Parents’ Attitude Towards Mobile Game Usage, Addiction and Its Impact on the Psychosocial Behavior of Children: The Case of Flipper International School
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Date
2024-10
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
This descriptive study examined parents' attitudes toward the negative impact of mobile game addiction on the psycho social behavior of children aged 6 to 12 years at Flipper International School. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research integrated quantitative data from 164 parents, selected through simple random sampling, with qualitative insights from interviews with 11 parents. The study found that a substantial portion of parents (48.7%) reported their children played mobile games daily or multiple times a day, with 43.3% engaging in sessions lasting more than one hour and thirty minutes. Significant emotional responses were noted, as 55.5% of children became upset when asked to stop playing. Persistent gaming desires were evident, with 82% of children frequently expressing a desire to play, and 57.9% of parents observed behavioral or mood changes post-gaming. High levels of mobile gaming interfered with daily activities for 58.6% of children, and more than 60% of parents reported their children lying about their gaming time. The study‟s findings, including a high mean score for gaming-related thoughts and behaviors, indicated a notable prevalence of mobile game addiction, with no respondents falling into the low addiction category. The results underscored the need for balanced management strategies, emphasizing parental involvement and structured gaming habits to mitigate the potential negative effects of mobile gaming on children's psychosomatic development.
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Parents’ Attitude Towards Mobile Game Usage, Psychosocial Behavior of Children