Mother of former video game addict warns of screen time addiction dangers

PINEVILLE, N.C. — A mother who saw her son drop out of school and have mood swings as a result of video game addiction is speaking out about how to combat what she sees as a dangerous trend.

Melanie Hempe said her oldest son, Adam, quit school while in college as a result of his video game addiction.

“He had to play every day,” she said. “I’m a nurse, and I thought I had a pretty good handle on medical issues, but no one talked to me about this in medical school. About screen addiction.”

Hempe put together a team of experts from across the country to speak at a church in Pineville on Thursday night, warning parents and children about the addictive nature of video games.

Dr. Douglas Gentile, a psychology professor at Iowa State University, led a team of researchers that followed 1,300 families across a school year to determine the effect putting a limit on screen time had on their children.

“They were getting more sleep, which in turn related to lower weight gain, so lower risk of obesity,” Gentile said. “They were getting better grades.”

Gentile said that the number of minors dealing with screen time addiction continues to grow.

“Each time we measure it nationally, we think it can’t get any higher, and it keeps doing it,” Gentile said.

Cox Media Group