Gaming has become an even bigger part of children’s social lives due to COVID-19. This has started a discussion of whether this situation is alarming or not. Some say this has become a real issue, a professor of psychology at Stanford University even said, “the situation will be a period of epic withdrawal.” We might ask ourselves the following questions: “isn’t gaming just a way for kids to entertain themselves because they can’t see their friends?”, “Should we cut them some slack?”, “Or has this become a serious problem?”

 Social life

Kids have lost their social lives. Not being able to see their friends is very hard. Social contact has been proven to be a basic need for kids. They need others to develop as a person. When kids say things like “no, you can’t take my phone, it is my whole life,” parents think their kids have a huge problem. But to be honest, it is one of the only ways to stay in touch with their friends. It is essential to put things in perspective. It is an unusual situation, and parents only want the best for their kids, but they also need to listen to their kids.

Gaming with friends

Taking away your kid’s Xbox, PlayStation, … might not be the best solution. I’m not saying that kids should be playing games 24/7. It is important to find a good balance. Dr. Jenny Radesky, a paediatrician who studies children’s use of mobile technology at the University of Michigan said: “I probably would have encouraged families to turn off Wi-Fi except during school hours, so kids don’t feel tempted every moment, night and day,” she said, adding, “The longer they’ve been doing a habituated behaviour, the harder it’s going to be to break the habit.” It is so important to look at the circumstances in which children are showing this kind of behaviour. Isn’t it logical that they are finding other ways to have a social life still? It seems that online socializing doesn’t count for some. Can’t we assume that when this pandemic is over, they will automatically spend less time online? They will be able to see their friends again, so they will start to socialize offline again.

Difference between online and offline

 Children can do lots of social and healthy things online. A lot of games allow kids to be creative and use their imagination. There might be games that could negatively influence your child, but isn’t that the same in real life? There are so many things that kids can do offline that aren’t safe and responsible. So, what is really the difference? At home, you can still see what kind of games your kids are playing, but when they’re out with friends, you have to trust that they won’t do bad things.

It is all about compromising. Children should listen to their parents, but parents should also listen to their kids. Parents can make an effort to try to understand why kids love gaming. They can join them and play with them from time to time. It could be good to make rules about screen time as a family. Punishing your kids by taking away their games and phones isn’t the same as a year ago. Now it is taking away their social life.

Sources:

The Verge

New York Times