The Metro: How to raise healthy gamers

Playing video games is a popular recreational activity for youth today. How do we ensure enjoyment doesn’t spiral into addiction?

Dr.K

Dr. Alok Kanojia is a psychiatrist and co-founder of Healthy Gamer.

Youth are especially at risk of over-engaging with digital worlds and disconnecting from reality. Gaming addiction is just like any other—and according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, having an addiction to anything is six times worse if it starts before adulthood.

How can we guard ourselves and impressionable young people against a new medium that triggers a familiar form of addiction? 

Harvard trained psychiatrist Dr.Alok Kanojia aka Dr.K joins The Metro to explain more about gaming addiction and how to deal with it.

Listen to The Metro weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon ET on 101.9 FM and streaming on demand.

Subscribe to The Metro on Apple PodcastsSpotifyNPR.org or wherever you get your podcasts.

Trusted, accurate, up-to-date.

WDET strives to make our journalism accessible to everyone. As a public media institution, we maintain our journalistic integrity through independent support from readers like you. If you value WDET as your source of news, music and conversation, please make a gift today.

Donate today »

More stories from The Metro

Authors

  • Nadia Ziyad
  • The Metro
  • Cary Junior II
    Cary Junior II is an audio journalist and producer for The Metro on 101.9 WDET. Cary has worked as a producer or host on a number of projects. His work includes short and longform audio, documentary series and daily radio. In his five year career in journalism he has worked for Crooked Media, the Detroit Free Press, and now WDET - Detroit's NPR station.