Positive and negative effects of online games on children

Children used to spend most of their free time playing with their friends in the past, and of course, they enjoyed these games a lot. But currently, one of the usual tasks of parents is to buy computer or mobile games for their children, allowing them to spend hours of their time playing. Now, Computer games are very popular for all ages and a serious concern for parents.

A constant concern about the destructive effects of online games on children's spirit and body, or lack of success in the main life plans such as studying due to spending too much time on these games, etc., can be noticed in the daily words of parents. In this article we have collected some useful information and solutions about effects of online games and explored various aspects of this type of entertainment. 

Positive effects of online games

None of the doctors, psychologists, etc. deny the positive effects of computer games. What everyone emphasizes is buying the right game and the amount of time that children spend on these games.

Parental control apps allow adults to set limits on their child's app access and overall phone use, and act as "training wheels" to help kids and teens develop healthy tech habits.

Using parental control apps help you track your child's performance, you can set screen time limits on their device to lock after they've used it for a certain amount of time or when you think they need downtime.

Now, let’s review some of the positive effects of online games.

Getting experience in computer and IT

Computer games provide more engaging and interactive experiences in the computer and information technology area for children. 

Nowadays, lack of familiarity with computers and its applications is even compared to a kind of illiteracy. So, from this point of view, computer and online games are significant and considerate for taking the first steps of children to get to know technology. This type of learning is considered one of the best educational methods due to children's interest in playing.

Improving cognitive function

According to research published by the American Psychological Association, contrary to popular belief, online games can enhance multiple cognitive skills such as attention, visual processing, memory, reasoning, and perception.

Hand-eye coordination

Research has shown that teenagers can learn visual-spatial and hand-eye coordination skills from online video games, especially shooting games. Success in some of these games requires a significant amount of these skills. For example, players need to track position, speed, target, direction, etc. The brain processes all this data and coordinates with the hands, as all these actions are performed with the keyboard or gamepad.

Quick thinking and precision and increasing dexterity

Online games prepare players to make smart decisions in a fraction of a second. Also, they need a lot of attention to deal with unexpected changes in the game.

Online games improve hand movements with mouse and keyboard. Players learn to use keyboard shortcuts and make quick responses.

Problem solving ability

Research has shown that online games can help teenagers develop problem-solving skills because young teens practice problem-solving while playing strategic online games such as role-playing.

Finally, since online games are fun and create a sense of vitality, they can be effective in children's spirits and provide them with happy moments. Computer games, in addition to draining energy, enable the children to face a happy atmosphere, which is a good help for them to continue their daily routines. Of course, it is necessary to emphasize the right choice of the game.

Negative effects of online games

The bad effects of online games are mostly related to the duration of playing and the content of the game. Let us review some of the negative effects of computer games on children.

Aggression in teenagers

The relationship between violent online games and aggression in children has become a hot issue in psychological research .

Studies of children exposed to violent online games have shown that they may become numb to violence, imitate the violence, and show more aggressive behavior. Younger children and those with emotional, behavioral or learning problems may be more influenced by violent online games.

In moderation, playing age-appropriate games can be enjoyable and healthy. However, there are concerns about the negative effect of online games on kids who spend too much time playing online games.

Game addiction

The term "pathological gaming" or online game addiction has been widely discussed in medical circles, although it is not yet ranked as an official disorder in the US Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

Pathological gamers are more likely to have anxiety, insomnia, social isolation and depression.

Furthermore, these are co-occurring disorders, meaning they can affect each other. Thus, pathological gaming can be the result of depression, anxiety, or social phobia, and all three can increase a child's attraction to gaming.

Poor academic performance

This is one of the side effects of online games in teenagers. Long hours of online games can affect your kids’ performance in school. Studies have shown that playing online games for a long period of time can be associated with lower academic performance.

A field study found that 47 percent of online gamers who played a lot had poor scores, while 23 percent of users who played less had better scores.

Side effects on health

Excessive gaming can have a negative effect on the health of children, because they spend a lot of time on virtual games instead of physical activities. This increases the risk of childhood obesity. Sometimes, children skip their meal and sleep to play online games that they are addicted to. Also, the constant reflection of screen light can damage the child's vision in the long run.

💡Do you want to prevent all these negative effects? Anycontrol suggests a monitoring tool that enables parents to track their children's activities on smartphones and personal computers along with setting time limits for using specific apps, games, and online platforms.

Tips for managing children's use of online games

As a parent, you can do things to reduce negative effects of video games on your child's behavior and achievement.

🔸Research and understand the content and rating of the games your child plays.

🔸Do not install online gaming equipment in your child's bedroom.

🔸In order to determine the duration and number of games for your children and teenagers, consider limits.

🔸Monitor your child's media usage including TV, internet and online games

🔸Talk to your child about his observations and feelings about the games he plays. What do they have that interests them so much?

🔸Talk to other parents to learn more about specific online games and share your ideas to help each other understand kids better.

🔸Be a good role model for your child and limit your screen time.

🔸Talk to your children about the different aspects of media, both positive and negative, the effects of too much screen time, and how to balance screen time.

🔸Go out with your family one day a week or on the weekends to be completely away from digital media. Even naming one day a week as "no digital" day can make children understand that the digital world is not everything.

Conclusion

Online games are a common source of entertainment and a hobby for children from all around the world. However, spending too much time playing computer games can separate the child from real life. 

As parents it is your responsibility to understand how long your children play games and what games they are playing. In this article we’ve provided advice on some of the potential risks and things you can do to avoid them. Anycontrol monitoring tool helps you to control the time that your children spend playing games and enables you to make safer choices while gaming.