Cell phones have been regarded as one of the greatest inventions in the 21st century. This little gadget has turned our world upside down. We used to write to our friends, but we can see our friends through the screen at any time and anywhere. We used to purchase things in the supermarket, but we can go online shopping through mobile devices on our hands. The wide use of cell phones also has great implications for kids. Learning is not confined to the classroom, but also on the Internet—Kids can be immersed in online learning on their mobile devices. However, the drawbacks are looming ahead. Improper content and games are penetrating kids’ digital life. Moderate games can be entertainment activities to help kids relieve stress. However, violent and harmful games will destroy kids’ life. Let’s have a closer look and figure out a countermeasure to deal with the issue.

What are the signs of game addiction?

A recent study has sounded an alarm for us with the astonishing data—8.4% of children are reported to have mobile game addiction in 2021. This number is expected to increase, along with the wider application of cell phones. Kids are spending at least 2-3 hours on mobile games on their schooldays, not to mention weekends. Are you worried about your kids being addicted to mobile games? Here are some addiction symptoms:

1. Spending most spare time on games and hiding and deceiving things from parents
2. Getting easily irritated with trivial things
3. Getting more and more aggressive
4. Depression and mood swings
5. Become insolated and unsocial

As we can infer from the above signs, game addiction can greatly affect one’s mental status. Indeed, game addiction has been classified as a mental disorder by the World Health Organization. Therefore, we should pay more attention to the mental health of our kids, detecting the symptoms as soon as possible and addressing the problems.

What are the effects of game addiction?

Why should we save kids from game addiction? Having a more comprehensive picture of the effects of game addiction might help you realize the necessity.

1. Aggravate mental health. Viewed as a mental disorder or mental disease, game addiction has proven to exacerbate depression and other mental problems. Violent games can deliver the wrong view of the world to kids, causing anxiety and stress in tweens. It is tempting that kids will grow more and more unsocial and insolated if they spend more time on games. They can fall into a vicious circle where they are becoming introverted and alienating themselves from family and peers.
2. Be bad for physical and mental. A sedentary lifestyle has been linked with an increased risk of heart disease. Teens are in the pivotal stage of physical development. However, they spend more time sitting still and playing games rather than doing exercise outside. This lifestyle can go harm physical and mental, triggering obesity and heart disease.
3. Poor academic performance. This can be the most obvious effect brought by game addiction. The game has diverted teens’ concentration on study and learning. They are addicted to the ideal and exciting game world and detest increasing examinations and study.

After knowing more the game addiction, let’s move to another tricky problem-how to prevent kids from game addiction.

How to get rid of game addiction?

The following are the modern ways for you to help kids escape game addiction.

Way 1: Set a time limitation on games

Due to the busy work life, parents are posing little limitation on games time of kids, which makes kids spend more and more time playing games. Imposing a time limitation on games can help kids from game addiction. Rather than using a conventional way like asking them to hand in their mobile phones, parental control tools can be modern alternatives for you to choose from. Parental monitoring tools can help you monitor kids’ cell phones remotely, including imposing strict surveillance on their cell phones. On one hand, kids can have a moderate and happy time on mobile games. On the other hand, you can manage their game time. It can be a win-win situation.

Way 2: Secure the cell phones in a particular position

This can be an orthodox practice for you to implement. Without mobile phones, gaming can be not that easy. Keep the phone at a distance where a child can’t find it easily. Although it sounds a bit obsolete, it is worth trying.

Way 3: Block certain apps and software

Some online games are presenting harmful content to kids, which is detrimental to their further growth. Some browsers like Google Chrome will have parental control features to block some words and web pages. Another all-in-one stop solution lies in parental monitoring apps that can cut off access to certain game applications and websites. You can actually take full advantage of the Chamspy application to block certain game apps for your kids and guide them to form a good online habit. It can be an easy solution because you just need to fetch the target phones for one time. Once you have installed the monitoring tool on the cell phone, you will no longer need your kids’ mobile devices. It can be a comprehensive and considerate strategy.

Way 4: Teach kids to use their cell phones healthily and wisely

Instead of scolding kids for their playing games, it is parents who should shoulder the obligation of guiding kids to form healthy online habits and use a smartphone wisely. Here is something you should make clear: There is nothing wrong with using a smartphone to play a game once in a while. However, it should be an entertainment to help kids to refresh their minds. Ensure that your kids are using their cell phones in a smart way.

The bottom lines:

Technology is a blessing when used rightfully. For example, kids can learn to manage their schedules and new knowledge through the usage of cell phones. What matter is how they treat and use modern gadgets. Therefore, you should give more guidance to kids with the help of deeper communication and modern tools. Using parental monitoring tools wisely and properly, you can surely help kids get away from unhealthy game habits and utilize their cell phones in a wise manner.