I strongly believe that one of the most powerful aspects of Tech Talk Tuesday is starting the discussion with something positive about the tech in our lives. Kids are so used to hearing our negatives about tech time, that they may start to tune out if the discussion if it is not balanced. If we really want to have effective dialogue that creates a lasting tech balance with our kids, we need to talk about the positives too. Believe me, your kids will want to hear this week’s TTT.
I recently read a controversial article in American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association, about why video games can have some benefits. I say controversial because there clearly are very pro-violent video games. Improved reflexes and faster processing of their environment after playing shooter video games were some of the study’s findings. The authors of "The Benefits of Playing Video Games" write:
“Compared to control participants, those in the shooter video game show... higher spatial resolution in visual processing, and enhanced mental rotation abilities.”
Ask your kids if they feel any cognitive benefits after they’ve played a video game and they are doing another activity.
Next, share this excerpt from the same article with your kids:
“Gaming may be among the most efficient and effective means by which children and youth generate positive feelings. Several studies have shown a causal relation between playing preferred video games and improved mood or increases in positive emotion.”
After you read this excerpt to your kids, talk with them about what kinds of feelings they experience right after they play a fun video game. Then, ask them if they ever have sad or hard feelings during the day and, if so, do they then have an urge to play the game that makes them feel good.
Questions to continue the conversation:
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
I strongly believe that one of the most powerful aspects of Tech Talk Tuesday is starting the discussion with something positive about the tech in our lives. Kids are so used to hearing our negatives about tech time, that they may start to tune out if the discussion if it is not balanced. If we really want to have effective dialogue that creates a lasting tech balance with our kids, we need to talk about the positives too. Believe me, your kids will want to hear this week’s TTT.
I recently read a controversial article in American Psychologist, the journal of the American Psychological Association, about why video games can have some benefits. I say controversial because there clearly are very pro-violent video games. Improved reflexes and faster processing of their environment after playing shooter video games were some of the study’s findings. The authors of "The Benefits of Playing Video Games" write:
“Compared to control participants, those in the shooter video game show... higher spatial resolution in visual processing, and enhanced mental rotation abilities.”
Ask your kids if they feel any cognitive benefits after they’ve played a video game and they are doing another activity.
Next, share this excerpt from the same article with your kids:
“Gaming may be among the most efficient and effective means by which children and youth generate positive feelings. Several studies have shown a causal relation between playing preferred video games and improved mood or increases in positive emotion.”
After you read this excerpt to your kids, talk with them about what kinds of feelings they experience right after they play a fun video game. Then, ask them if they ever have sad or hard feelings during the day and, if so, do they then have an urge to play the game that makes them feel good.
Questions to continue the conversation:
As well as our weekly blog, we publish videos like this one every week on the Screenagers YouTube channel
Today I’m sharing two polar opposites stories of people’s choices around video gaming — extremes can be great conversation starters. One is from a kid who decided, on his own, to stop all video gaming essentially, and the other is about teens attending a high school that is 100% focused on video gaming and the video gaming industry.
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Today I offer some intriguing stories related to video gaming, and I am confident you will want to discuss with others — even beyond just kids because data reveals that more and more people over 50 do some sort of video gaming. Do you know what Cozy games are?
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Today I talk with an 11-year-old girl about what she likes about the popular gaming platforms Roblox and Minecraft, as well as some of the uncomfortable experiences she's encountered with strangers while playing video games … and what she's done in such situations.
READ MORE >for more like this, DR. DELANEY RUSTON'S NEW BOOK, PARENTING IN THE SCREEN AGE, IS THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE FOR TODAY’S PARENTS. WITH INSIGHTS ON SCREEN TIME FROM RESEARCHERS, INPUT FROM KIDS & TEENS, THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SOLUTIONS FOR HOW TO START AND SUSTAIN PRODUCTIVE FAMILY TALKS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY AND IT’S IMPACT ON OUR MENTAL WELLBEING.
