Studies have shown that video games and other addictions, such as alcohol
and nicotine, affect neural pathways in similar ways: They all lead to
an increase in dopamine levels in specific pleasure centers of the brain.
While drugs increase dopamine levels far more than video games, gaming
can have a similar deleterious effect of “taking over” a person’s life.
One of the key ways that gaming addiction differs from other addictions
is that it goes unnoticed or accepted for far longer. We will sometimes
even push our kids to play video games as a way to keep them safe and
quiet, but what we don’t realize is that we might be perpetuating
an addiction.
When parents bring up the social isolation problem with kids, they’ll
often say, “I have friends. They’re online, and I play with
them.” But if they’re only getting engaged socially online
that reinforces that they don’t need to go out into the community.
A lot of kids only find pleasure in these video games, and that addiction
leads towards depression, impairment, sleep disturbances, energy loss,
focus issues and a loss of pleasure in different aspects of their lives.
If you see these things, those are red flags.
Also, if they play for hours without taking a break, without eating, if
you notice weight loss, it’s time to take the video games away.
Another big red flag is if kids become violent or threaten suicide if you
try to limit their play. We’ve seen this happen, and parents had
to seek psychiatric hospitalization.
“Gaming disorder” isn’t limited to teens – adults
and very young children are susceptible, too. When we recently presented
in front of a local school district, it was the elementary school principals
who were most interested because they are seeing skyrocketing rates of
depression and anxiety as a direct result of device use and video game
addiction.
We all know of toddlers who can use an iPad better than their parents.
The human brain isn’t fully developed until the age of 24, so the
younger these kids start with devices, the more issues they are likely to have.
If you think of brain development as going down an assembly line, video
games, social media, and any excessive screen time all interfere with
that assembly line and can change the circuitry.
I should add that video games are not the only culprit. Studies are now
revealing that more than 30 minutes of social media use per day in teens
leads to increased rates of depression and anxiety. Social media use should
be restricted until high school and parents should have full access and
passwords to their children’s social media accounts until they are 18.
To help children understand what is happening and why, mental health professionals
can serve as neutral third parties to provide unbiased, non-judgmental
information about how excessive video game use and screen time directly
impacts brain development.
The most effective treatment, of course, is prevention. Institute limits
on device use. Academics, social interactions and physical activity should
be prioritized and only then should video games be allowed. Every family
will have their own rules, but most kids should not be playing more than
1 to 2 hours per day, preferably less than 1 hour per day.
If limits are difficult to maintain, there are apps that parents can buy
that setup timers on devices. The device will simply shut down when the
timer goes off. With these hard, cold boundaries, there is no arguing
with mom or dad.
As a psychiatrist who also treats adults, I occasionally have to gently
confront parents who may be addicted to their devices as well. If a child
reveals that mom or dad are on their laptops or devices at all hours,
even at dinner, I’ll step aside and speak to the parent one-on-one.
Like I said, gaming and device addiction doesn’t just affect teens.
Sina Safahieh is medical director, ASPIRE program (After-School Program Interventions
and Resiliency Education), Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute,
Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian, Newport Beach, CA.