How to get a child to stop playing video games?

When your child plays video games, you often worry about whether they are playing too much and to what extent you should limit their gaming. The time spent gaming is not necessarily a problem in itself, but it becomes problematic if it starts to affect normal daily routines, such as sleeping or going to school. There are ways to regulate a young person’s gaming so that it remains within reasonable limits.

When teaching gaming education in the family, you should consider at least the following points:

Maintaining a healthy sleep pattern

Regular and sufficient sleep is important for child’s development. Sufficient sleep also prevents mental health problems, for example, and improves school performance. For this reason, children’s gaming schedule should be restricted, especially in the evenings and at night, so that lack of sleep does not begin to affect their well-being.

Fulfilment of duties

A typical characteristic of problematic gaming is a loss of sense of time. Children may unknowingly play for up to 12 hours straight. As mentioned, the amount of time spent gaming does not necessarily make it problematic, but if it takes time away from other daily responsibilities or affects school attendance, for example, so it would be a good idea to set time limits for gaming. It is also a good idea to make sure that child’s daily live includes more than just gaming – for example, some kind of physical activity or seeing friends outside of video games.

Ergonomics

If a child plays a lot, it is important to ensure that gaming is as ergonomic as possible. Poor ergonomics can cause headaches, neck and shoulder problems, and wrist pain, for example. Ergonomics can be ensured by using a good chair (gaming or office chair) or by making sure that children take breaks from gaming to stretch.

The enjoyment of gaming

Parents should ensure that gaming remains enjoyable for their children. This can be achieved, for example, through a positive family attitude towards gaming or by playing together with them. Since gaming addiction can cause symptoms such as depression and anxiety (such as social withdrawal, irritability, and difficulties managing everyday life), alarm bells should ring at the latest when gaming becomes compulsive and the child no longer seems to get enjoyment from it. In such a situation, it is important to determine whether it is a case of gaming addiction or whether there are underlying factors the child is escaping into the gaming world from.

“If gaming is an ordinary part of everyday life at home instead of a constant source of conflict, talking about it becomes much easier.”

Parents’ attitudes toward gaming

Parents should encourage their children to play games. Video games can be a hobby just like soccer or ice hockey. If gaming is an everyday activity at home rather than a constant source of conflict, it is much easier to talk about it. By talking about games, parents can stay informed about what their children are playing, with whom, and what feelings gaming evokes. Games are not always the root of all evil, and often it is not the gaming itself that is harmful, but rather what the gamer intends to achieve through it.

About the author of this article

My name is Juuli Jylhä, and I am a psychology intern at Heltti. I wrote this article based on an interview with Samuli Shintami.

Samuli Shintami is an occupational health psychologist whose areas of expertise include neuropsychological topics as well as anxiety management, awareness skills, mindfulness and sleep.