For Treatment Providers

Information is provided below for treatment providers and behavior health professions which includes recommended screen time guidelines and video gaming addiction, and how to obtain RGANM resources for your office.

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Screen Time Guidelines

Children today are surrounded by video games, tablets and cell phones, television, and other digital devices. The American Academy of Pediatricians says that any benefit of media for children under two years is very limited, and there is evidence excessive digital media use can be harmful to a child under two.

From two to five years of age, just 30 minutes or less of screen time should be allowed, and then with a parent who can reteach the content. From age five to 12, 30 minutes is still the recommended maximum screen time, as children should be engaged in activities that encourage physical, emotional and educational development. Over the age of 12, two hours is the maximum; some studies suggest that four hours or more per day causes harm to the child’s developing brain.

Helpful Links:

Printable Screen Time Guideline Chart: https://www.eyepromise.com/blog/screen-time-chart/

World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2019-to-grow-up-healthy-children-need-to-sit-less-and-play-more

American Academy of Pediatrics:

https://healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Healthy-Digital-Media-Use-Habits-for-Babies-Toddlers-Preschoolers.aspx

Guide to Screen Addictions and Responsible Digital Use:

https://www.comparethemarket.com/broadband/content/screen-usage-guide/

Screen Time Guidelines:

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/screentime-preschool.html

Video Gaming Addiction

The following is a summary of information provided by Cam Adair, who describes himself as a video game addict for more than a decade. He founded www.gamequitters.com to provide help to others; it serves 75,000 members monthly from 95 countries. Please visit his site for additional information.

Video game addiction, recognized by the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization, is characterized by impaired control over gaming, having gaming take precedence over other activities, and a continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

A gaming disorder test is available here. http://www.do-i-play-too-much-videogames.com/

Male adolescents are most at risk for video game addiction. Thirty hours a week spent video gaming should be considered a red flag; 70 hours a week or more indicates a likely problem. Games use behavioral psychology to keep players immersed; the hyper-stimulation provides a release of dopamine, the pleasure-inducing chemical neurotransmitter that plays a part in addictions.

Adair cautions about so-called educational games marketed for children. He encourages parents to monitor the game, looking for situations where not spending money in the game play is considered wrong or shameful, or that include manipulative advertising targeted to kids within the game. Games with loot boxes, in which the contents of the surprise box are not revealed until after the player’s purchase, are psychologically similar to gambling.

If you have allowed your child to purchase loot boxes or allow micro-transactions within the games, be sure to set spending notifications so there are no surprises on credit card statements.

GameQuitters.com offers a masterclass for treatment providers, https://gamequitters.com/masterclass/, a training guide for parents and family members https://gamequitters.com/reclaim/, and a guide for gamers. https://gamequitters.com/respawn/

Online Gamers Anonymous, https://www.olganon.org/home, also offers online support groups and assistance. Game Quitters offers Facebook pages for youth: https://www.facebook.com/GameQuitters/ and a group that parents can join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/234660037000181/

More Helpful Links

World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/features/qa/gaming-disorder/en/

American Psychiatric Association: https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/internet-gaming

American Academy of Pediatrics: https://www.aap.org/en-us/advocacy-and-policy/aap-health-initiatives/Pages/Media-and-Children.aspx

Materials for Your Office

The Responsible Gaming Association of New Mexico offers materials that may be of interest to behavioral health providers related to the prevention and treatment of problem gambling.

Materials include small posters for display, wallet cards with online and 24/7 telephone helpline, and brochures relevant to young people, seniors, and everyone who engages in gambling activities. For information on ordering materials, please email president@rganm.org.

Some of our video materials may also be helpful. They can be found on our home page video player.

We also encourage treatment providers to access the National Council on Problem Gambling and their helpful screening tools. https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/screening-tools/