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Nowadays the children are showing more interest towards the computer games than outdoor activities. In my opinion this is a rather dangerous trend developing. Outdoor activities are always more beneficial for children’s development than playing computer games. Let us discuss why computer games are such a bad alternative to outdoor activities.
As we are becoming dependent on technology since the advent of computers, our recreational activities are also becoming dependent on computers. Children especially is more inclined towards social media rather than actual socializing and computer games than actual physical games. The major part of brain development in humans happen in childhood itself. Childhood is the time when our cognitive, social and emotional skills gets developed, hence it is essential for children of to have interaction with outside world and participate in group recreational activities like arts and sports at this age.
Computer games can never be a substitute for actual outdoor activities. Outdoor activities provide a conducive environment for maintaining good health whereas computer games impact health in an adverse way since it restricts movement and keeps the children glued to their screens. This leads to eye problems, stress, digestion issues, fat accumulation and retarded muscle growth. Since children are more interested in games, they become complacent towards their health. Children becomes addicted to computer games and ignore their studies and lessen the interaction with friends and family. Computer games may be responsible for children’s abysmal performance in school.
In addition to the health problems it creates for children, excessive computer gaming also changes their perception of real world. As children’s minds are malleable, the violent games and the attitude of winning by any means, makes their behavior unsympathetic and non-adjustable to society. The ferocity of the modern games can negatively impact the moral development of a child. Their conscience gets developed in such a way that fighting or killing is viewed as normal and all they care is to defeat the opponent by any means. Furthermore they also find it hard to digest failures and setbacks. It is high time to impose strict censorship and restrictions on computer games for children.
It can be noted that parents, among them working parents in particular, often condone the activities of their children. Since children are more susceptible to certain illnesses than adults are, their physical activities and interaction with outside world are essential for the development of resistance power in their bodies. People getting premature heart diseases and premature diabetes in their young age itself is a common sight today. Turning a blind eye towards this issue will impact our society as a whole.
In conclusion, it is evident that substituting outdoor activities for computer games impacts the mental and physical health of children in a negative way and affects the whole society directly and indirectly. Hence, it is very essential to foster the habit of participating in outdoor activities among the children.
