Stakeholders Seek Parental Vigilance On Online Games

Following the increasing attraction of children to online games,  experts and parents have said that the development could lead to  addiction capable of negatively affecting the children’s social interactions.
In separate interviews with The Tide source, concerned stakeholders said too much screentime and online gaming could also cause medical issues such as eye challenges and depression.
They, therefore, called for vigilance on the part of parents, saying that children need to be monitored and sensitised on the effect of excessive online gaming habits to prevent them from exhibiting antisocial and erratic behaviours.
Head of Communication at Women Technology Empowerment Centre (WTEC), Mr Yemi Odutola,  said video games and social media were products of technology which has kept both children and youths intensely engaged for many years.
Odutola, however, noted that spending too much time on video games and social media could make a child addicted, withdrawn and affect his or her interaction with other people.
He stated  that about 70-80 per cent of children now have access to phones and the internet which enables them to visit any site of their choice.
“Most children know how to access the internet better than their parents and guardians”, he said.
According to research, significant changes occur in the brain while a child is engaged in playing video games, particularly violent video games.
“When children are playing erratic video games, there is less activity in the brain that involves emotions, attention and inhibition of impulses,” he said.
Odutola continued that another effect of too much screentime and online gaming was that it could create medical issues such as eye problems and depression.
The communication officer urged parents to monitor and limit the amount of time their children spend in playing online games.
He stated that awareness was also key, saying  that parents, teachers and counselors have a role to play in sensitising children on the side effects of excessive online gaming.
Using China as a case study, Odutola said the country had found a way to monitor and limit the time children spend on social media.
“I will not discourage its usage by children entirely, but tight supervision and time allocation is necessary as the platforms also have immense gains, “ he said.
Similarly, Mr Jide Awe, an Information Technology Expert and Chief Executive Officer of Jidaw Systems Ltd, said too much online gaming was detrimental to the health and reasoning of a child.
Awe said aside the erratic behaviour a child could exhibit from excessive playing of online video games, they tend to lose touch with reality and might not carry out their real life activities as well as they should.