Internet Gaming Disorder Treatment For Teens From Idaho

Gaming Disorder Treatment Center / Gaming Rehab for Idaho Teens

While based in Pennsylvania, Idaho families seek our Gaming Disorder Treatment Center because of our unique ability to adapt to the academic curriculum for Idaho campers.  Our video game addiction rehab helps gamers develop the internal drive and motivation to focus on academics- not the latest video game. 

Lack of self-regulation is the common denominator that affects a student’s preoccupation with video games and lack of focus on everything else: school, friends, chores, reading, and so on.  At Camp Pocono Trails, developing self-regulation skills is what we do.

Gaming Disorder Treatment Centers for Idaho teens should not be punitive.  We take a natural approach, reconnecting teens with nature, friends, and themselves over time.  We start out with a back to nature phase where campers fully unplug and are immersed in a natural environment.  Being in nature helps our campers quickly get over the withdrawal phase of video game addiction.

Video game addiction help is not a simple as taking away the student’s video game system.  Screens are everywhere, and many parents come to us with stories of how their student has been able to bypass whatever safeguards they put of.  On top of that, computers and Chromebooks are often issued at school, and socializing through an online app by a smartphone has become a normal part of identity development.

One thing we hear a lot at Camp Pocono Trails is a child’s belief that, “All my friends are online, so if you take this away from me, I would be all alone.”  Video game addiction help is not an all-or-nothing issue. At Camp Pocono Trails, we take a harm reduction approach. This means educating the student on the harmful effects of certain online activities including:

  • Online pornography
  • Video game violence
  • How violence is portrayed in certain games
  • How gender roles are portrayed in certain games
  • How playing games without set boundaries can interfere with academics, social practice, or achieving your life goals

Using a harm reduction approach, Camp Pocono Trails campers become enlightened as to the habit-forming qualities of video games and social media, in addition to how exposure to different types of online media can change your perceptions of violence or gender roles.

We Help Transfer Online Success to Offline Success for Idaho Teens

It™s easy to get locked into a pattern of policing electronics. The problem with a policing strategy is that it does nothing to help the child learn how to manage electronic use independently.  If your child is headed to college or independent living soon without the ability to manage their screen activity, you should intervene as soon as possible.

Sometimes it’s just easier for a team of seasoned professionals to address an issue that has become toxic for a parent to address.  Parents and teens can become deadlocked in a disagreement about video game or internet use. This is where Camp Pocono Trails can help. We give the teen a format to reinvent themselves in a nonjudgmental, supportive atmosphere with other former gamers.  

Gaming Disorder Treatment is uncharted territory for most parents.  Parents today are tasked with raising the very first generation of teenagers immersed in a world of technology.  Screens are everywhere- teens bring internet-connected smartphones to school and often have access to games on the bus, in class, in the lunchroom, and back home again until mom or dad return from work.  For most families, gaming addiction is an issue that requires high levels of intervention.

Can a Gaming Disorder Treatment Center Really Help my Idaho Teen?

Gaming or video game addiction is very hard to treat.  In one surprising study, In one study 84% of addicted gamers were still addicted two years later, demonstrating how difficult gaming addiction is to treat.  In the same study, 7% of online gamers were classified as psychologically or behaviorally dependent on online gaming. This is why choosing the right Gaming Disorder Treatment Center is so critical. 

This begs the question, “why is gaming so addictive?”  According to research in the Journal of Mental Health and Addiction 41% of people who play online video games do so as an, “escape from the real world.”

There is much debate currently about the effect of video game violence on the real world.  According to a study in Pediatrics, as much as 20% of real-life violence may be attributable to media violence.  Why is this? Researchers speculate that there is a two-fold issue here. First, constant exposure to video game violence decreases our sensitivity to real-world violence.  Seeing a fight at school might seem more normal to a child that has been exposed to ongoing video game violence, making them less likely to intervene or even more likely to instigate violence themselves.

Who does Camp Pocono Trails help?

Camp Pocono Trails helps teens struggling with issues similar to those below:
– School Refusal
– Video game addiction
– Depression
– Social isolation
– Anxiety
– Technology Addiction
– Trauma
– Low Self Esteem
– Social Issues
– Impulse Control
– Autism Spectrum
– Family Conflict
– ADHD
– Poor Communication Skills
– Addictive Behaviors
– Social Anxiety Disorder

Resources

Internet Gaming Disorder Resource: Follow Online Safety Tips

 

One important tip for video games or online digital media is to watch it or play together with your child.  Do not let your child keep their game system in their bedroom. Instead, keep your video game system in shared family spaces to stay familiar with how your children are using it. You can assist your student to make smart entertainment choices by discussing the game or media together.  One good way to start is to watch a Youtube œplaythrough video before you purchase a game.

Communicate. Make online activity a daily topic of conversation.  Ask your children questions about playing new games, meeting new people online, favorite websites and other interests. Encourage your child to ask questions, too.

Set guidelines. Determine what video gaming and online rules work best for your family, and work with your children to establish technology rules.  Examine if violence is part of the game your child wants to play. How often does violence appear? Is it rewarded in some way? It™s up to individual families to make the right choices for their child in regards to what they want their student exposed to.  At our Gaming Disorder Treatment Center, we can help parents learn how to make the best decisions in regards to digital media for their child.

Internet Gaming Disorder Resource: ESBR Ratings

http://www.esrb.org/

The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) is the non-profit, self-regulatory body that assigns ratings for video games and apps so parents can make informed choices. The ESRB rating system encompasses guidance about age-appropriateness, content, and interactive elements.

As part of its self-regulatory role for the video game industry, the ESRB also enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines and helps ensure responsible web and mobile privacy practices under its Privacy Certified program. ESRB was established in 1994 by the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).  Parents who attend the workshop at our Gaming Disorder Treatment Center learn how to choose appropriate media for their campers.

Camp Pocono Trails helps families from Idaho

Camp Pocono Trails helps Idaho families from cities and towns like Eagle Victor Star Meridian Moyie Springs Garden City Boise Melba Lewiston Preston