Teenage Video Game Addiction
- Dr Shungu Hilda M’gadzah
- 2 hours ago
- 3 min read
We often worry about how many hours our teenagers spend gaming.
We count the time. We argue about screens. We remove devices.
But what if we’re asking the wrong question?
In my work with young people and families, I’ve learned that gaming is rarely just about entertainment or defiance. Sometimes, it’s about regulation. Sometimes, it’s about survival. And sometimes, it’s about grief, loneliness, or emotional pain that a young person doesn’t yet have the words to name.
This article - and accompanying podcast - explores what the science is really telling us about intensive gaming. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and long-term research, it invites parents to move beyond blame and fear, and instead become curious about why gaming has become so important to their child.
Because when we stop asking “How long are they playing?”
and start asking “What is this game giving them that real life isn’t?”
we begin to open the door to connection, compassion, and real support.
If your teen is gaming for hours, it’s easy to assume laziness, addiction, or defiance.
But what if gaming isn’t the problem - but the coping strategy?
In this episode, I explore five surprising truths about gaming addiction and what research tells us about grief, regulation, identity, and unmet emotional needs. This is not about shaming screens - it’s about understanding what young people are trying to survive.
Check out our related post
Through the Six Stages Framework Lens: When Fear Takes the Lead
When parents become frightened about their child’s gaming, they are rarely reacting to the screen itself.
Watch the 6 minute YouTube video podcast
SSF page post
TikTok
#ParentingTeens, #TeenMentalHealth, #GamingAddiction, #InternetGamingDisorder, #Neurodevelopment, #AdolescentMentalHealth, #ParentSupport, #SENDAwareness, #TraumaInformedParenting, #EmotionalRegulation, #BoysMentalHealth, #DigitalWellbeing, #PsychologyOfParenting, #MentalHealthEducation, #BuildingBridgesOfEmpathy, #SixStagesFramework, #InclusionPsychologists
We often worry about how many hours our teenagers spend gaming.
We count the time. We argue about screens. We remove devices.
But what if we’re asking the wrong question?
In my work with young people and families, I’ve learned that gaming is rarely just about entertainment or defiance. Sometimes, it’s about regulation. Sometimes, it’s about survival. And sometimes, it’s about grief, loneliness, or emotional pain that a young person doesn’t yet have the words to name.
This article - and accompanying podcast - explores what the science is really telling us about intensive gaming. Drawing on neuroscience, psychology, and long-term research, it invites parents to move beyond blame and fear, and instead become curious about why gaming has become so important to their child.
Because when we stop asking “How long are they playing?”
and start asking “What is this game giving them that real life isn’t?”
we begin to open the door to connection, compassion, and real support.
If your teen is gaming for hours, it’s easy to assume laziness, addiction, or defiance.
But what if gaming isn’t the problem - but the coping strategy?
In this episode, I explore five surprising truths about gaming addiction and what research tells us about grief, regulation, identity, and unmet emotional needs. This is not about shaming screens - it’s about understanding what young people are trying to survive.
Watch the 6 minute YouTube video podcast
#ParentingTeens, #TeenMentalHealth, #GamingAddiction, #InternetGamingDisorder, #Neurodevelopment, #AdolescentMentalHealth, #ParentSupport, #SENDAwareness, #TraumaInformedParenting, #EmotionalRegulation, #BoysMentalHealth, #DigitalWellbeing, #PsychologyOfParenting, #MentalHealthEducation, #BuildingBridgesOfEmpathy, #SixStagesFramework, #InclusionPsychologists
Comments