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WE'LL HAVE YOUR LATEST FORECAST
ON 22 NEWS AT NOON.
PARENTS, IT'S HARD TO ACCEPT,
STAY.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS YOUR TEEN MAY
HAVE A REAL PROBLEM WITH
ADDICTION?
DR. ELAINE DUCHARME JOINS US TO
ADVICE.
THIS IS A REALLY GOOD TOPIC TO
COVER, VIDEO GAME ADDICTION.
I'M SURE MANY PARENTS WONDER IF
THEIR KIDS ARE ADDICTED TO VIDEO
GAMES.
MANY DEVELOP AN ADDICTION.
HOW MUCH TIME IS TOO MUCH?
FOR YOUNG KIDS, WE RECOMMEND
ONE HOUR OF COMPUTER TIME AND
ONE HOUR OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY.
THEY CAN GET STUCK.
TEENAGERS ARE SPENDING FOUR OR
FIVE EYES AT A TIME.
THEY GET BLEARY EYED.
THEY GO INTO COMAS.
THERE WAS A RECENT ARTICLE IN A
PAPER THAT A KID PASSED OUT
AFTER BEING ON THE COMPUTER AND
PLAYING VIDEO GALES FOR ABOUT
FOUR DAYS.
HIS MOM WASN'T SURE WHETHER HE'D
DAYS.
HE WOULD GET UP AND GO TO THE
BATHROOM OCCASIONALLY, GET A
SNACK, TOOK A SHOWER, WHICH IS
SOMETHING SOME KIDS WON'T DO.
WHEN THE KIDS ARE REALLY JUST
FOCUSING ON THE GAME AND REALLY
AVOIDING DOING ANY OTHER
ACTIVITIES, THAT'S WHEN YOU'VE
REALLY GOT A PROBLEM.
WHY ARE KIDS PLAYING FOR FOUR
OR FIVE DAYS?
ATTACHED?
THERE ARE A NUMBER OF HOOKS,
THE FIRST ONE IS THE HIGH SCORE.
YOU WANT TO GET A HIGH SCORE.
YOU'RE TRYING TO, MAYBE IT'S
BEATING YOUR OWN SCORE, BUT
YOU'RE ALWAYS TRYING TO GET UP
THERE AND DO BETTER EACH TIME.
OF COURSE.
EVEN WHEN I'VE PLAYED
SOMETHING AS SILLY AS BEJEWELED,
I SAY I CAN'T GO TO BED UNTIL I
HIT 100,000, MY DAUGHTER'S SCORE
IS HIGHER THAN MINE.
IT'S SILLY, THAT MIGHT TAKE ME
15 MINUTES.
HOURS.
THE OTHER IS BEATING THE GAME.
SOMETIMES THE GAME ITSELF SETS
TRAPS FOR YOU, GOALS FOR YOU TO
DO, OR YOU'RE PLAYING ACTUALLY
AGAINST A GAME OPPONENT AND
YOU'RE TRYING TO BEAT THEM.
IT'S ALWAYS ABOUT WINNING.
IN ROLE PLAYING, THAT'S SUCH AN
INTERESTING PIECE, BECAUSE KIDS
GET TO BE THOSE CHARACTERS.
IF A KID HAS SOME SOCIAL
DIFFICULTIES AND REALLY MAY NOT
FEEL ACCEPTED IN CERTAIN AREAS,
THEY GET TO BE THE SHOOTER.
THEY GET TO BE THE ONE WITH
POWER.
THEY GET TO BE THE ONE THAT
CONQUERS THE WORLD AND THEY
BECOME VERY MUCH AFFILIATED WITH
THAT CHARACTER, SO THEY WANT TO
STAY PLAYING THAT ROLE.
IT FEELS MORE COMFORTABLE THAN
ACTUALLY BEING OUT THERE WITH
THEIR FRIENDS.
THERE'S DISCOVERY, WHAT AM I
GOING TO DISCOVERY, I DISCOVER
NEW WORLDS AND GET TO OPEN THIS
DOOR AND GO TO A WHOLE PLACE AND
THAT IS EXCITING.
THE LAST IS RELATIONSHIPS.
KIDS ARE MEETING PEOPLE ON LINE
AND MEETING PEOPLE, SOMETIMES
IT'S THEIR FRIENDS, BUT THEY'RE
TALKING TO STRANGERS ALL OVER
THE WORLD AND IT BECOMES MAYBE
THEIR VIRTUAL WORLD SO THAT THEY
DON'T HAVE TO ACTUALLY HAVE
SOCIAL SKILLS.
THAT'S ONE OF THE ISSUES THAT
WE'RE SEEING IS KIDS WHO ARE
GETTING THIS INVOLVED IN VIDEO
GAMING IS THAT THEIR SOCIAL
SKILLS REALLY ARE DETERIORATING.
THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO MAKE
PHONE CALLS, THEY GET
UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT ON LINE, THEY
DON'T FEEL AS VULNERABLE AND IT
BECOMES REALLY THE WAY TO
CONNECT TO THE WORLD.
THAT CAN BE VERY DETRIMENTAL
TO SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT.
ABSOLUTELY.
IT IS A MAGICAL WORLD THEY
CAN ESCAPE INTO.
EXACTLY.
WHAT ARE SIGNS THAT PARENTS
CAN LOOK FOR?
THERE ARE SEVERAL THINGS.
WHEN A KID SEEMS TO BE REALLY
HAPPY ON LINE AND THE MINUTE
THEY'RE TOLD THEY HAVE TO GET
OFF LINE, THEY GET DEPRESSED,
ANGRY, THEY START GETTING
COMBATIVE, THAT'S OBVIOUSLY ONE
AREA OF CONCERN.
THE OTHER IS THAT THEY'RE
SPENDING MORE TIME WITH THEIR
CONTROL AND WITH THE MOUSE THAN
THEY ARE WITH REAL PEOPLE.
OK, THAT BECOMES A REAL ISSUE.
YOU KNOW, THE OTHER IS THAT WHEN
YOUR FRIENDS, IF YOU'RE TELLING
YOUR CHILD, YOU KNOW, THIS IS
TOO MUCH, YOU'RE SPENDING WAY
TOO MUCH TIME AT THE COMPUTER,
NEGLECTING SCHOOL, OTHER
ACTIVITIES, YOU ARE NOT SEEING
FRIENDS AND YOUR CHILD BECOMES
DEFENSIVE AND YOUR KID MAY KNOW
THEIR BECOMING DEFENSIVE AND FOR
THE CHILD, THAT'S A SIGN,
THEY'RE WONDERING MAYBE MOM OR
DAD'S RIGHT, BUT IF YOU SEE THAT
DEFENSIVENESS HAPPENING, YOU CAN
BE SURE THAT THERE'S PROBABLY A
PROBLEM.
IN THE END, THE LAST ONE IS THAT
IF YOUR CHILD IS TARTING TO NOT
SLEEP WELL, THEY'RE NOT EATING
PROPERLY, MISSING MEALS, THEY'RE
AVOIDING THINGS THEY SHOULD BE
DOING, THAT'S A SIGN THEY NEED
HELP AND YOU NEED TO BE
INTERVENING AND SETTING VERY
STRICT RULES ABOUT WE ARE GOING
TO BE DOING SOCIAL THINGS AND
TRYING TO INVOLVE THE FAMILY
DOING OTHER KINDS OF THINGS SO
YOU DEVELOP THOSE SOCIAL SKILLS
AND YOUR CHILD HAS A MUCH MORE
BALANCED LIFE.
THAT IS THE KEY, THE BALANCE IN
LIFE.
AS ALWAYS IN EVERYTHING.
PARENTS NEED TO KNOW THE
ADDICTION IS POSSIBLE.
THEY MAY THINK OF IT AS
HARMLESS, BUT THERE'S ARTICLES
OUT THERE THAT SHOWS THAT IT CAN
BE WAY TOO MUCH.
ABSOLUTELY.
ACTUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN A
KID IS PLAYING VIDEO GAMES FOR A
DOPAMINE.
IT'S LIKE BEING ADDICTED.
THE KID ISN'T SMOKING ANYTHING
OR TAKING ANYTHING, BUT THE
BRAIN IS RELEASING FEEL-GOOD
CHEMICALS AND THAT IS A VERY
DETECTIVE FEELING.
IT MAKES IT VERY HARD.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ADDICTION,
PATTERN.
THERE'S ACTUALLY SOME CHEMICAL
BRAIN CHANGES OCCURRING WHEN
SEVEN HOURS.
WE'RE SEEING SOME MAJOR CHANGES.
IT CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS.
ABSOLUTELY.
THERE IS ALWAYS HELP
AVAILABLE.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
YOU'RE WELCOME.
IT WAS GREAT TO HAVE YOU.
IF YOU THINK YOUR TEEN MAY HAVE
A VIDEO GAME ADDICTION, LOG ON
TO MYMASSAPPEAL.COM AND CLICK ON