BENGALURU : Children getting addicted to online games has been the talk of the town for some time now. But doctors have observed a rise in the severity ofthe cases. The age group too has come down from 20-25 to 8-16 years.The issue is more prevalent among boys compared to the girls, they say. “Most children believe that the virtual world is a reality and refrain from accepting the norms of the real world. Children below eight years believe that life is a game and not reality.
"Adolescents show aggressive behaviour when advised against it,” said Dr Naveen Jayaram of Sakra World Hospital, sharing details about a case where a 14-year-old boy played online games for 14 hours straight. He stopped going to school because he was performing poorly in studies and was teased by his peers. He took up gaming to escape the situation and is now under a psychiatrist’s care.
Critical cases are referred to SHUT (Service for Healthy Use Of Technology Clinic) in NIMHANS. “In 2015, we used to get very few patients but now the number has risen to about 10 in a week. The intensity of treatments has increased over the years,” said Dr Manoj Sharma of NIMHANS. He added that there are two types of children, those who refrain from admitting the issue and those who seek help. Started in 2014, SHUT is the first clinic in India for dealing with technology addiction. It attends to addictions to gaming, social media, YouTube, selfies and pornography.
Take care of your children
Reasons:
● Peer pressure
● Family issues
● Enjoy recognition from an online friend which they do not receive from people around them.
● Some find gaming relaxing and helps them concentrate better on studies
● Need for friends
Symptoms which indicate addiction:
● Spending more than four hours on the phone
● Aggressive when asked not to use the gadgets
● Sudden mood swings
● Not enjoying people’s company
Things to keep in mind:
● Time should be allotted for using the phone
● Even small indications should be treated immediately
● Family involvement in the child’s daily routine.