Children as young as 11 have been taken into care for gaming addictions, which the World Health Organisation now consider a mental health problem.
A new investigation by the Mirror revealed 13 children had been removed from their families and taken into care due to concerns over gaming addictions. Whilst gaming is often considered to be a fun and harmless way of relaxing, it is proven to be highly addictive.
Connie Geyer, clinical psycologist, says: “What we know about child development is when children or toddlers are left to themselves with social media, a tablet or a phone they can have a huge impact on them and their ability to develop social skills even language skills and expressing themselves. It’s a worrying trend to see really young children left with social media and electronics.”
British children are addicted to gaming
Parents are urged to look for signs of addiction, including loss of interest in hobbies or activities, personality changes, feelings of anger or frustration and distorted perception of time. If you see any of these addiction symptoms in your child you can get a referral to a clinical psychologist.
Featured photo by @kellysikkema via unsplash