Nowadays many people have access to computers on a wide basis and a large number of children play computer games. What are the negative impacts of children playing computer games and what can be done to minimize the bad effects?

The enormous growth in the use of the computer in recent decades has led to radical changes in the way that a huge number of children play computer games. Although, this is a serious problem there are ways to tackle this issue. It is certainly true that with the ease of computer games children have become introverts and socially aloof. Over the past, toddlers used to play outdoor games with their peers which resulted in the development of skills such as leadership and teamwork. On the contrary, these days, children are becoming reclusive as they play alone with their computer games. Therefore, they do not easily mingle with others. There is no doubt that this affects their mental development, which is a negative impact for the children and for society. On the brighter side, there are several ways to reduce the bad effects of playing computer games. Mostly, it is the responsibility of the parents to see if their children are getting enough attention. Parents must spend considerable amount of time with their children and they need to maintain a healthy relationship with them. Moreover, there must be proper scrutiny of the time spent on computers, and gaming consoles must be restricted. Finally, children can also be encouraged to participate in team sports and community works through which they acquire different skills. All these factors could minimise the negative effects of gaming