Experts Worried About Gaming Addiction After Teenager Shot Mom Over PUBG

Days after a 16-year-old boy, who was addicted to mobile games, shot and killed his mother allegedly for scolding him for his addiction to PUBG, experts on Saturday raised concerns about mental health issues related to the phone addiction.

Dr. Jyoti Kapoor, Senior Psychiatrist and Founder of Manasthali Services, said: “Mobile games not only hindered a child’s physical growth, but also kept him oblivious to the realities of the world.”

She pointed out that health issues such as weight gain, laziness, vision problems are on the rise due to the overuse of electronic devices and therefore affect the mental health of individuals as well.

“Games like PUBG, Clash of Clans, and Pokémon Go, among others, appeal to children with their daily progress in graphics and gestures, and they prioritize these games over other activities. health like weight gain, laziness, vision problem because of overuse of electronic devices.Not to mention it has also affected relationships because children are so lost in their mobile games that they no longer prefer to spend time with their family and loved ones,” said Dr. Kapoor.

The doctor further advised elders and parents to impart knowledge about the harmful effects of electronic games to their children and encourage them to participate in physical activities. Dr Kapoor said: “It is important that elders and parents pass on the knowledge of the harmful effects of these games to their children. They must be well aware of the negative impacts of addiction to these games.

Even if they play, there should be a time limit to prevent them from affecting their health. Encourage them to participate in other sports so they can find something else to do instead of sticking to these games. Another expert, Dr Shweta Sharma, a clinical psychologist and founder of the Mansa Global Mental Health Foundation, said that children and mobile phones have become dependent on each other, which has an impact on mental health. and physique of children.

“Nowadays, children and mobile phones have become dependent on each other, but the internet still has certain disadvantages for children’s physical and mental health,” Dr Sharma said. “Usually the type of games or video content on YouTube is mostly about aggression and therefore children are not able to channel it in a positive way,” the doctor said.

“Therefore, it leads to an outburst towards their parents, siblings or peers. The focus of these mobile games is an easy target,” she said. The doctor also pointed out: “Several video games highlight the advantages of driving at high speed, using firearms which have a negative effect on their mental health. Therefore, it is essential that we all pay attention to this what our kids watch and do on mobile phones.”

Dr. Sharma pointed out that it is bad practice for parents to engage their children in mobile phones in order to complete their work or household chores. “Sometimes, to work undisturbed, we give children phones, force them to look at cell phones, which is wrong. We have to change this habit. We can make them do physical activities by going to stadiums, playgrounds and engaging in brisk walking so they can stop or reduce their addiction to cell phones, internet use and their future can be secure,” she said.

In a shocking incident, a 16-year-old boy, who was addicted to mobile games, shot and killed his mother allegedly for scolding him for his PUBG addiction. The boy then locked his 10-year-old sister in a room and sat with his mother’s corpse at his house in the Aldico settlement of the PGI area of ​​Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh police said on June 8.