Seven-Year-Old Child Becomes an Expert in Online Games Due to Traditional Toys Being Too "Stupid"

"My child plays online games at home every day, what should I do?" Yesterday, Ms. Song from Siliu Middle Road said that her 7-year-old son, Xiao Bin (a pseudonym), has now become an expert in online gaming. No matter how many toys the family buys, they can't divert his attention back to traditional toys, which Xiao Bin considers too "low-level." This concerns the parents greatly.

Why does a 7-year-old child become addicted to online games? What exactly should he be playing? We interviewed relevant experts on this matter.

Event

A 7-Year-Old Child Addicted to Online Games

Ms. Song told reporters that she lives at No. 221, Siliu Middle Road and runs a Chinese medicine shop nearby. Her son, Xiao Bin, is in the second grade of elementary school. Last year, Ms. Song installed a computer with internet access in the medicine shop, and Xiao Bin started playing games on it after school every day. "At first, I thought he was practicing typing, but later I don’t know who taught him, and he began playing these online games," Ms. Song said. When Xiao Bin is in a "good mood," he tells her about the events in the game, like what kind of "equipment" he obtained today, etc., but he never mentions anything about school.

Recently, Xiao Bin proudly told his mother that he had become the so-called "guild leader" in the game, leading a group of online game enthusiasts in "leveling up" and "guild battles," becoming quite obsessed. His character name in the game is called "Taste of Love," which he says was given to him by a friend. At Ms. Song's medicine shop, the reporter saw Xiao Bin skillfully operating the game with one hand on the mouse and the other on the keyboard.

Analysis

Loneliness is the Fundamental Reason

"In order to prevent our child from getting addicted to online games and turning bad, we bought him various toys, trying our best to pull him away from the computer, but all attempts failed," Xiao Bin's mother, Ms. Song, told reporters. She successively bought Xiao Bin cartoon toys, electric toys, building blocks, and other educational toys, but Xiao Bin usually gets bored with them after a day or two.

Ms. Lu, a teacher from Jumen Road Elementary School, told reporters that a 7-year-old child should be filled with innocence and vitality, and their free time should be spent playing with parents and peers. Xiao Bin’s obsession with online games stems fundamentally from his loneliness and boredom. He finds joy and companionship in these online games, which is why he becomes addicted. Nowadays, parents are very busy and have no time to accompany their children, not knowing how to enrich their children's leisure time or how to reasonably guide their interests. Even when buying toys, they don’t know what kinds of toys are suitable for their children.

This is Just Curiosity

Renowned psychological and behavioral training expert, Dr. Shi Hui from Beijing Normal University's Developmental Educational Psychology Department, stated in an interview that Xiao Bin's age playing online games is merely out of curiosity and does not yet constitute an addiction, so parents don't need to worry excessively. The company of parents is crucial for a child's growth. They should take the child outdoors and into nature, allowing them to play and exercise happily.

In addition, toys are important for a child's growth, as different age groups have different psychological needs. Many children's interest in traditional toys has generally diminished, while some "pornographic," "violent," and "terrifying" extreme toys attract the attention of many children. Between the ages of 6 and 12 is a period of rapid language development. Don't just buy simple manual operation toys like toy cars and electric dolls; some cartoon electronic reading materials might be more suitable for them. After the age of 12, a child's observational skills will improve significantly, and some fun puzzle-solving and jigsaw puzzles can be very helpful for children.

Please Give Your Child Company

During the interview, the reporter saw Xiao Bin sitting alone at the computer desk in the corner of his mother's medicine shop. His small figure appeared thin and lonely. The reporter asked Xiao Bin why he liked playing online games. He said that online games were fresh and interesting, and in the game, he had many companions. Unlike his parents, who always had no time to accompany him and only let him play with those "stupid" toys. Education experts also pointed out that even if the toys are appropriate, children will eventually get tired of them. A child's healthy growth requires more time investment from parents. Parental companionship is especially important for children aged 6-12. Parents should play with their children and participate in more outdoor activities together, accompanying them through this critical growth period. "No success can make up for the failure in educating your child," so busy parents, please take some time to accompany your children!