Gaming is an attractive and exciting pastime for children, but it is harmful to children since it poses dangers of addiction, low academic performance and lifestyle disease. Contemporary society is replete with multifarious activities that children can engage in during leisure. To parents, gaming is important because it preoccupies the minds of children, and keeps them away from trouble. It is common, therefore, for parents to buy various types of games for their children to play. In fact, other toys are losing relevance, as young children embrace more exciting activities. However, it is crucial for parents to critically analyze and review the significance of these games in the lives of their children, vis-à-vis other recreational activities like sports.
To begin with, video games and other types of games played by children are addictive and harmful to children. Young people can become so dependent that they cannot resist the allure of games. The problem with addiction is that it dominates the mind and negates other useful activities. Children addicted to gaming lose interest in personal responsibilities like hygiene. They are also less willing to help their parents with household chores, owing to the compulsive behavior. Eventually, they become robot-like, with their minds being preoccupied by the games they are attracted to.
Closely related to addiction is poor academic performance - another harmful effect of gaming. This activity takes away the time the child should spend in study. Many children prefer to play instead of doing their homework. Some even hide favorite games, and play while in bed. It is also common to find games in children's bags in school. In addition, such children lose focus during lessons as they think about their favorite games. They cannot wait for the day to end, for them to rush elsewhere and continue with the activity. In the midst of all this, the child's performance suffers.
Finally, since children play games indoors, they remain in a sedentary state most of the time, thus becoming vulnerable to lifestyle complications like obesity and diabetes. The body lacks exercise, compared to a child involved in physical sports outside the house. Moreover, such children tend to eat a lot of junk food, thus aggravating illnesses such as hypertension. Lack of clean air inside the house and the neglect of fresh foods such as fruits and vegetables, also contribute to the lateral expansion of the body. In essence, gaming is exciting, but its harmful effects far outweigh its benefits to children.
No comments:
Post a Comment