Screenaddiction is now causing divorces. We need to log-off more before it’s too late for us all
might not be surprised to hear that I’ve never played the video game Fortnite, the latest on-screen craze which is often in the news for all the wrong reasons.
It has been blamed for all sorts of things, from kids missing school to violent outbursts and now, it seems, divorce.
I read this week that the game has been cited in 200 break-ups this year in the UK alone.
The addiction to screens, whether it be gaming, social media or pornography is a different kind of dependence.
We’ve all got friends who are constantly on phones and screens. You see young people in particular and you think, ‘Put it away. You don’t need it’.
If you were living with someone who is constantly on a screen, it would become incredibly annoying.
I can also see that with Fortnite becoming so popular it could be being blamed for all sorts of things, where it might not be one particular game that is the issue, but more of a wider problem with gaming and screen time. Either way, it’s certainly a worry for the next generation. In my line of work, the whole screen
thing concerns me in terms of kids spending more time indoors and sitting down and the only thing that’s getting any exercise is their thumbs. It’s one thing to get kids engaged and enjoying physical activity, but it’s another step to get them involved in and enjoying competitions. Nowadays, too many kids are learning to compete on screens where they win or lose in private. If you lose against a robot, it doesn’t hurt in the way that losing to another person standing right in front of you might.
It’s important for kids to learn to be able to bounce back when they have a defeat because that’s what life is going to throw at you later on.
If kids are only finding their competition on a screen, and not in a real-life situation on a court or a pitch, then how are they going to build those skills that help them deal with adversity?
As a sports coach this issue sets alarm bells ringing in me. But we should be worried as parents and grandparents too.