Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Stages

Watch out for these top symptoms of video game addiction in teens

Signs your teen's video game playing is becoming a problem

Sarah Prager
By

Gaming addiction is a difficult issue to address, and even more difficult to diagnose. Video games give kids an outlet to play with friends and make new ones, but it can become worrying when they don’t seem to know when to put the controller down. Defining when loving video games crosses into a disorder is tricky, but there are criteria and gaming addiction symptoms to look for.

Screen time increased by nearly 500% during the pandemic, which means you may be naturally concerned about your own teenager’s screen time. How much is too much and what are the concerning behaviors to watch out for besides the number of hours? We’ve looked at the diagnostic criteria and scientific studies so you can figure out what to worry about and what not to worry about, and what you can do if you think your teen has an addiction.

Teen playing video games

What is gaming addiction?

According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Classification of Diseases, “gaming disorder” is defined by three criteria:

  • Impaired control over gaming
  • Increasing priority is given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities
  • Continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences

Basically, once gaming feels out of control, it becomes a disorder. The WHO further adds to the definition above by saying that for gaming disorder to be diagnosed, the pattern of behavior “must be of sufficient severity to result in significant impairment in personal, family, social, educational, occupational or other important areas of functioning and would normally have been evident for at least 12 months.” So, it also needs to negatively impact someone’s life for at least a year to be diagnosed.

You certainly don’t want your teen’s life to be negatively affected for a year before taking action, so let’s look at what symptoms to watch for. These symptoms may develop before the gaming activity becomes diagnosable.

Teens having fun playing video games

Gaming addiction symptoms

If you are concerned your teen is playing video games too often, these are the signs to look for to see if it could be a video game addiction.

  • Experiencing withdrawal symptoms when they can’t play video games, like irritability
  • Preoccupation with video games to a point that it concerns you
  • The need to spend more and more time gaming over time
  • Losing interest in other activities over time to spend more time gaming
  • Lying to you about the amount of time spent gaming
  • Using gaming to escape negative emotions
  • Inability to stop a gaming session or not to start a gaming session
  • Gaming negatively impacts areas of life like social, sleep, mental health, and academics
  • Inability to see gaming is negatively impacting life
  • Neglecting self-care like hygiene or eating
  • Acting depressed or irritable
  • Missing sleep to game
  • Isolating to game
  • Spending money the teen doesn’t have on games

It’s especially concerning the longer these symptoms go on and the more they increase. Talk to your teen and your teen’s pediatrician right away when you notice these symptoms.

Boys playing video games

Effects of gaming addiction

Playing video games for too long overstimulates teens’ brains, which can produce too much of the hormone cortisol. This chronic stress can change the brain over time. Addiction to video games can prime the brain for other kinds of addictions, like substance abuse as well.

A six-year study published in 2020 of pathological video game players from age 15 into early adulthood showed “higher levels of depression, aggression, shyness, problematic cell phone use, and anxiety.” There are also physical health issues to the sedentary nature of playing video games.

Some of the top possible effects of excessive video gameplay include:

  • Poor emotion regulation
  • Difficulty paying attention
  • Decreased levels of compassion
  • Decreased levels of creativity
  • Depression
  • Irritability
  • Anxiety
  • Increased weight
  • Insomnia
  • Increased risk of ADHD
  • Desensitization to violence
  • Eye strain
  • Neck or back problems
  • Violence
  • Loss of social skills
  • Impulsive actions
Parents having a talk with their teen

What can I do to help with gaming addiction?

Setting boundaries on gaming time is an important first step to curbing addiction. Teens will resist this and you may need professional help like therapy to help. If teens use gaming as a way to escape negative emotions, they will need to learn new healthy coping strategies, which will take time, effort, and help. Signing your teen up for a sport or another new activity to occupy their time and mind instead of gaming may help. Have patience and compassion as you support your teen on a path to a healthier lifestyle.

Editors' Recommendations

RSV, the flu, or COVID? What to know about the tripledemic to keep your kids safe
There are still weeks left of this winter, so know about the tripledemic in case your child gets one
Mother comforting a crying baby

Nicknamed the "tripledemic," the flu, RSV, and COVID all made a comeback among children in the last few months. What's more frustrating for parents -- other than having a sick child -- is the overlap between these three that makes it difficult to know which is which, so you know how to treat it.
Though numbers are starting to decline, there are still weeks of winter to go where your child could catch any of these viruses. Parents need to keep an eye on possible cases at home, and we're here to help by giving you all the information you need to know to keep your children healthy, with a little help from our expert, Board-Certified Pediatrician Dr. David Berger, founder of private practice Wholistic Pediatrics & Family Care.

What each virus is
The first step to dodging the tripledemic is to know what each virus is by itself.
RSV
Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a pretty common virus that almost every single child will catch by the time they turn 2 years old.

Read more
5 things you should never say to a pregnant woman
She's already cranky, puffed, and exhausted. Please don't make it worse with these common questions for pregnant women
Pregnant married woman standing in a floral gown

These lists are sometimes hard to compile because of the beautiful complexity and differences between women. What may be offensive to one may be exactly what another needs to hear. Women, particularly pregnant women, are multidimensional, deeply thinking, individualistic human beings, and there is no "one-size-fits-all" list that applies to everyone.
However, there does seem to be an invisible boundary of privacy that drops when a woman is expecting a child. In a time when she is very likely uncertain, nervous, and potentially bombarded with any number of questions, swimming in a pool of nerves, people think this is the time to invade her space.
Most of these are well-intentioned questions, habitual, even. Rightfully so, people are excited and happy at the sight of a pregnant woman, and sometimes in that joy, manners can slip. It's important to keep in mind that many women -- particularly the more introverted ones -- are uncomfortable with all the new attention they're probably receiving. For the women who don't relish having these conversations with their family members, friends, hairstylists, and strangers in the produce section, these questions can be very awkward. Keep reading to find out the things you should never say to a pregnant woman.

'Are you going to breastfeed?'
This one is usually said with an air of haughtiness that also says, "It is the best choice, you know. Any mother who doesn’t breastfeed is just the absolute worst and shouldn’t be allowed to have children if only because of her shocking selfishness."
Ladies (and gentlemen), think about this one for a moment. While, as mentioned above, your intentions are undoubtedly lovely and kind, you may very well be deeply offending the already uncomfortable pregnant woman you’re talking to. Take into consideration that there are many reasons her answer to this question may be (gasp) "No."
Perhaps she has a medical issue that prevents her from breastfeeding. Perhaps she has a deeply rooted psychological reason she’s chosen not to. Perhaps she just feels icky about the whole thing, and despite her best efforts, just can’t move past it. Whatever the reason, she already knows breastfeeding is the healthiest and “best” option without you telling her so.
She doesn’t need to know that it’s what you did and that your babies were just healthy little horses. She doesn’t need to hear that feeding her precious, unborn baby formula is the equivalent of feeding it Tang instead of freshly squeezed orange juice. She’s thought about her choice more than you have; whatever that choice is, it's really none of your business.

Read more
How to help your toddler adjust to a new baby
Is a child's reaction to a new sibling abnormal toddler behavior? Maybe, but probably not. What to know
A toddler holding a new baby on a white bench

Your first baby completed you. You loved them so much that you decided to have another.

Parents may worry their kids won’t hit it off. These concerns may be amplified for parents having children close together. Toddlers don’t have the language or empathy to understand why a new loud, tiny human is commanding lots of attention — attention that used to be theirs.

Read more