The video game industry has become one of the main leisure options for many young people. And one of the great concerns of parents is that their children do not abuse it. One child in Castellón has become the first to hospitalised for gaming addiction – his preferred game is Fortnite.
Yesterday, the case of a youth for whom this hobby became a real problem emerged. He spent two months in hospital due to a serious dependence on the well-known video game Fortnite.
The difficult situation the teenager from the province of Castellón went through is in a report that has been published by a team from the Castellón Provincial Hospital, the Jaume I University and the General University Hospital. It is the first clinical case of this type documented in the world.
The symptoms
The minor needed medical help after presenting a series of symptoms that triggered the alarms. These included: isolation at home; rejection of social interactions; refusal to go to health services; persistent personal inflexibility; little interest in his surroundings; and being very selective and with restricted activities.
Likewise, and as EFE reports, the young man presented alterations in the performance of the basic activities of daily life and sleep rhythms. This situation led, among other things, to greater truancy after having been a model student beforehand.
The experts’ warning
The case of this person has led the authors of the report to warn about the need to pay attention to the behaviour of minors among whom the use of new technologies has spread. “The growing precociousness in their consumption” can lead to a “lack of maturation in executive and cognitive functions during adolescence”.
Among the recommendations to prevent gaming addiction is the supervision of screen time. Ensuring that parents “establish clear and well-defined limits” and “promote the practice of other sources of satisfaction.”
