Many people today are worried about young children using video games. What problems might these games cause, for children and society as a whole? How could these problems be reduced?

The almost universal availability of video games among children has presented us with a number of challenges and decisions, none of which are straightforward. I believe there are three main problems associated with these products, and also three remedies we can adopt. Perhaps the major problem we need to deal with is the level of violence found in these games. Many of them feature aggressive or warlike characters, ranging from soldiers to criminals and killers. This inevitably leads children to believe that such behaviour is normal, or even desirable. A second issue is the obsessive way that some children use the games – for example, preferring their computers to real friendships, making these children isolated and socially naïve. Finally, there are physical effects from excessive gaming, including eye strain, insomnia and damage to posture. These can be difficult to reverse once they have taken hold. Turning to possible solutions, one key step would be to legislate more strictly to control the content of these games. They could, for instance, be reviewed by censors in the same way that films are. This would prevent unsuitable material influencing young minds. To tackle the problem of obsessive use, we could make more counselling and advice available through schools. On the subject of physical side effects, advice on safe use could be included as part of the packaging or even the game itself, so that youngsters are constantly aware of the risks. To sum up, this is a problem that has both social and physical effects, and the solution will require combined action by manufacturers, schools and authorities.