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Online videogames today use tactics similar to casinos and gambling games, and this can have lasting, damaging effects on your child’s mental health. Monitor your child’s gaming habits and your cards linked to gaming sites they use: they may be spending compulsively on virtual currency.
TODAY’S TOPIC
Online Games and Gambling: How the Industry Preys on Kids
While scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, you might notice that you frequently get ads about games on your phone. From Candy Crush to Pokemon Go, games you play on your phone have all kinds of alluring features to draw players in. Many games include features like virtual currency, which you can earn through the game or pay for with real money; however, in many cases, the quickest way to get the rewards you want is to link your debit or credit card and indulge yourself with a small two-dollar purchase of a virtual treasure chest. For many kids, these small purchases, or microtransactions, can add up as new skins, new Pokemon, or new levels appear. Like blinking, flashing slot machines, these games are built to charm us into spending a little bit each day, and for kids, the danger behind these tantalizing trifles is not always clear.
The National Institute of Health conducted a study in 2022 which found that videogames with virtual currencies and microtransactions can cause Internet gaming addiction (IGD), which can affect children’s behavior and mental health. “Loot Boxes,” which reward players who buy or discover them with random prizes, resemble slot-machines, and trigger the same addictive sensation of slot-machines. Using virtual currency, kids can easily lose track of how much they are spending for virtual rewards, and the videogame industry is counting on them to do so. For instance, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has even issued an advisory on videogame companies’ strategies to target kids. It can be exceptionally challenging for parents to get kids to stop playing these games once they’ve bought in, with kids displaying aggressive or depressive behaviors because of the games.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
As a parent, it can be difficult to contend with the alluring force of today’s videogames. If kids aren’t playing videogames at home, they are certainly hearing about it at school, and the pressure to participate can be as powerful as the enticing nature of the games themselves. If you play videogames yourself, you may understand how enthralling they can be. Below are some tips for keeping your kids from falling into the traps of online gaming:
Beware of Constant Gaming: If you notice that your child spends most of their free time gaming, monitor their behavior. Do they seem aggressive or anxious when asked to redirect their attention? Do they show signs of hiding how much they are playing? These behaviors may indicate that your child is struggling to regulate their attention around the game, which may be an early sign of gaming addiction.
Monitor Purchases on Your Debit and Credit Cards: If you notice small transactions from vendors you don’t recognize, it may be that your child is using your card or an account associated with your card to buy rewards and/or virtual currency in a game. After making one purchase of virtual currency, your child may soon lose track of how much they are actually spending, especially when the game starts to feel all-consuming.
Play Games that Don’t Have or Allow Microtransactions: There are ways to enjoy videogames without having to pay extra. If your child plays a game with microtransactions, check to see if there are settings available to turn them off, as some games include this feature in their design. There are also plenty of classic games that can be fun for kids and for the whole family, which don’t require in-game purchases.
Encourage Positive Social Engagement: Clubs, sports, and other extracurriculars are great settings for kids to unplug from games and build real relationships with their peers, especially if the extracurricular takes them outside! It’s also important to model the way here: make time to go to the park or get outdoors with your child.
Keep Active: Getting exercise causes the brain to produce dopamine, a chemical which the gaming industry is eager to hijack. Making time to exercise can heighten your child’s resilience to the gaming industry’s addicting tactics.
