POF23: Addicted To Gaming?

Are you thinking of giving your kids a new gaming system for the Holidays?  Are you worried they play too much on the system you already have?  Is it hard to get them to disconnect from gaming? Do you worry they might be, or might become, addicted? In this episode, I speak with “Digital Life Skills for Youth” author, Angela Crocker about the subject of gaming addiction.  Learn the signs and the solutions on this important topic.   About Angela Crocker Angela Crocker has been called the Ann Landers of digital living, making sense of online life for thousands of digital citizens. Her expertise includes education technology, digital parenting, online communities, digital decluttering, content planning, and more. Angela works as an author, speaker and educator to help individuals, schools, and businesses navigate the digital life. She is the author of six books including Digital Life Skills for Youth, Declutter Your Data and The Content Planner. To learn more about the book featured on this episode, go to: https://angelacrocker.com/digital_life_skills_for_youth/ Web: https://angelacrocker.com/digital_life_skills_for_youth/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelaCrockerAuthor/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angelacrocker/ Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelacrocker/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/AngelaCrocker Email: [email protected]   From the Podcast: If you are worried your child is addicted to gaming, look for the following signs.  Alone, these changes may not indicate a problem but in combination, this might suggest your child is having a problem: Changes in personal hygiene – stop bathing, brushing teeth or caring about body odor and appearance Sleep patterns – trouble falling asleep or staying asleep Self-care – stop journaling, team sports, or other relaxing and recharging activities they used to enjoy Socialization – withdrawing from their social circle Change in personality – from cheerful to moody, angry or aggressive (for example) High-risk behaviors – smoking, vaping, drugs, and/or sex Abrupt mood changes – and abrupt change from calm to rage over a seemingly insignificant or unrelated thing – like a social media post Overplanning – indicates your child might be trying to regain some control by over planning simple, straightforward tasks Avoidance – of certain tasks, people, activities and/or places Where to reach out for help: United States: Text HOME to 741741 www.crisistextline.org United Kingdom: Text SHOUT to 85258 www.giveusashout.org Canada (English): Text CONNECT to 686868 kidshelpphone.ca/text Canada (French): Text PARELEZ to 686868 jeunessejecoute.ca/texto   Thanks for listening! It means so much to me that you listened to my podcast! If you would like to continue the conversation with me, head on over to www.facebook.com/parenting4connection  With this podcast, my intention is to build a community of parents that can have open and honest conversations about parenting without judgement or criticism.  We have too much of that!  I honour each parent and their path towards becoming the best parent they can be.  My hope is to inspire more parents to consider the practice of Peaceful Parenting. If you know somebody who...