<story><title>The tech industry&apos;s use of persuasive techniques on children</title><url>https://medium.com/@richardnfreed/the-tech-industrys-psychological-war-on-kids-c452870464ce</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>allcentury</author><text>&amp;gt; I also see far too many boys whose gaming obsessions lead them to forgo interest in school, extracurricular activities, and anything else productive. Some of these boys, as they reach their later teens, use their large bodies to terrorize parents who attempt to set gaming limits. A common thread running through many of these cases is parent guilt, as so many are certain they did something to put their kids on a destructive path.&lt;p&gt;This was me.  I was 14, my parents just divorced and I got hooked on Starcraft in 1999.  I would play until the sun came up, go to school and sleep through class.  I did it for 3 years straight, with varying levels of addiction.&lt;p&gt;At some point, my mom wanted me to see a pyschologist but I tried to show her I wasn&amp;#x27;t addicted.  I took the cd out of the computer, cut it up and glued it to a piece of paper.  I hung that paper on the corkboard for all to see, then, not 5 days later I bought another cd and started the cycle again.&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t know if I was reeling with teenager angst or overloaded emotions because of the divorce but I needed help and my parents didn&amp;#x27;t know what to do.  I nearly didn&amp;#x27;t finish high school because of it.&lt;p&gt;Now, with a son of my own - I am constantly thinking about how in the world do I expose my son to technology but also teach him moderation.  I don&amp;#x27;t want to have a fight about how much time is too much, I simply want the technology to be useful to solve a problem and not something my son feels compelled to use all day long.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>pm90</author><text>I&amp;#x27;ve always been addicted to gaming. When I was younger, my parents wisely chose not to purchase a PC, so I would usually play at friends&amp;#x2F;relatives&amp;#x27; place. I assumed it was just how I was.&lt;p&gt;Now that I am an OK adult with decent life: my playstation just lies there, and its really hard for me to start playing any new game.&lt;p&gt;I figured that when I was younger, the video games provided an effective escape from the reality of being a child, with never having anything of consequence to contribute (I blame my parents for making me feel this way; even though they were perhaps just ignorant). Games had a structured environment, with rewards for specific actions, rewards that I did not find in my real life with doing anything. The fake medals&amp;#x2F;trophies were so much better than what I had in real life (which was nothing). It gave me a sense of belonging to a group, or to many groups, something which I did not in real life.&lt;p&gt;Perhaps this applies only to kids without siblings. But video games were the one place where I could really be happy. When that changed and my real life became more amazing, I stopped playing them. Perhaps thats all that kids want.&lt;p&gt;I should note that video games were not the only form of escapism, I enjoyed reading Harry Potter for that very reason too.</text></comment>
<story><title>The tech industry&apos;s use of persuasive techniques on children</title><url>https://medium.com/@richardnfreed/the-tech-industrys-psychological-war-on-kids-c452870464ce</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>allcentury</author><text>&amp;gt; I also see far too many boys whose gaming obsessions lead them to forgo interest in school, extracurricular activities, and anything else productive. Some of these boys, as they reach their later teens, use their large bodies to terrorize parents who attempt to set gaming limits. A common thread running through many of these cases is parent guilt, as so many are certain they did something to put their kids on a destructive path.&lt;p&gt;This was me.  I was 14, my parents just divorced and I got hooked on Starcraft in 1999.  I would play until the sun came up, go to school and sleep through class.  I did it for 3 years straight, with varying levels of addiction.&lt;p&gt;At some point, my mom wanted me to see a pyschologist but I tried to show her I wasn&amp;#x27;t addicted.  I took the cd out of the computer, cut it up and glued it to a piece of paper.  I hung that paper on the corkboard for all to see, then, not 5 days later I bought another cd and started the cycle again.&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t know if I was reeling with teenager angst or overloaded emotions because of the divorce but I needed help and my parents didn&amp;#x27;t know what to do.  I nearly didn&amp;#x27;t finish high school because of it.&lt;p&gt;Now, with a son of my own - I am constantly thinking about how in the world do I expose my son to technology but also teach him moderation.  I don&amp;#x27;t want to have a fight about how much time is too much, I simply want the technology to be useful to solve a problem and not something my son feels compelled to use all day long.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>analyst74</author><text>I&amp;#x27;ve been addicted to games and now addicted to playing soccer, albeit less so probably due to being older with more responsibilities. And I see lots of similarities between the two very different kinds of games and the &amp;quot;addictions&amp;quot; to them. Even health-wise, it&amp;#x27;s hard to say if playing games all day is worse than getting tackled into hospital. I&amp;#x27;ve met many people who were going for pro-sports when they were younger that destroyed their health and&amp;#x2F;or hurt their career prospects and had to re-invent themselves.&lt;p&gt;How do we distinguish what is a healthy hobby&amp;#x2F;persuasion, and what is an addiction?</text></comment>