Katrina Tweedie
I don’t want a nine-year-old playing games where he wins points for killing prostitutes
TECHNOLOGY addiction has been described as one of the biggest problems of our time.
Ask any parent with pre-pubescent sons – and it is mostly boys – who will be familiar with the game Fortnite, and I bet they agree.
At least one friend has banned her child, telling me: “He’s become a really angry wee boy, awful and aggressive, so cheeky. Most parents I know are beside themselves and see such a change in their kids.”
An over-reaction? I don’t think so. The World Health Organisation have now categorised games addiction as a true disorder, especially if it interferes with family life and education.
But like opening Pandora’s box, once children are exposed to technology, it’s hard to take it off them – and nor should we.
Our children are learning beneficial skills – team work, problem solving, strategy and communication – but it has to be managed, with limits put in place to manage time on the XBox or iPad.
A new generation of games are seemingly beautiful and can teach us wonderful things about life. But is this really what our kids are actually playing? I’m still puzzled by parents who buy their youngsters hardcore, aggressive games like Call of Duty or Grand Theft Auto, which are not suitable for children.
I really don’t want my nine-yearold playing a game where he wins points for killing prostitutes, yet I’ve lost track of the times he’s returned from sleepovers having binged on these games.
Do I sound like a Victorian parent? I am, according to my kids. But maybe not to anyone facing a hysterical child forced to abandon an unfinished game because dinner is out or in tears that he’ll be bullied at school if he’s banned from Fortnite. I fear one of my teenagers is already a lost cause, with every spare moment at home spent online with Fifa. Now I’ve taken steps to manage my youngest son’s screen addiction by regularly “losing” the iPad while banning his XBox from our home. It is only allowed at his grandparent’s house, which probably explains his enthusiasm about visiting there as often as possible. Yet, as I compulsively check my Instagram or other social media, I’m being a hypocrite. We’ve all become technology addicts with little understanding of the long-term consequences. Maybe it’s time I forced the entire family to go cold turkey. Let me know if you’ve done this and whether it did the trick...