They can confuse reality with fantasy and show symptoms of aggressiveness.

Last Friday, an 11-year-old boy killed his teacher with a gunshot, wounded six of his classmates and then killed himself in a school in Mexico. The official explanation was that the child, who lived only with his grandmother, acted in that way influenced by his addiction to video games.

This is a warning and alert sign to parents to be aware of what their children see and play on their computers. Psychotherapist Antonella Galli explains that excessive consumption of video games with high violent content can cause aggressive behavior in children, as well as the increase in their anxiety and depression.

Causes

Ms. Galli explains that children who enter this world of online games are mostly shy, they are calm, but they have trouble interacting with others. “They feel forgotten because they are left home alone all day without the presence of their parents”, he adds.

Prevention

One way to prevent these addictions in children is that parents verify what type of video games they have at home, control that they are not violent, aggressive images and instead choose dynamic, interactive games according to their age. “In addition, children should not be left home alone, for so long. Remember that you are forming human beings and their development depends on you”, the expert warned.

Lic. Antonella Galli
Psychologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma