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Internet gaming disorder: Is it a ‘real’ diagnosis?
Author(s) -
Walters Anne
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the brown university child and adolescent behavior letter
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1556-7575
pISSN - 1058-1073
DOI - 10.1002/cbl.30410
Subject(s) - worry , mood , conversation , psychology , independence (probability theory) , the internet , compliance (psychology) , social media , internet privacy , social psychology , psychiatry , computer science , anxiety , world wide web , communication , statistics , mathematics
Several recent CABL articles have discussed the use of digital media (see “Talking with teens and families about digital media use,” CABL , March 2019) and gaming (“‘Just one more turn!’ Why kids love video games and why adults worry about them,” CABL , September 2018) in children and adolescents, with conclusions focused on the importance of monitoring and conversation with youth and families about screen use. Working with 7–12‐year‐old children in a partial hospital program, the conversations about screens of all types are ubiquitous, but videogaming has increasingly been a topic of concern to parents. One 12‐year‐old boy I worked with recently could identify his gaming as a significant issue for him — both in terms of effect on mood as well as his relationship with his parents. Even with his insight, restrictions on gaming were ineffective over time, as he was simply unable to moderate his usage. When the team and his family made the decision that the games had to be removed, he became depressed and, ultimately, suicidal. This is an extreme example, but struggles over gaming are increasingly common in families, and often the field upon which many battles about compliance and independence are fought.