It’s common to see a kid playing on a tab, phone, console, desktop, or any other platform available out there. Although gaming isn’t that bad, a lot of children pull an all nighter just to play the games that they love. That fact alone is alarming and needs action by their parents immediately.
Although console and mobile gaming are taking the world by storm, there’s no denying that the two most heavily played games nowadays are Dota 2 or simply Dota and League of Legends. On average, the most common ages who play Dota are around 15-20 or older, while LoL averages players aged from 10-20.
Even if people think that a ten-year-old is mature enough to know of the repercussions of late night gaming, it’s still not an enough reason to allow kids to play excessively on long hours. There are even reports that children as young as six or seven years old spend quite a significant amount of time gaming.
Another issue that’s causing a lot of concern is the time that they spend in playing these games. The average player spends 4-6.5 hours of gaming per week. Although 6.5 hours of gaming may not sound much to an adult, the fact that these are kids playing 4-6 hours per day during past midnight and into the wee hours of the morning while having school, later on, is terrible on their health.
What’s in these games that kids want to stay up all night?
Plain and straightforward, these games quench the thirst of such curious minds. They stay up all night just to have a better understanding of what’s around them. Everything in the world is evolving, not just people, but so do the games they play. Gone are the days where single player modes eat up a few hours. Today, Online games with multiplayer capabilities devour significant chunks of time every day.
Games aren’t the reason sometimes
“It’s just a game.” A typical sentence that most kids hear when their parents want them to stop. However, for such young minds, the chance to mingle with other children from around the world is too much of an opportunity to pass up just because of sleep. I have personally heard of stories about kids who learn different languages because of their interactions with English-speaking players from other countries.
Although the intentions are noble, some of these games have toxic communities that aren’t safe for your children. Remember, just about anyone can register an online id and start playing immediately. The dangers of letting your child roam these toxic communities range from bullying, and worse, kidnapping. Don’t let your child be a victim.
Loss of Sleep and the Dangers that come with it
Dying from exhaustion is a real thing, and there have been stories to back that claim up. Ever heard of the man who died because of gaming? The story may sound far-fetched but here are the grisly details according to CNN:
A 32-year-old man was found dead in an Internet cafe in Taiwan after a marathon three-day gaming binge, the island’s second death of an online gamer this year.
Even though the body and the physiology of a 32-year-old man and a child are very different, it’s enough reason to curb your kid’s behavior when playing excessively for long hours. Early childhood is where your sons and daughters are developing and molding their bodies physically. Adding the pressure and extended hours of gaming to that development will not help at all.
Instead of developing into a healthy adult, children will instead develop bad posture, poor eyesight, muscle and joint problems, and even in some cases, weak immunity due to lack of sleep. These issues are problematic and can significantly affect the outcome of the well-being of your children if left unchecked.
Takeaway
Gaming itself isn’t an evil thing that you should warn your kids to stay away. The only problem that comes with gaming is how children as young as 6 to 7 years old spend long hours each day.
Kids should know from their parents about the harm and danger that these unhealthy habits bring. It’s always a good idea to break the cycle and let them enjoy the outdoors. Gaming isn’t a bad thing, in fact, gaming is good. It teaches us to be more attentive to detail, increased hand-eye coordination, etc.
However, too much of a good thing can be harmful, and the loss of sleep that results from these can ultimately leave our children stunted. Try lying on top of soft mattresses for a while and just enjoy a good night sleep.
