What are the negative impacts of children playing computer games and what can be done to minimize the bad effects?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own experience or knowledge.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Write at least 250 words.
Model Answers
People use computers more extensively these days than ever before, and it is so widespread in our modern world that even children have access to these devices for playing games or watching videos. This essay discusses the disadvantages of playing digital games on computer devices by youngsters and suggests some measures to reduce such negative effects.
Concerning the adverse impacts of young children
playing video games, the most devastating one is the addiction these
games create. Millions of dollar are spent to make computer games so
that they attract a large number of audience and keep them glued to the
computer screens. So they are addictive by design and this obsession
hampers children's outdoor activities, studies and even time to
socialise and learn important life skills. Many research works suggest
that children who spend many hours playing computer games end up
performing poorly in schools and avoid social events and outdoor
activities. This results in physical and psychological issues including
poor eyesight and despair. Moreover, violent games cloud the youngsters'
judgement and make their rational thinking unstable. Oftentimes,
youngsters who play violent games develop violent behaviours.
To
minimise the severity of these negative impacts, parents must monitor
what their children are doing, especially on computers. They should not
be allowed to play computer games more than a couple of hours each week
and parents can actively take part in those games with their children so
that it becomes family time. Children's outdoor activities should be
taken seriously and parents should take them out whenever possible.
Finally, parents can use parental control on the digital contents and
games their children watch or play. This would deter children from
downloading and playing games that are not suitable for their age.
To conclude, computer games, when played excessively by children, have
many detrimental effects. Proper parenting and monitoring seem like the
best solution to solve these problems.