Social Media and Video Games: Screentime​

​What's Your Stand on Video Games?
Since video games were first introduced, they have been a popular activity amongst children.  Parents should consider two basic issues when providing guidance to their children regarding the use of video games.
  1. Be aware of the content of the games and question whether it is appropriate for the age and developmental level of your child. 
  2. Monitor how much time your child spends playing video games versus other activities. It is true that you can have "too much of a good thing."
Play and entertainment materials should be fun, engaging and spur creative fantasy. However, they can also be educational.  It is thought by some child psychologists that certain fantasy video games help children develop cognitive skills, such as the ability to plan ahead, as well as visual, spatial and eye-hand coordination skills.  As a parent, you will want to help your children select play and entertainment materials that are balanced in content.  It is important that the material not be overly frustrating or too advanced so as to create questions or interests that your child is not intellectually or emotionally ready to handle. As well, you will want to ensure that your child is not presented with information or images that are so frightening that they trigger excessive anxiety or nightmares.
Children and adults have always found some amount of violence to be entertaining. Many of the original Grimm Fairytales contain themes of violence, and certainly, many storybooks depict violent scenes.  Likewise, children have always engaged in some forms of aggressive play, portraying roles from one form of literature or another. In past days, it was "cops and robbers," "cowboys and Indians," "Superman," "Prince Valiant," "Space Patrol," or "Flash Gordon."  Today, much of the action is the same but with different fictional characters. 
Unfortunately, video games have been identified as one possible cause for what seems to be an increase in violent acts by children.  Research has not fully supported this notion. It is known that SOME children are more likely to act out what they see than others. Some children may have a poor understanding of the difference between reality and fantasy. Others may have poor impulse control and become overly intense in their acting out of violent scenes. On the other hand, some children may be emotionally disturbed for any number of reasons and may gravitate to this material as a result of the disturbance. Parents should have a good knowledge and understanding of their own child in order that they can appropriately select play materials.
 As a parent, spend time playing video games with your child and talk with them about their thoughts, feelings, and perceptions related to playing the game.  Engaging in a discussion of values will more likely guide your child down a path that is safe and lead to the development of sound moral character. 
Parents can visit the website of the Entertainment Software Rating Board and use their search page to look up any video game and view its rating.
You can also check out Pros & Cons of Do Violent Video Games Contribute to Youth Violence? 

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