THE NEGATIVE EFFECT OF VIDEO GAMES ON CHILDREN
Marcos V. Jimenez
Comp 172
July 17,2012
Monte Gast

THE NEGATIVE EFFECT OF VIDEO GAMES ON CHILDREN

The introduction and advancement of technology has provided us with many valuable tools and resources; however, it also has the capability of negatively influencing our younger generations. It is our responsibility as parents to provide them with guidance and direction in choosing the correct technological learning tools, and managing the amount of time spent in front of video games.
Although video games offer a broad array of opportunities for teaching and learning, there are equally as many games focused on violence and inappropriate behaviors. Children are easily influenced in today's society through what they see and hear, making video games a prime resource for how they are influenced.
VIOLENCE
Many of today's video games, especially suitable for young boys, focus their attention on violent acts, and whether it be through weapons, verbal abuse, or fighting. Young minds are easily molded through the violence in these games, leading them to believe that weapons and fighting are standard in today's society. In order to instill the most positive values in these young boys, parental guidance is necessary in controlling the video games to which children are exposed. Helping them to distinguish between reality and video games is a key responsibility of parents and guardians.
INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOR
Most often going hand in hand with violent acts, today's video games are also infested with many forms of inappropriate behavior. It is not uncommon for young boys to observe scantily clad women representing many of today's celebrities . Often times with this sort of behavior in video games, many young boys may learn that disrespect towards women is accepted in today's society.
WASTED TIME
Although many of today's video games are vital learning tools, there are also quite a number of games that simply waste time. At an age when children should be learning to build strong social relationships, many of them lack the communication skills because they spend most of their valuable time alone, engaged in video games. Such video games do not instill any values in our children, let alone teach them to build growing relationships or communication skills. On top of lack-luster communication, these games are also promoting idleness, therefore contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic. Uncontrolled weight gain is already very hard to manage as children begin to mature. With obesity being one of the top diseases in the U.S. today, it is apparent that parents should have time limitations and control over how often their children are exposed to video games. Their time should be balanced with healthy, outdoor activities and team interactions as well.
Video games do have a place in society, but without proper controls and management, they will continue to negatively influence our younger generation and encourage physical inactivity, disrespect, and violence. Taking a stand against inappropriate video games and managing the time spent in this activity for our youth is a critical responsibility for everyone - and it starts at home.
Many parents worry, no doubt, about the effect video games have on their children. Here are the ten most common problems recently investigated by researchers from 2006-present. 1. An increase in emotional disorder symptoms 2. An increase in and behavioral disorder symptoms 3. Declines in verbal memory performance 4. Somatic complaints 5. Attention problems such as hyperactivity, ADD or ADHD 6. Detrimental school performance (as video game usage increases, GPA and SAT scores decrease) 7. Family interaction problems such as less positive parental relations 8. Significant reduced amounts of slow-wave (REM) sleep 9. Modifications in visual selective attention 10. Playing violent video games is a significant risk factor for later physically aggressive behavior
Reference Sources: Pediatrics 2008 Nov;122(5):e1067-72
European Psychiatry 2008 Apr;23(3):212-8
Journal of Psychiatry Research 2008 Mar;42(4):253-8
Pediatrics 2007 Nov;120(5):978-85
Cyberpsychology & Behavior 2007 Aug;10(4):552-9
Psychological Science 2007 Jan;18(1):88-94
Pediatrics 2006 Oct;118(4):e1061-70

Playing aggressive games develops aggressive thoughts amongst children, which is reflected in their behavior as well. This might not be a good sign, since we do not want our children to be more verbal and aggressive with their peers.
Spending too much time on video games might affect studies as well. Lack of concentration and focus is evident amongst children who are crazy after video games.
Video games are known to encourage sedentary lifestyle. Children may develop poor eating habits and unhealthy lifestyle...
It is vital for children to spend time on both indoor and outdoor sports. Excessive time spent on video games may curb some outdoor activities amongst some children. We may not want our children to be game addicts at the cost of active outdoor pastimes.
It is the responsibility of elders to encourage children to participate in outdoor activities as well, rather than sticking to video games all day long. Being able to monitor and control the amount of time your kids spend on video games is the key to restrict the negative impacts of video games. Make sure that you expose your children to the right games with limited time log to benefit from this fun filled activity.

REFFERENCES
Reference Sources: Pediatrics 2008 Nov;122(5):e1067-72
European Psychiatry 2008 Apr;23(3):212-8
Journal of Psychiatry Research 2008 Mar;42(4):253-8
Pediatrics 2007 Nov;120(5):978-85
Cyberpsychology & Behavior 2007 Aug;10(4):552-9
Psychological Science 2007 Jan;18(1):88-94
Pediatrics 2006 Oct;118(4):e1061-70
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