Fighting Online Gaming Addiction: How Parents and Governments can Help

Gone are the days when kids would play in the grounds for hours. The virtual world has taken over the healthy habits of the past and put people into isolation and loneliness. This should be a matter of concern for parents, guardians and government alike.

How Parents and Guardians can play a crucial role in preventing and controlling gaming addiction

1. Establish clear boundaries in terms of gaming time limits and ensure that the children follow them.
2. Encourage offline hobbies like sports, music, dance and reading to divert attention from gaming. These habits need to be build from a young age.
3. Parental control tools are now coming inbuilt amongst most of the devices. Parents should leverage these to limit screen time and block inappropriate content.
4. Proper education about potential dangers of excessive gaming, including addiction and online threats must be done
5. Parents should lead by example. They should limit their own screen time, promote balanced lifestyles by spending quality time with the family
6. Parents should monitor their child’s online Interactions in an unobtrusive way without compromising their right to privacy. Be a friend to your kid, know who they are interacting with and how.
7. Open Communication is the key to any healthy relationship. This includes children and parents. Children should be able to share their thoughts and feelings with their parents and not use gaming as an escape mechanism.

Also read: Online Gaming Addiction - Causes and Consequences

How Government-Level Interventions Can Help to Combat Online Gaming Addiction

Government understands the risks associated with gaming addiction and can implement various measures, such as:

1. Rules and regulations to curb addictive elements in games, such as loot boxes and gambling-like mechanisms.
2. Governments can enforcing age-appropriate content ratings to prevent children from accessing harmful games.
3. Governments much provide some way to control what gaming content is developed and take action against games that promote violence, gambling, or excessive addiction.
4. Awareness programs must be organised in schools and colleges for students and parents alike educating about gaming addiction.
5. Governments can make specific rules about restrictions on gaming hours for minors to prevent excessive usage.
6. Governments can work with internet service providers (ISPs) to block access to illegal gaming and betting websites.
7. Governments can establish helplines and counselling services for individuals struggling with gaming addiction.