Staff writer - Maureen Gordon
This week I want to talk about the virtual world I think some of our children are living in.
I was listening to a recent radio interview about how addictive computer games have become. Although I know this is not news, as I am aware that this debate has been going on for some years. However what was shocking was hearing that children as young as 4 were becoming so addictive, that it was difficult for them to separate reality from fiction. For children this young what they see is what they believe. These children begin to live in this virtual world and start to act out, becoming aggressive and hurting others, or depicting scenes in their writing or drawings at school, which often alert teachers to the fact that something maybe happening at home.
Nintendo-3d
I have also heard stories about children not leaving their computers, not even to go to the toilet or going without sleep in order to complete the next level of a computer game? You may know of some of these games such as the Sims Family, Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto. Normally they are given an adult rating 18 because of its graphic adult content. But there are other games not with this rating but just as violent. This does not stop younger children from having access to these games, because many have older siblings who play these games, or dare I say it, their parent. In the U.K many homes will have an Xbox or a Nintendo D.S. and that these games are often on the birthday and Christmas wish list of children.
There is evidence to show that children and young people who become addictive to these games can become solitary lonely figures, with little social skills. Physical symptoms such as seizures and tendonitis have also been reported. What is also evident is that school work and school can become the unreal world. I am not advocating a ban on video games, because that would be unrealistic, what I am saying is that tighter monitoring is needed by parents. When does balancing the time children spend on these games begin? Sometimes I think it could be easier to allow children to go over the permitted time they have been allotted to play these games in order to give parents an easier life. Or maybe the excuse for the lack of monitoring could be at least they are quiet, I know where they are and they are not getting up to mischief.
But the fact is there can be serious repercussions for our lack of diligence, so this unreal world how do we counter it, or is this something you are struggling with, with your own children.
I look forward to your comments.
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