Video Games & Their Effects on Family Time

Kids and video games go together like macaroni and cheese. Should you feel guilty allowing your child to indulge in his video game passion? What about family time? Recent research has shown that kids aren't gaming as much as you might think, and for those who do tend to over-indulge, there are actions parents can take to ensure that time spent gaming doesn't mean time away from the family.

  1. Time Spent Gaming

    • There's no argument that video games can be time-consuming, drawing children into intricate quests to find "jiggies" or bringing them back again and again to harvest virtual crops before they rot. However, in a Kaiser Family Foundation study published in 2010, experts found that children age 8 to 18 spent more time daily watching television or listening to music than they did actively gaming. Gaming was most prevalent among 11- to 14-year-olds, who spent a little less than 90 minutes daily. Children under age 11 spent about an hour.

    Effects on Family Time

    • When a child is involved in playing an isolated video game, his attention is diverted away from interacting with the rest of the family. He might give distracted yes or no answers to questions, have trouble moving his attention from the screen to make eye contact or ignore family members all together. There may be delays in getting him to the dinner table or into the bath while he finds a "save" point to end the game without losing his progress.

    Options for Parents

    • For families who typically only have two or three hours of family time a day, 60 to 90 minutes encompasses a large chunk. For these families, the time their children spend isolated with a controller, cell phone or hand-held game has a definite impact. These parents have several options: accept the time away from their children, impose stricter limits that shave time off game-playing or incorporate video games into the nightly family time routine, and learn how to play.

    Multi-player Game Solutions

    • Several publishers have released E-rated multi-player titles, meaning they're appropriate for all ages, and more than one person can play at a time. Hasbro Family Game Night, Skylander's Giants, Mario Kart or the New Super Mario Bros. are available across most platforms, and all allow two to four players to participate at the same time. For families whose together-time is suffering because of their child's passion for gaming, this may be a viable option.

    2. Previous:

    Next:

    • How Is Facebook Bad for Kids' Efficiency?
      According to 2012 survey results from the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 77 percent of teens who go online regularly use Facebook. While your child is busy posting, messaging and "liking" photos and comments, you may begin to wonde
    • What Is Normal Misbehavior in Children?
      A kid wouldnt be a kid if he didnt get into a little mischief occasionally. Nudging at your patience by acting out often comes with your childs pursuit of independence. The difference between normal and abnormal misbehavior isnt always black and whit
    • Do Older Siblings Influence Younger Siblings in Bad Behavior?
      Older siblings are influential in shaping their younger siblings behavior. Some parents forget to factor the role played by older children in the behavioral development of younger siblings into their parenting strategies. Such parents concentrate on