to old) sits in gadgets. It’s important to realize that your child will be surrounded by kids who play with smartphones at school.
The positives
The normalized time of sitting at the devices, the correct selection of games will not only do no harm but will also benefit the child. Among such positive aspects are noted:
- increased reaction speed;
- development of imagination;
- the ability to make decisions, predict the possible outcome; training of memory, attention;
- improvement of fine motor skills and eye gaze;
- development of logical thinking.
Why Game Addiction Happens
What are the reasons for this interest in games, and especially the pathological need for virtual pastimes?
- Lack of parental attention. The situation when a child feels lonely in real life, he or she may increase the need to communicate online.
- Lack of other interests, hobbies.
- The need to go into the virtual world may be caused by the child’s problems in communicating with other children, maybe the result of a lack of friends.
- Copying the behavior of other children or parents. If the kid, growing up, sees how everyone else is playing, it is not surprising that he has a desire to sit behind devices.
Sometimes it is the parents themselves who are to blame if the child has a desire to sit behind the phone or computer. This may be a consequence of lack of attention from their side, but also be the result of copying their behavior, if mom and dad, without noticing it, disappear for hours at a screen of gadgets.
Signs of addiction
Sometimes parents think that their child has developed a game addiction. But it is not always the case. If your baby spends a lot of time with a smartphone or computer – it does not mean that he formed a harmful attachment. Sometimes it’s the lack of other interests, lack of parental attention, the problem in planning the daily routine. The following can be an indication that it is an addiction:
- sitting down to play, the child forgets that he needs to eat;
- an attempt to tear a child away from the game, causing aggressive behavior;
- long-term absence of an opportunity to sit at a gadget or a computer leads to the development of severe irritability, sudden bursts of anger, the appearance of
- an indifferent attitude towards their loved ones;
- all of the child’s interests disappear, and the things that he or she liked before lose all meaning;
- all of the baby’s communication boils down to stories about the game character, his achievements, victories;
- the child is constantly asking parents to put money on the account if the game requires it.
Knowing how much time children can play on the phone and computer, parents should understand that it is also important to keep track of which games the child is playing. Remember how some applications installed on a mobile phone can affect the psychological health of a child.
Thank you for reading!