People use computers more extensively these days than ever before, and it is so widespread in our modern world that even children have access to these devices for playing games. This essay discusses the disadvantages of playing digital games on computer devices by youngsters and suggests some measures to reduce its negative effects.
Concerning the adverse impacts of young children playing video games, the most devastating one is the addiction these games create. Millions of dollars are spent to make computer games so that they attract a large number of audiences and keep them glued to the computer screens. So they are addictive by design. And this obsession hampers children’s outdoor activities, studies and even time to socialise and learn important life skills. To illustrate, many research works suggest that children who spend many hours playing computer games each day end up performing poorly in schools and avoid social events and outdoor activities. It results in physical and psychological issues including poor eyesight and despair. Moreover, violent games cloud the youngsters’ judgement and make their rational thinking unstable. Oftentimes, youngsters who play violent games develop violent behaviours. To cite an example, an unfortunate shooting event that claimed many innocent lives took place in an American school a few years ago was carried out by a teenager who was addicted to shooting games.
To minimise the severity of these negative impacts, parents must monitor what their children are doing, especially on computers. They should not be allowed to play computer games for more than a couple of hours each week, and parents can actively participate in those games with their children so that it becomes family time. An ideal example of it could be my aunt and uncle who play video games with their children, and as a result, children are also interested in doing outdoor activities with them. Finally, parents can use parental control over the digital content and games their children watch or play. These measures would deter children from downloading and playing games that are not suitable for their age.
To conclude, computer games, when played excessively by children, have many detrimental effects. Proper parenting and monitoring seem like the best solution to solve these problems.