Digital Addiction
Video Games – Are they Addictive?

Yes, I know, as a parent, I should be able to tell my son to leave the computer alone and he should do it, but really, how many of us have that much control over our teenagers? On the one hand, I was happy he was at home, at least I knew where he was and what he was doing. On the other, I knew he wasn’t getting the socialization and the exercise he needed. In fact, he had started to put off his friends. He didn’t want to do anything with them if it wasn’t tied to playing a game.

I devised a plan I believed was simple, and would have benefits to us both. The boy had to run two miles each evening for each hour of video games he played. He liked this idea, he’s a natural runner, so it wasn’t difficult for him and this way he had some control over how much time he got to play games. And I made sure he got some exercise each evening. I was proud of myself as a mother to have been so wise. This should have been my first clue.

This plan seemed to work. He would come home from school and immediately go run 4 miles, or 6 miles, and then play the computer for 2 or three hours, plus the required hour or two of computer homework time per night. I knew it was still too much time on the computer, but, sometimes compromises have to be made, and hey, if he was getting that much exercise, that was a compromise I could live with. We were both happy, for a while.

It took me a couple of months to figure out he wasn’t getting enough sleep, a few months and an older brother who let it slip that he fell asleep each morning on the bus ride to school. So I once again cut back on computer games, once again tried to institute a firm bedtime – and anyone who lives in one of these homes with a split bedroom plan knows how difficult that is. It isn’t like when I was growing up and my room was right next to my parent’s room. Once I go to sleep I don’t hear much from their side of the house. My son would go to bed, and stay in bed until I was sound asleep, and then he was up playing the computer game, sometimes all night. We had talks and arguments and fights, and rules, but nothing would work now, he HAD to have that computer game.

Drastic measures were in order. I took his computer away – completely. I packed it up one night and put it in my closet. That’s when the fun really began. We went through three months of absolute hell, and I mean it, hell. Nothing, nothing made that boy happy. He was sullen and withdrawn and edgy and grumpy. He came up with all kinds of excuses as to why he needed his computer. And some of them were legitimate. The high school my kids attend practically requires internet access from home, and submitted papers must be typed, and who has an old typewriter anymore? So, the computer would come out and he would do his homework, but as soon as it was finished, the computer was back in my closet.

I eventually gained my son back, but it was not easy. Now, he doesn’t even like computer games. He thinks they’re a waste of time, but then, he’s found something new, something even better, my son has discovered girls.

If you’re concerned about your children’s video gaming, check out the following signs of video game addiction posted by the National Institute on Media and The Family.

According to the National Institute on Media and the Family:

• Most non-school hours are spent on the computer or playing video games.
• Falling asleep in school.
• Not keeping up with assignments.
• Worsening grades.
• Lying about computer or video game use.
• Choosing to use the computer or play video games rather than see friends.
• Dropping out of other social groups, clubs or sports.
• Irritability when not playing a video game or on the computer.

Physical symptoms that could point to addiction include carpal tunnel syndrome, sleep disturbances, back and neck aches, headaches, dry eyes, and a failure to eat or bathe regularly.

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