What Effect Does Video Gaming Have on my South Dakota Teen or Young Adult and Is Video Game Addiction Help Needed?

Our video game rehab for South Dakota teens and young adults exists because gaming or video game addiction is very hard to treat. In one surprising study, In one study 84% of addicted gamers were still addicted two years later, demonstrating how difficult gaming addiction is to treat. In the same study, 7% of online gamers were classified as psychologically or behaviorally dependent on online gaming.

This begs the question, “Why is gaming so addictive?” According to research in the Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 41% of people who play online video games do so as an escape from the real world.

There is much debate currently about the effect of video game violence on the real world. According to a study in Pediatrics, as much as 20% of real-life violence may be attributable to media violence. Why is this? Researchers speculate that there is a two-fold issue here. First, constant exposure to video game violence decreases our sensitivity to real-world violence. Seeing a fight at school might seem more normal to a child who has been exposed to ongoing video game violence, making them less likely to intervene or even more likely to instigate violence themselves.

One advantage our video game rehab has over outpatient therapy is that we can use a group format to address issues. Our campers are immersed in a healthy, structured environment. We let our campers naturally gravitate towards hobbies and interests they want to explore to take the place of screen-based activity. The good news is that help at our video game rehab can be quite fun. We show teens and young adults there is a whole other world out there apart from video games.

Video Game Addiction Help: First Steps for South Dakota Families.

The first step for South Dakota families is to sit down with your teenager and discuss your concerns. Don’t criticize or blame. Simply express your concern and create a dialog about the topic. A teen will more likely change if the influence is positive and supportive versus critical in nature. Treatment for video game disorder starts with building empathy with the child and expressing genuine concern.

Agreeing on limits is a great next step to help South Dakota families considering a video game rehab. It’s important for the teen to understand the reason for the limits, however. Have the teen write up a contract with your input that outlines when they can have screen time, and begin the contract with a statement of purpose.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends limiting video games to one hour per day. Let your child know you are starting to question whether video games have a place in your home because they seem to cause a lot of problems. Offer a couple of specific examples, such as “When I tell you it’s time to turn them off, you use abusive language. And, your grades have gone from B’s to D’s since you started playing.”

It’s very easy for parents of teens and young adults to fall into the habit of nagging. Nagging is the knee-jerk response to seeing a behavior you don’t like. But teens and young adults, in general, don’t respond well to nagging. Also, as we all know, as soon as the nagging stops, the teen’s behavior resumes.

A better approach is to acknowledge the issue and let the teen know you are there to talk about it when they are ready. Remember: the goal of changing technology overuse behaviors is not to police the teen into submission. The goal is to build intrinsic motivation- that is, to develop sufficient insight into where they see technology overuse is affecting their lives in a negative way, and the child, therefore, wants to limit their online recreational activity.

The Summerland Video Game Addiction Treatment Process:

Let’s have some unplugged fun!