Children love to play video games but how long should they be playing them? When they spend far too much time playing games and other hobbies/pastimes and even homework starts to take a backseat then problems can occur. So if your child plays computer games for hours and hours every day, should you intervene?

Few would argue that too much time spent playing online games is counter-productive to a child’s healthy growth and development. However the subject of online gaming in general for children has been fertile ground for debate for a long time now and it is still a recurring theme discussed by parents at the esafety forum ‘quib.ly’ to boot.

Too much time online can cause your child to develop an increasing desire for instant entertainment. The problem here is that it decreases their attention span and hurts their listening skills.

You need to keep a careful eye on how the continual playing of computer games is affecting your child. Are they playing the games rather than socializing with friends or family members? Do they ignore the other toys/games that they have? Do they throw tantrums if not allowed to play computer games?

If your child is showing any of these signs then action has to be taken, but what is the best course of action to take?

Firstly you need some accurate information before confronting your child about the amount of time they are playing computer games. Keep a video game log to help you keep track of just how many hours your child is playing computer games. This can help you find out if your child is playing computer games more often when they are bored, sad or depressed. It could well be that they are unhappy with other areas of their life and want to escape from the real world. Once you have some actual data, any argument over the amount of time spent on gaming is eliminated, and you can see if there is a problem, and to what degree.

Also keep an eye on what games your child is playing, if there’s one that causes your child to react poorly or have a negative attitude then you need to take steps to stop them playing that game or at least limit the time they play. You need to  put across the fact that playing is supposed to be fun not making you angry, upset or depressed.

Place a limitation on the amount of time your child plays computer games and encourage them to try out other activities especially more active ones. Simply banning your child from playing computer games won’t work, the task you have is to help your child find a balance between different activities. Yes, let them play their computer games for a while but also make sure they spend time participating in outdoor activities and physical activity.

Pulling the plug will only cause your child to go and play their games somewhere else where you can’t control them.

You need to show your child the problems that playing computer games for too long will cause.  Show them what that amount of time represents in other activities. With some thought, you can develop a list of activities and opportunities that can be achieved in the same amount of time spent gaming.

Computer games can help your child but as with everything there should be a limit to how long you actually play them. The possibility of addiction to these games is a serious issue so make sure you keep an eye on how long your child is play and take action when required.