In recent times, video games have undergone tremendous evolution, becoming an elaborate realistic escape appealing to players across all age groups. At Venture Academy, we understand that the obsession with these games, the gratification of leveling up, and the mental stimulation of playing these games increases the trend of teen gaming addiction.
Is Your Teen Struggling with Gaming Addiction?
The following list comprises the six most common signs of addiction to gaming. If your teen is struggling, reach out for help today.
1. Inability to Control the Amount of Time Spent Gaming
Teens obsessed with gaming cannot control the amount of time they spend on their gaming gadgets. Although sometimes they try to stop playing, teens who have become chronic gamers immerse themselves in long gaming sessions due to process addiction.
Like individuals addicted to alcohol and drugs, serial gamers can find excuses to skip crucial activities to continue playing games.
2. Prioritizing Gaming over Other Activities
Teenagers who suffer from video game addiction value playing games more than everything else in life. Many of them develop constant behaviours of hiding and playing video games when they should be doing homework or studying.
You will often find such teens awake until the late hours of the night, struggling to build on their game characters. Other aspects of life, such as personal hygiene, do not interest those with gaming addiction.
3. Unmoved By the Negative Consequences of Gaming
Picture this – your teenage child has brought home their end-semester results, and you have noted that their academic performance has declined severely. However, what surprises you more is that your teen appears unmoved by their dismal performance. They no longer focus on their studies, only their gaming experience.
Be on the lookout if your teen’s relationship with other family members is deteriorating, as it can signal a gaming addiction.
4. Social Anxiety
Teens with video game addiction lose touch with reality because of the massive amount of time they spend playing on a screen. The connection to the game becomes a driving factor to a teen suffering from electronic addiction.
Such a teen starts avoiding social interaction because gaming confines you to a world where you do not need to socialize. As a result, social anxiety sets in because such teens feel out of place in any social gathering.
5. Low Self-Esteem
Different games offer a challenging environment where players struggle to win against virtual opponents. It gets more complicated when teens play against one another. The obsession with computer games and process addiction makes individuals strive to achieve victory. Those who continually lose will have low self-esteem, which negatively impacts social life.
6. Problems at School and Home
This is among the most common signs of gaming addiction. Teens obsessed with online games become absent in real life and tend to skip crucial schedules, such as attending school or performing their duties at home. Such teens continuously have problems with their loved ones since gaming prevents them from performing their duties.
Gaming Addiction Treatment
As a parent, you play a significant role in helping your child by contacting a rehab facility. Diagnosis occurs when teens display the symptoms discussed above for more than a year.
Fortunately, recovery is possible, and the right gaming addiction treatment center can offer a variety of useful programs, including:
- 30-day assessment and intervention
- Behavioural treatment
- Drug and alcohol treatment
- Electronic addiction treatment
- School programs and education
Contact Venture Academy Today
Help your child overcome gaming addiction by reaching out to Venture Academy today. Our experts will first analyze the condition before creating a customized treatment plan. Contact Venture Academy at 866.762.2211 to get started today.
