Parents fret as screen time soars
The pandemic has driven children to spend more time using devices and less time in physical play.
Recent neuroimaging research suggests heavy use of certain video games may cause brain changes linked to addictive behaviours.
SMH-Contributor
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The day after New Year s, John Reichert of Boulder, Colorado, had a heated argument with his 14-year-old son, James. I ve failed you as a father, he told the boy despairingly.
During the long months of lockdowns and shuttered schools, Reichert, like many parents, overlooked the vastly increasing time that his son was spending on video games and social media. Now, James, who used to focus his free time on mountain biking and playing basketball, devotes nearly all of his leisure hours – about 40 a week – to Xbox and his phone. During their argument, he pleaded with his father not to restrict access, calling his phone his whole life .
Soapbox: The NYT Thinks We re Gaming Too Much, But It s One Of The Only Things Keeping Me Sane
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It s that time of year again: a large publication has had decided that kids play too many games, and this time it s a COVID-flavoured special, courtesy of the New York Times, designed to make parents feel guilty for letting their energy-filled children play video games after being cooped up all day doing online school.
I won t pretend that video games are actually
perfect, although it s tempting to go on the defence, here. There are a lot of predatory practices in games, like microtransactions and gambling mechanics that can easily seduce kids into getting addicted. Plus, the last two generations - the ones that grew up with technology - are so used to everything being served on a screen that we often struggle to be alone with ourselves for any stretch of time at all without one in front of us. Yes, we all take our phones to the toilet. Yes, we play Switch on the sofa while we w
WASHINGTON (NYTIMES) - The day after New Year s Day, Mr John Reichert of Boulder, Colorado, had a heated argument with his 14-year-old son, James. I ve failed you as a father, he told the boy despairingly.
During the long months of lockdowns and shuttered schools, Mr Reichert, like many parents, overlooked the vastly increasing time that his son was spending on video games and social media.
Now, James, who used to focus his free time on mountain biking and playing basketball, devotes nearly all of his leisure hours - about 40 a week - to Xbox and his phone.
During their argument, he pleaded with his father not to restrict access, calling his phone his whole life .