Blog
Battling Video Gaming Addiction: The Vitality of Seeking Professional Help and Support Systems
The evolution of technology has gifted us with numerous innovative forms of entertainment, and one such medium that has gained immense popularity is video gaming. While gaming can be a source of fun, relaxation, and even social connection, it can also become a...
The Importance of Parenting with Structure, Rules, and Boundaries
When I am speaking with families who are struggling with a video gaming or screen addicted child, at times, I find a parent who has difficulty implementing rules and following through with consequences. These parents tell me that they don’t want to damage what appears...
Should the Government or Parents Control Children’s Online Access ?
As a screen addiction coach, I am deeply concerned about the impact that social media can have on children. In recent years, there has been growing evidence that social media companies are using children's personal information to target them with advertisements, which...
The Denial of Video Gaming Addiction
Your child is losing weight or perhaps they are gaining weight. They may be failing out or not even attending school. Your child spends hours up at night yelling and screaming at their screen, frustrated with the game that’s not going their way. Or they’re laughing...
How Can Fitness Help my Gaming Addicted Child?
I’m not a gym person. I don’t like working out. I don’t have time for fitness. I don’t know what to do with all those weight machines. I’d rather play video games. These are the types of responses I often hear from my clients, my video gaming disordered teenagers and...
Screen-Free Holidays Gift Ideas for Kids
The holiday season is upon us, and many parents are looking for children’s gifts that can create more time offline, and perhaps even provide more family time. Many children may have only known screen time games and social media as their main source of entertainment....
The ADHD Brain and The Addicted Gamer – Is there a link?
As a family coach, I would say that about 90% of my Disordered (Addicted) Gamers I work with also have Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). The primary characteristics of someone with ADHD are inattention, impulsivity, and for some, hyperactivity. Often...
Why an Unruly, Belligerent, and Addicted Child Needs Empathy and Kindness the Most
When a child is addicted to video games, they can become a different person - one a parent no longer recognizes. They may stop grooming, eat poorly, often while alone in their room, spend their nights in front of their screen, and sleep all day. They may become...
The Thin Line Between Passion and Addiction in Video Gaming
I started playing video games at age seven. Since then, I have accumulated over 20,000 hours of gaming for over 20 years. My Gaming journey has started due to my love of Pokémon. The Pokémon games fulfilled the needs of my competitive nature. At age ten, I fell in...
Having Meals Together as a Family; Why is it Essential?
Do you struggle to get your gamer child to stop playing video games long enough to come to the table to have meals with you? Does your gamer eat as fast as possible with you, only to immediately dash back to their video game and online friends? Does your gamer insist...
Here’s What my Son Had to Say About His Video Gaming Addiction & Recovery
Instead of a lengthy blog, this month, on my thoughts on gaming addiction, I have decided to provide a recent interview my son Jake, gave for a talk for "Mondays on The Couch". This is a discussion format within the Bosch Alumni Network which takes place one Monday...
Why Is My Child Still Playing the Same Video Game Over and Over?
In my work with Gaming Addiction, I often hear parents struggling to understand how their child can continue to play video games in a repetitive manner and not ever get tired of the game. It seems ridiculous that they spend hours upon hours sitting in front of a...