Online Game Addicts Get Younger

The spread of smartphones and tablet PCs exposes children to online games at an even lower age, which can hurt their language and social development. But their parents do not seem to take the matter seriously, and it is often too late when they realize the problems.

According to a survey conducted by the Game Rating Board last year, the average age of first-time online game players fell from 5 in 2009 to 4.8 last year. The average frequency was 3.7 times a week among children aged 3 to 9, far more than among juveniles aged 9 to 18, who played 3 times a week.

Some 13.5 percent of young children played games more than 7 times a week, much more often than older children (11.4 percent).

Gaming addiction can cause visual and developmental disorders. "During brain development among young children aged 3 to 6, the corpus callosum develops explosively, and particularly the frontal lobe, which is related to high-level judgment, the ability to think, and the power of concentration, develops at rapid speed", says Kim Hyun-soo, a professor of psychiatry at Kwandong University's Myongji Hospital. "Playing games during early childhood can have significant effects on the function of the frontal lobe and lead to abnormal development of the brain".

Children are also quickly exposed to games that are inappropriate for their age. Lee Hyung-cho of Internet Dream & Hope Space said, "In fact, many young game addicts began playing games for kids and eventually switched to much more violent and sexually suggestive games".