Internet Gaming Disorder

Did you know that video game addiction is a real thing? Its official name is Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) according to the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases. The definition is an online gamer who plays compulsively to the exclusion of other interests, including school and family life. Sound familiar?

Parents are coming to terms with this disorder as they watch their healthy teens become anti-social and reclusive. Kids diagnosed with IGD play video games until the wee hours of the morning and they’re exhausted when it’s time to get up and go to school. Parents complain that their teens are falling asleep on the way to school and need naps when they get home.

I’ve recommended that these parents turn off the internet for the entire house when they go to bed and keep it off until they leave for work and school in the morning. IGD kids will still try to find ways to get online; some will hack back into their internet and others will sneak out of the house to play wherever they can get online.

One of my clients, a college student, missed his midterm exam because he was gaming until 4:00 AM and didn’t hear the 3 alarms that he had set for the morning. This was just the tip of the iceberg. He didn’t go to classes, didn’t write his papers, and didn’t show up for his final exams. His parents had no idea until they saw his transcript: all F’s and W’s (withdrawals).

In China, so many teens are addicted to video games that they’ve imposed a curfew on minors. Gamers are not allowed to play online games between 10:00 PM and 8:00 AM. On school days, minors can only play 90 minutes per day; and on weekends, they can play up to 3 hours per day. China has also placed restrictions on the amount of money minors can transfer to their online gaming accounts. Kids 16 years and younger can only transfer $29 per month, and 17-18 year olds can transfer $57 per month.

While men are more susceptible to gaming addiction, all kids can become victims. Gaming companies design games with the intent of luring kids in and getting them to play without concern about homework, family, or friends. It’s up to parents to set up rules and guidelines for their families to prevent their kids from becoming addicted to video games.

[Source]