Put Down The Controller: How To Tell If Your Child Is Playing Video Games Too Much
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Lots of kids love video games and it's a huge business, but for parents trying to get their children to cut down, it can be a huge headache.
More than 250 million people have played Fortnite since it came out about a year and a half ago, and 16-year-old Kyle Caldas can't get enough.
"Sometimes I play the whole day on the weekends sometimes," he told CBS2's Cindy Hsu.
Kenny Pena is a teacher and loves playing the game with his 8-year-old son Nacho, but it can get out of hand.
"I got up at 3 o'clock in the morning I was just telling one of my students and he was up 3 o'clock in the morning playing with his friends," said Pena.
Doctors say when children are playing video games, a chemical called dopamine is released.
"There's a neurotransmitter called dopamine that is released every time they play the game," said Dr. Jeff Gardere, a clinical psychologist. "That neurotransmitter basically does something like 'Ooooh, that was good, let's do it again."
Gardere says it can have an addictive quality, and one of the biggest warning signs of too much gaming is an out of control reaction when you try to limit game time.
"When you interrupt the kids, they get extremely irritable," said psychiatrist Dr. Sue Varma. "We do know there have been some cases of violence where kids are breaking into their parents' car to get their devices, they're stealing credit cards."
That's not the norm. Most kids can somewhat regulate their playing, but other more subtle warning signs to look for include the following:
- Your child socially withdraws.
- Your child's grades go down.
- You notice a lack of personal hygiene.
- Your child preoccupied with thoughts of death.
The key is to be aware of when gaming gets out of hand and to limit exposure.
Experts say it's best to start limiting screen time when your children are very young so they grow up with better habits when it comes to video games and spending too much time on their devices.
