Is your child addicted to gaming? A neurologist explains the red flags

Gaming is not harmful in itself, but when it begins to replace sleep, studies and social interaction, it can affect a child’s mental and physical development. Neurologist Dr Kunal Bahrani explains why gaming addiction is increasing.

From mobile phones to gaming consoles, screens are now a part of a child’s life. What once started as a harmless way to relax has slowly turned into hours of uninterrupted gameplay for many young users. Across India, parents are increasingly concerned as homework gets delayed, sleep shrinks, and outdoor play disappears.

Dr Kunal Bahrani, Chairman and Group Director, Neurology at Yatharth Hospitals, says the issue is not gaming itself, but the lack of balance. “Gaming is not inherently harmful. The concern begins when it starts replacing essential developmental activities like sleep, study, physical play and real-world social interaction.”

Why is gaming addiction rising

The surge in gaming addiction is closely linked to accessibility. Smartphones are widely available, internet plans are affordable and multiplayer platforms connect children instantly. “Today’s games are designed to maximise engagement. Reward systems, competitive levels and visual stimulation activate the brain’s dopamine pathways, making children want to keep playing,” explains Dr Bahrani. For many children, gaming becomes more than entertainment; it becomes an escape.

“Children dealing with academic pressure, loneliness or boredom often turn to gaming because it provides immediate gratification and a sense of achievement that may feel harder to attain in real life.” Over time, this virtual reward cycle can become habit-forming.

Early signs parents should watch for

• The first symptoms of addiction include:
• Irritable when asked to stop gaming
• Giving gaming priority over studies and meals
• Loss of interest in other hobbies and outdoor activities

“Parents may observe a decline in academic performance, mood swings, withdrawal from social activities, or even secrecy about screen use,” explains Dr Bahrani.

Physical symptoms such as headaches, eye strain, and fatigue are also experienced. Staying up late to play games disturbs the sleep patterns, which in turn affects concentration and moods the following day.

How gaming affects the developing brain

Excessive gaming impacts more than daily routine. “When gaming becomes compulsive, it can interfere with attention span, impulse control and emotional regulation,” Dr Bahrani notes. “Children’s brains are still developing, and prolonged overstimulation can alter behaviour patterns.”
This does not mean occasional gaming is dangerous. The risk lies in frequency, duration and emotional dependence.

How parents can prevent gaming addiction
Prevention is about structure, not punishment. “Strict bans often backfire. Guidance, consistency and involvement are far more effective,” advises Dr Bahrani. Practical steps include:

• Setting realistic screen-time limits
• Keeping devices out of bedrooms
• Establishing device-free meal times
• Encouraging sports, music or creative hobbies
• Open communication matters just as much as rules

“Talk to your child about what they are playing. Understand the appeal. When parents show interest instead of judgment, children are more likely to cooperate.” Leading by example is equally important. If adults are constantly on their phones, enforcing boundaries becomes difficult.

When to seek professional help

If gaming begins to severely affect behaviour, academic performance or emotional stability, professional guidance may be necessary. “Early intervention from a paediatrician, neurologist or counsellor can prevent long-term psychological impact,” Dr Bahrani says. Timely action can help restore balance before patterns become deeply ingrained.

Technology is here to stay. Gaming, when balanced, can even enhance cognitive skills and strategic thinking. The goal is not elimination but moderation. With awareness, involvement and consistent boundaries, parents can ensure that screens remain a source of entertainment, not addiction.

 

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Excessive internet use reduces study skills in students

Students who use digital technology excessively are less motivated to engage with their studies, and are more anxious about exam tests, according to a new research.

This effect was made worse by the increased feelings of loneliness that use of digital technology produced, said the study, published in the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning.

“The results suggest that students with high levels of internet addiction may be particularly at risk from lower motivations to study, and, hence, lower actual academic performance,” said study researcher Phil Reed from Swansea University in UK.

For the findings, 285 university students, enrolled on a range of health-related degree courses, participated in the study. They were assessed for their use of digital technology, their study skills and motivation, anxiety, and loneliness.

The research found a negative relationship between internet addiction and motivation to study. Students reporting more internet addiction also found it harder to organise their learning productively, and were more anxious about their upcoming tests.

The findings also found that internet addiction was associated with loneliness, and that this loneliness made study harder.

About 25 per cent of the students reported that they spent over four hours a day online, with the rest indicating that they spent between one to three hours a day.

The main uses of the internet for the student sample were social networking (40 per cent) and information seeking (30 per cent), the researchers said.

In addition to the links between levels of internet addiction and poor study motivation and ability, internet addiction was found to be associated with increased loneliness.

The results indicated that loneliness, in turn, made studying harder for the students.

The study suggests that loneliness plays a large role in positive feelings about academic life in higher education.

According to the researchers, the poorer social interactions that are known to be associated with internet addiction make loneliness worse, and, in turn, impact on motivation to engage in a highly social educational environment such as a university.

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AI tool predicts cell behaviours during diseases

Researchers have developed – scGen – an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered tool which promises to reshape the way we study diseases and their treatment at cellular level.

The study, published in the journal Nature Methods, shows scGen will help mapping and studying cellular response to diseases and their treatment beyond experimentally available data.

According to the researchers, scGen is a generative deep learning model that leverages ideas from image, sequence and language processing and applies them to model the behaviour of a cell performed on computer or via computer simulation.

The next step for the team will be to improve scGen, make it a fully data-driven formulation, increasing its predictive power to enable the study of combinations of perturbations.

“We can now start optimising scGen to answer more and more complex questions about diseases,” said the researcher. 

Large-scale atlases of organs in a healthy state are soon going to be available, in particular, within the Human Cell Atlas. This is a significant step in understanding cells, tissues and organs in healthy state in a better way and providing a reference while diagnosing, monitoring and treating diseases.
Accurately modelling cellular response to perturbations e.g. disease, compounds and genetic interventions, is a central goal of computational biology.

In addition, scGen is the first tool that predicts cellular response out-of-sample. This means that scGen, if trained on data that captures the effect of perturbations for a given system, is able to make reliable predictions for a different system.

“For the first time, we have the opportunity to use data generated in one model system such as mouse and use the data to predict disease or therapy response in human patients,” said a researcher.

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5 ways to boost your memory and keep you awake while studying

Studying for long hours can be a challenging task for many students, especially after a long day of classes. The fact is that you need to study hard if you want to score high grades in school or exams. For most students, the final days and nights are usually where a lot of studying actually gets done. And if you’ve ever been there, you probably know what the hardest bit is - staying awake!

Perhaps, many people experience stress or anxiety before an exam, making it hard to focus and concentrate on their studies. It may be tempting to reach for that Red Bull or espresso when you feel sleepy while studying, but they can lead to a vicious cycle. Why opt for sugary, unhealthy options when there are so many healthier alternatives out there to help combat sleepiness and boost your brain power? Try these tips to take the edge off sleepiness and help you stay awake naturally.

Eat a Healthy diet

Eat a balanced diet, focusing on protein-rich foods like nuts, lean meat, or cheese, that will fuel your body longer and give your brain a boost. Include plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants. Avoid eating sugary, fattening foods that will make you feel sluggish - cookies, potato chips, soda, etc.

Drink water

Make sure that you drink plenty of water, as dehydration can make you feel sleepy and drowsy or sluggish. Avoid alcohol, especially during exams or on days when you’re studying or the day before. Alcohol can cause dehydration and negative effects on the brain.

Exercise

Try to exercise for 15 to 20 minutes on a break. This will get your blood flowing and wake up all your muscles and release proteins in your brain, improving your memory power. Going for a short walk or jog, or doing some yoga, are an excellent idea to maintain your daily physical activity, boost your mental health, and reduce fatigue. 

Chew gum

It seems to be a good idea to pop a piece of gum, preferably mint gum, in your mouth while studying as it can make it hard to fall asleep. Chewing gum may also increase the blood flow to the brain and increase alertness. As per Psychology Today, chewing gum may be an ideal late-night studying tactic as it makes you much more alert.

Use caffeine wisely

Many people drink coffee to increase alertness and stay awake while studying. But consuming caffeine in excessive amounts may contribute to a number of unwanted side effects such as insomnia, dehydration, headaches, dizziness, anxiety, and rapid or abnormal heart rhythm. Ideally, it’s recommended to consume no more than 200 mg of caffeine a day.

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New genetic study offers hope for asthma sufferers

A new study has offered fresh hope for asthma sufferers by identifying a genetic variant that could improve the safety and effectiveness of corticosteroids, drugs that are used to treat a range of common and rare conditions including asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Corticosteroids are very effective in the treatment of asthma and COPD, with more than 20 million prescriptions issued in the UK annually. Unfortunately, corticosteroids can also cause side effects, one of which is adrenal suppression, seen in up to 1/3 of people tested. People with this condition do not make enough cortisol. Cortisol helps the body respond to stress, recover from infections and regulate blood pressure and metabolism.

Adrenal suppression can be very difficult to diagnose, as it can present with a spectrum of symptoms from non-specific symptoms such as tiredness, to serious illness and death. The majority of patients do not develop adrenal suppression, and the reasons why some do, and while other don’t, despite using similar doses of corticosteroids were not previously understood.

In a world first, the researchers, conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to pinpoint the genes responsible for increasing the risk of a person developing adrenal suppression.

This method searches a person’s DNA (genome) for small variations, called single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Each person carries about three million SNPs, but if a particular SNP occurs more frequently in people with a particular condition than in people without the condition, it can pinpoint the underlying reason for the difference.

The researchers identified two groups of children with asthma, and one group of adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), all of whom used inhaled corticosteroid medications. Each patient’s adrenal function was tested. This is the largest published cohort of children ever tested for adrenal suppression (580 children in total).

Individuals who had a particular variation in a specific gene (platelet derived growth factor D; PDGFD) had a markedly increased risk of adrenal suppression, both in the children with asthma and adults with COPD. This risk increased if the patient had two copies of the variation (one from their mother, one from their father). Children with two copies of the high risk variation in PDGFD were nearly six times more likely to develop adrenal suppression than children with no copies.

A researcher said: “Our highly novel findings offer the potential to develop personalised approaches therapy. This could involve screening patients to avoid or minimise steroid use if they are at high risk, or if steroids are needed, developing a specific plan to monitor their adrenal function.”

“However, it is important to stress that steroids are effective medications, and patients should not stop taking these medicines without medical input. If you are worried about any side effects, please consult your doctor, nurse or pharmacist looking after you.”

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/   

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