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Currently, it has been found that about 10-15% of Thai children are addicted to games to the extent that they require treatment. This is due to the fun content and format of the games, which help create happiness, combined with technology that makes media close and easily accessible. This makes it difficult for parents or guardians to control or supervise, or they often let it be their child&#8217;s happiness to avoid conflicts with the child. Ultimately, it may affect health because when children are addicted to mobile phones excessively, especially if they only play mobile games, it can cause brain atrophy and various other consequences as follows.
<ul>
<li>Abnormal physical health Children will start to experience headaches, eye pain, neck pain, and unexplained stomach pain. Some cases even involve eye muscle damage requiring surgical treatment. Some children may suffer from malnutrition or obesity caused by sitting still and only using their hands to press the mobile phone screen for long periods, increasing the risk of blood clots in various blood vessels as well.</li>
<li>Smaller brain size, lack of development<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> Medically, it has been found that children who play on mobile phones for long periods, 2 hours continuously for 2 years, have a reduction in the size of some parts of the brain, which can be clearly seen from MRI scans. This results in poor cognitive development, such as slow thinking processes, learning, and problem-solving, not developing as expected, and also increases the risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.</li>
<li>Difficulty socializing<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> Family relationships deteriorate. Social skills are another common problem found in this group of children because they lose most of their time playing on mobile phones, leading to a lack of development in this area and significantly impacting family relationships.</li>
<li>Severe mood swings, aggressive behavior<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> In children under 6 years old, problems are often found in the form of more severe tantrums than children who are not addicted to mobile phones, becoming more apparent as they grow older. It starts with aggressive speech, violent expressions, and abnormal emotional states, increasing the risk of depression and anxiety disorders more than other children.</li>
</ul>
<h2></h2>
<h2 style="color: #008080;">4 Signs Indicating Severe Mobile Phone Addiction in Children That Require Medical Treatment</h2>
Parents can recognize whether their child is just playing mobile phones at a normal level or is severely addicted and should receive treatment from a doctor by observing 4 main behavioral signs as follows:
<ul>
<li>Loss of interest or quitting other activities that they used to enjoy.</li>
<li>Neglecting responsibilities<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> Lack of interest in studying and other daily routines.</li>
<li>Inability to control their own mobile phone usage time<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> and spending increasing hours playing daily.</li>
<li>Irritability and severe anger<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> Showing aggressive and defiant behavior in many areas, not just related to mobile phone use.</li>
</ul>
Many people may think that children addicted to mobile phones or games only get angry and irritable when they cannot play. In fact, severe anger spreads to other areas of daily life clearly. The most severe cases involve children destroying property and throwing objects, even hurting or hitting their parents without feeling guilty because they cannot control their emotions, even over minor problems.
<h2></h2>
<h2 style="color: #008080;">Parents Are the Key to Helping Adjust Children&#8217;s Behavior</h2>
Parents or guardians often think that playing games is normal for children’s age, but if such play lacks proper and appropriate control, it may directly cause long-term problems for children, especially during adolescence when other factors come into play, such as stress from studying and hormonal changes, which gradually affect behavior.
The treatment process involves doctors assessing the child&#8217;s behavior through discussions with parents or the child, along with evaluating the parents&#8217; readiness and patience before providing guidance on behavior modification principles for the child as follows:
<ul>
<li>Set clear mobile phone usage times, including all social media use combined. Usage should be limited to 1 hour on weekdays and no more than 2 hours on weekends (at any time), but must be within the set time only.</li>
<li>Choose appropriate types of games<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> Doctors do not recommend children under 3 years old to play on computers, mobile phones, or tablets of any kind. Children aged 3-6 years should play games or watch programs that promote development and education. Children aged 6 and above should choose games with minimal violence because violent games stimulate aggression and desensitize children to violence, as they see and engage in violent content in games multiple times daily, which may lead to violent behavior in the future.</li>
<li>Create alternative activities to relieve stress Pressure from highly competitive environments combined with peer groups who already play games makes it easier for children to vent through games. Parents or guardians should organize new activities as alternatives, such as trips, cooking, or exercising together. They should avoid sudden prohibitions and closely monitor the child&#8217;s emotions and behavior.</li>
<li>Build good relationships<span style="background-color: rgb(255 255 255/var(--tw-bg-opacity)); color: var(--tw-prose-body); font-family: ui-sans-serif, system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'segoe ui', Roboto, 'helvetica neue', Arial, 'noto sans', sans-serif, 'apple color emoji', 'segoe ui emoji', 'segoe ui symbol', 'noto color emoji'; font-size: 1rem;"> Not spoil Family members are a crucial factor in making treatment complete. Avoid harsh language, scolding, or negative words. Emphasize positive speech and find activities to do together. Train children to socialize with others and praise them when they do good things to build pride and encourage them to continue those behaviors.</li>
</ul>
Treating children&#8217;s mobile phone addiction requires long-term care because the chance of relapse remains. Parents or guardians are the key to building immunity for their children by continuously understanding each other to reduce the chance of returning to mobile phone or game addiction in the future. If self-management does not work, consult a specialist doctor continuously until confident that the child no longer exhibits addictive behavior.
&nbsp;
Dr. Theeranan Mitraphanon 
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist 
Child and Adolescent Health Center, Phyathai 1 Hospital

When children are addicted to mobile phones or tablets, especially addicted to playing mobile games, it may cause aggressive behavior, bad temper, and brain atrophy.

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Raising Children by Ignoring Them! Making Kids Addicted to Mobile Phones Leading to Aggressive Behavior

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