Video Games Should Be Kept in Moderation to Avoid Ruining a Child's Attention Span

I have a photograph of my then-newborn son and husband. In this photograph they are posed in front of my husband's Playstation 3. My son is asleep in his little chair that vibrated but a controller is right beside him. My husband's eyes are glued to the screen. I enjoy this picture because even at that time, I knew playing video games would be a bonding experience between them.

We do not play violent games in our home. Although the evidence is mixed on if it creates violent children we do not find it worth the chance.

Certainly violent games can desensitize a child just as violent television shows can do the same. Does playing these games affect attention span? Research has shown this as a possible fact but the key seems to be in moderation. Stimulation activities can affect hand-eye coordination and help a child stay focused at the task at hand-winning the game. The problem results when children think and talk about video games too often, almost becoming obsessed. Like everything else in life, playing these activities is something best done in moderation.

In our home, we allow 30 minutes each day for games (sometimes online) and about an hour for the television. Our children are 5 and 6 years old. If their dad wants to play longer than 30 minutes he does so after the children are asleep. Now that LOST is off the air, I literally watch no television. I prefer my time on YouTube and the Internet Archive enjoying blasts from the past of my favorite television shows. Sometimes, I will allow my children to join me in watching some of these older cartoons and programs without counting it against their television allowance..

I am of the belief that too much television and too many video games at such a young age destroys a child's creativity and chance to learn about real life. As I learned while achieving my psychology degree, the best time for a child to learn is during preschool and elementary years. The best way to teach a child is to make what they are doing meaningful. A child spending too much time in a false world (whether television or fantasy activities like gaming) is going to miss out on learning about the real world. Learning about the world through actual play, not electronics is a child's job.