Joud Al-Amri Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Several studies have shown that video games can have a negative effect on children's intelligence and can lead to back, neck and eye pain, in addition to neurological defects. The studies noted that parents often believe that allowing their kids to play video games for a few hours will increase their intelligence when in fact video games, particularly ones containing violence, can often cause behavior problems in children. Umm Muhammad said her son is crazy about his gaming console and the long hours he spends playing games has made him oblivious to his surroundings. “It takes him at least half a minute to respond to me when I call him. Sometimes he just stares at me without saying anything,” said Umm Muhammad. Worried about his behavior, Umm Muhammad took her soon to a doctor. To her surprise, the doctor told her the long hours her son spent playing video games had resulted in serious neurological problems. Her son had lost the ability to concentrate on a single thing longer than a few minutes and the doctor said he could not rule out the possibility of further behavioral problems developing in the future. Another mother who spoke to the Saudi Gazette said her 14-year-old son, Faisal, had developed neurological problems because of games he played on his tablet computer. “My son sometimes gets the sensation of a sharp needle pricking him in his fingers and he is unable to move them. His eyes get very red and he often gets a headache. Nevertheless, he is addicted to his tablet and spends hours playing games on it.” Faisal's mother said it took a lot of convincing to get her son to see a psychiatrist for his gaming problem. Faisal was told to only play games for an hour once a week. “He complied with the doctor's instructions for a while and the symptoms started to disappear but he went back to his bad habits,” she said. Spending long hours playing video games can cause children to become forgetful and lethargic. Mona Jaber said she noticed that her young granddaughter loved to sit in the corner of the room and play games on her tablet computer. “She bursts in tears when someone takes the tablet away from her. She can sit there all day long playing games nonstop. It's unbelievable. She is no longer a little active girl – all she wants to do is sit by herself and play games.” In a recent published report, Dr. Elham Husni, professor of pediatrics at Ain Shams University in Cairo, said video games can cause a lot of medical problems in children. “Sitting for long hours playing these games or watching TV is not healthy at all and causes back pain and other problems. Some of them develop dangerous behavior patterns because of the violent games they play or violent movies they watch. Parents should watch their kids at all times and let them play for two hours only every day with a break every fifteen minutes.”
