Video games wont harm your child

What does a practical regulation of video games look like?

How can you enable your child to indulge in their favourite medium without permitting video games to harm them? First of all, accept that regulation is necessary. Some of you developed your passion for video games at a young age, and you vividly remember struggling with parents who opposed your interest in video games, going as far as to ban them entirely or severely limit what you could play.

So naturally, you want to take a more relaxed approach with your children by giving them the freedom to play whatever they want whenever they want. But that attitude is dangerous and irresponsible.

Everything can harm you if you consume it without moderation. Stop being lazy. Understand that, as a parent, you must regulate your child’s activities regardless of how time- consuming that prospect might be.

Secondly, try to remember that your children are children and can’t regulate themselves. Don’t go ballistic simply because your child stayed up all night finishing a mission in a video game.

Obviously, they did a bad thing. But you should approach the situation with the understanding that your child does not know better. Expect them to be impulsive and immature. They will exaggerate the importance of everything that matters to them. That doesn’t make them stupid.

The objective is to keep your response measured. This element will also remind you of the importance of regulating your child’s time. Leave them to their own devices (the way you wish your parents had left you), and they will overindulge. This brings us to the most important aspect: curiosity.

Before you can control your child’s gaming sessions, you need to understand what they are doing and why it matters to them. I don’t care about sports. Do you know what I have done with soccer fanatics?

I’ve sat with them and listened to them wax poetic about their favourite sport. I have asked them questions about football. I have seen the excitement in their eyes, the way their bodies shudder when they gush about soccer moments that made their childhoods so magical.

Even though I don’t like the sport, I don’t have a dismissive attitude towards soccer because I now understand why people take it so seriously. I’m less likely to overreact if a friend cancels plans at the last minute because they want to watch a soccer match. A child requires the same consideration.

Put yourself in their shoes. Watch them play video games. See the excitement the activity pulls out of them. Observe the anguish they experience when they lose, the outpouring of joy that follows a victory.

Better yet, play with them. Once you know why your child thinks the way they think, what video games mean to them, you will be better equipped to moderate the activity. Also, your child is more likely to play along with regards to creating a schedule that restricts their gaming time if you show an interest in their world. It tells them that your rules are based on reality.

Too many parents base their understanding of the dangers of their child’s interests on stories and rumours from other parents, most of which are exaggerated because those other parents are equally ignorant.

Actively participating in your child’s gaming sessions tells them that your rules and regulations are fair, which, in turn, limits the opposition you will get. Regardless of your approach, moderation and regulation are important.

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