Elementary school students in Anan, Tokushima Prefecture, are taught how to safely use the internet on July 20. The Japan News/Asia News Network
OSAKA — Concerns over more people, especially children, becoming addicted to playing video games are growing, amid the ongoing calls to refrain from going out because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Addiction support organizations have received several consultations from parents, some even saying that their children are so addicted to video games that they stopped going to school.
Experts say it is important to make rules for playing games in the household. The government is also working to boost its efforts to prevent such addiction and is organizing a counseling system.
More time to play games
A 43-year-old homemaker in Osaka is worried her 6-year-old son is spending more time playing video games than before school had temporarily closed in spring of last year due to the pandemic. Until then, the first-grader in elementary school used to play games only when his brother, 13, was playing when friends came over.
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These days, however, he plays every day with a handheld game console, which his older brother no longer uses, for one to three hours a day even after school resumed.
His mother has continued allowing her son to play games while keeping an eye on him as letting him play outside is still a concern due to the pandemic. In addition, he doesn’t play video games before going to school or after-school lessons, and diligently does his homework.
