Teens from North Carolina Have Been Found to Need Gaming Addiction Help

Research has consistently shown that all screen activities are linked to less happiness, and all non-screen activities are linked to more happiness. Eighth-graders who spend 10 or more hours a week on social media are 56 percent more likely to say they’re unhappy than those who devote less time to social media. Campers who spend six to nine hours a week on social media are still 47 percent more likely to say they are unhappy than those who use social media even less. 

The opposite is true of in-person interactions. Those who spend an above-average amount of time with their friends in person are 20 percent less likely to say they’re unhappy than those who hang out for a below-average amount of time.  The number of teens who get together with their friends nearly every day dropped by more than 40 percent from 2000 to 2015; the decline has been especially steep recently.

One study published in the Journal of Health Psychology, takes into account data from more than 130,000 gamers aged between 12 and 88 years old, and the findings of 50 studies into video game addiction conducted over the past 11 years. Depression and anxiety were particularly prominent among the gamers examined in the study. Gaming addiction was the cause of 16 percent of issues related to OCD and physical symptoms, it found, concluding: Overall, the results suggested that problematic gaming behavior is significantly associated with a wide range of detrimental health-related outcomes.

Our specialized program will help your teen learn healthy new routines- and we will help them transfer these skills back home by preparing them for success.  Socialization practice and time management are key components of the program. All North Carolina campers who come to Camp Pocono Trails get the opportunity to learn and practice new ways of interacting and making friends.

Looking for Gaming Addiction Help in North Carolina?

Our program is located in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania and serves teens from North Carolina, in addition to teens from across the US.  While the length of help varies, we do not believe that substantial change can be achieved in a few short days.  Campers typically undergo video game disorder help for 2 weeks or longer. 

The diagnostic criteria for Internet Gaming Disorder include repetitive use of Internet-based games, often with other players, that leads to significant issues with functioning.  Video game disorder help may be needed if five of the following criteria are met within one year:

  • Preoccupation or obsession with Internet games.
  • Withdrawal symptoms when not playing Internet games.
  • A build-up of tolerance“more time needs to be spent playing the games.
  • The person has tried to stop or curb playing Internet games but has failed to do so.
  • The person has had a loss of interest in other life activities, such as hobbies.
  • A person has had continued overuse of Internet games even with the knowledge of how much they impact a person™s life.
  • The person lied to others about his or her Internet game usage.
  • The person uses Internet games to relieve anxiety or guilt, it’s a way to escape.
  • The person has lost or put at risk and opportunity or relationship because of Internet games.

Video game disorder help at our Pennsylvania summer camp on 350 private acres covers all of these issues and more.  Campers participate in both group and individual therapy to develop new habits and work on life skills. If your teen from North Carolina has any of the above symptoms, please reach out to us today.

We Help North Carolina Teens Needing Gaming Addiction Help

Our Pennsylvania based video game disorder help center is highly structured. It™s much easier to develop new habits if the environment is conducive to change.  At Camp Pocono Trails, we start out by providing a technology-free environment and slowly reintroduce campers to smartphones and the internet. We work on social skills, anger management, and developing structure before the technology is reintroduced.

We also provide a family component to set the child up for success.  Parents participate in family therapy sessions with your child’s assigned counselor while at Camp Pocono Trails.  We also teach parents how to best support their child at home.

Who does Camp Pocono Trails help?

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

Resources

Gaming Addiction Help: Use Steam Accounts with Structure

Many gamers that come to Camp Pocono Trails use a Steam account to manage their game settings.  Here is a comprehensive guide for parents to manage your child’s Steam account.

Steam: Setting up Family View

 

We encourage you to create a Steam account with your child. If there are features of Steam that you would like to exclude from the experience, you can restrict access using Family View. You may also choose to enable Family View on your own Steam account if you would rather they share your Steam Account.

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=5149-EOPC-9918


To enable Family View:

  • Log into the Steam account your child will use.
  • Click the Steam menu in the top menu bar.
  • Open the Settings option.
  • Go to the “Family” tab on the left side of the window that opens.
  • Click œFamily View to start the Family View wizard.
  • Step through the wizard to select the content and features you™d like to be accessible while in PIN-protected Family View.
  • Select and confirm your new PIN.

With any gaming company, we recommend you check game ratings and actually have your child demonstrate the game before allowing any unsupervised play.  You can also go on Youtube to watch a game œwalk through to see how violence and adult themes are portrayed.

Gaming Addiction Help: Limit Activity with Microsoft Family


Think about it- if you just limit your child’s use of technology at home, how likely will they be able to manage their use independently when they go off to college, or when they move out of the house and start their first job?  Below is a resource to help your child develop structure, but without the intrinsic motivation to change, you setting up limits alone may only go so far.

Microsoft Family: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12413/microsoft-account-what-is-family

Microsoft family is just one of the many benefits of having a Microsoft account. It™s a free service that helps families stay connected, and keep kids safer on Windows 10 and Xbox One devices, along with Android devices running Microsoft Launcher. You™ll find settings like activity reporting, screen time limits, location sharing, and content restrictions on account.microsoft.com/family, where you can also track kids™ spending and add money to their Microsoft accounts.

Camp Pocono Trails Helps North Carolina Families From Cities Such As:

Some examples of cities from North Carolina which may have families who could use Camp Pocono Trails: Charlotte Raleigh Greensboro Durham Winston-Salem Fayetteville Cary town Wilmington High Point Greenville Asheville Concord Gastonia Jacksonville Chapel Hill town Rocky Mount Burlington Huntersville town