As video games become more and more integrated into our lives, more and more teens are struggling with video game addiction. But why is it that some people can play video games in moderation while others play for hours on end, even forgetting to eat? The answer lies in how they were raised.
According to a study done by Çiğdem Geniş a and Sultan Ayaz-Alkaya, social anxiety is a major risk factor for video game addiction. Video games and other forms of online interaction take away a lot of the risk that in person social interactions have. Extreme social anxiety can cause someone to withdraw into the safety of a virtual environment where bullies from school can’t torment you and you can be whoever you want to be.
Another risk factor for video game addiction is having authoritarian or neglectful parents. Authoritarian parents tend to have strict standards for how their kids behave, and harsh punishments for when their children fail to hold up to their standards. This leads to a cold and uncaring attitude towards their children, which is associated with increased social anxiety. As you can see both risk factors play into one another.
Hopefully this study has given you some insight into why people fall into video game addiction. It is important for parents to be aware of how their parenting style can affect their children’s online activities.
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