Video Game Addiction, Obsession, or Habit: How Much is Too Much?
I am often asked some variant of this question, and a few of my recent cases have stimulated me to explore more evidence-based answers to improve the quality of my response. As it turns out, many have written fairly extensively on the subject of how much video gaming is too much. It has been proposed that two to three hours per day of playing the games is now an average amount of time for the average adolescent to play video games or spend time on the computer (APA Task Force, 2008).
There are many reasons for parents to be concerned about their child’s seeming obsession with video games, and the amount of time that their children are playing them. Initial concerns were that the games, which were largely played by adolescent males, stimulated aggressive instincts and increased the likelihood of violence in the, again, largely, male population who played the games. These concerns were fueled and heightened by the massacre at Columbine, Colorado, on April 20, 1999, in which two high school students went on a killing rampage. These two students had reported that they spent a great deal of time playing “Doom,” a gory video game with a great deal of violent and aggressive themes. It was also inferred that the boys had spent a great deal of time watching violent movies–which may inspire another article at a later date.
Cell Phones – When to Consider Buying One for Your Kid
It used to be that kids begged their parents for a phone in their rooms. Now, parents are asked to make a different decision: whether or not to buy their kids a cell phone. How do you know when or if they’re ready? What age is too young? These are just some of the questions that parents have to consider regarding a cell phone for their child. Here are some suggestions that may help, and some things to consider as you make this decision.
Plugging In and Quality Time with Kids
How many times have you been annoyed when the people around you are talking on their cell phones too loudly or texting during a movie or performance. Well, imagine how our children feel when we are taking time away from them while we are too busy with our phones, iPads or laptops.
It’s not unusual to see a parent pushing a swing at the park and talking on the phone. I have also seen families at restaurants sitting silently while each one is either texting or checking for messages. Imagine the message this is giving a child . ”I am more concerned about my life than yours”?
Tools to Help Parents Monitor Children’s Internet Activity
Children of all ages are using the internet these days. Parents know children need access to the internet for school but they’re concerned about their child landing on a page with inappropriate content. The following are some tools to help… Continue reading
Movie Ratings: What You Should Know About It
Your 12-year-old child wants to see the newest movie that’s all the rage. You’re not sure it’s appropriate for your child to watch. Movie ratings are given to each motion picture that is released, but do they provide the information… Continue reading
Media: Monster or Magician
Media influence on kids has become the subject of increased focus by parents, educators and health care professional. New research has named several areas of influence in which media content has a negative effect on children. Violence and aggressive… Continue reading
Teen Cyberfights
I was looking over my 13 year old son’s shoulder the other day (or, as they say in teen cyberlanguage “POS” for Parent Over Shoulder) and watched his fingers quickly slip toward the enter button on the keyboard. His post,… Continue reading
Amount of Television Viewing in Early Childhood Negatively Impacts Later Functioning
Arecent study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine reports that early television exposure has negative effects on children’s functioning at follow-ups as late as fourth grade.
Dr. Pagani and colleagues examined the influence of television exposure at 29… Continue reading
Are 3-D Movies and TV Harmful to Children?
How long has 3-D technology been around? Most of us might think of crowds of teenagers in a 1950’s movie house watching horror flicks like “Bwana Devil” in 3-D. But 3-D technology, or stereoscopy as its technically called, made its debut on the scene in 1838 with the first stereoscope. And the first actual 3-D movie was a 1903 film called “Le Arivee d’un Train,” which, in typical 3-D cinematic style, had a head-on shot of the arrival of the train followed directly by passengers heading directly toward the camera.
Despite this lengthy history, the technology has remained based on one simple principal – to make 3-D effects you must find a way to project two slightly different pictures to each eye. Modern 3-D technology works by rapidly flickering two versions of the movie and projecting them onto each eye. The brain does the rest of the work, melding the two images together into one and giving the show the appearance of depth, the third dimension. But does this exposure, especially long exposures, cause harm to the developing child’s brain and visual perception system?
Violent Video Game Debate
Violent video games have been defined by California law as one that involves “killing, maiming, dismembering or sexually assaulting an image of a human being” in a way that appeals to deviant or morbid interest. California law has banned the sale… Continue reading
