VIOLENCE

dia and real-world violence are connected, research has shown the exposure to virtual violence may lead to an increase in aggressive thoughts, according to the American Psychological Association.

Experts say if children show signs of violence or even aggression, video playing should be monitored or stopped. Signs include cruelty to animals or bugs, inappropriate response to violence, or talk of a “hit list.”

“Those kids will also probably like horrible video games and talk to people about doing horrible things,” Darling said.

Adolescent psychologists say most teenagers are smart enough to know that beating up or shooting a virtual character is different than loading a real gun. Yet, there are those teens who are not mass shooters and still act out. In May, a football player at Norland High School in Miami lost his life when a friend shot him to death over an argument over a video game.

Video game addiction

As experts argued the validity of Trump’s attack on video games this week, for some parents, the concern about game playing is less about whether their child will become the next mass shooter, and more about how much time he or she spends in front of the Xbox.

The World Health Organization added “gaming disorder” to the 2018 version of its medical reference book, International Classification of Diseases. Treatment centers aimed at curing video game addiction have opened across the United States

Tony Sparber ran a camp this summer to break children of video game addiction. Parents forced their teens to attend the camp because they were not leaving the house, failing classes, giving up hobbies, and socializing only online, said Sparber, owner of Camp Poconos Trail in Pennsylvania. “They came in depressed and anxious,” Sparber said. “This is a serious situation.”

Sparber said excessive online gaming often masks a deeper problem, like depression. This summer he has 50 kids who are getting cognitive behavioral therapy to ween them off video gaming. His advice to parents: Ensure your child has social interactions outside the online world.

“You don‘t have to be mass murderer for video games to affect your life,” he said.