If your child is a gaming enthusiast, you might be scared that they'll get addicted to gaming. While it's a valid concern, there's a more important concern that needs your attention: gaming ergonomics. By setting a strict schedule, you can prevent your child from becoming a gaming addict, but ensuring proper gaming ergonomics is a more difficult thing to do.
If your child spends a lot of time on their computer, the chances that they're sitting in the correct posture are slim. Most people don't pay much heed to the posture their child is sitting in, and this negligence can result in serious health conditions in children.
We aren't saying all of this to scare you. Our objective is to educate you about what a wrong gaming posture can do to your child and how you can ensure your child's safety during the time they're glued to their computers. That's what this blog post is about!
What Do Poor Gaming Ergonomics Mean for Your Child?
Ergonomics are equally important for adults and children, maybe more for children. Children's bodies are still developing and are at a higher risk of injury if exposed to a poor environment. If your child spends several hours a day playing games on the computer, not only do you need to set some boundaries, but you also have to work on improving the ergonomics of their gaming setup because poor gaming ergonomics can put your child at risk of numerous health conditions.
Pain in the Back, Neck, and Shoulders
If your child complains about back, neck, and shoulder pain, know that their gaming setup isn't ergonomic, and you need to do something about it. If your child isn't sitting in the correct posture, their body will get strained. For example, if your child is slumped in their chair, their lower back can get strained due to excessive weight on the lumbar region, resulting in back pain. If your child is sitting bent toward the computer monitor with a curved back, their shoulders and neck will get strained.
Altered Spine Curvature
Since a child's body is still developing and not as strong as an adult's, sitting in an incorrect posture can damage their posture permanently. If your child is sitting with their back curved for several hours at a stretch regularly, a time will come when the natural S-curvature of their spine will get permanently altered.
Musculoskeletal Disorders
Pain in the back, neck, and shoulders are the initial signs that your child is on a high risk of developing posture-related musculoskeletal disorders. These disorders are a group of injuries that the wrong posture can cause. An incorrect posture strains the body, especially the lower back, neck, and shoulders, and if you don't correct your posture, the strain can become worse and affect you in ways you never imagined. Musculoskeletal disorders can lead to lifelong health complications and disabilities if not addressed on time.
Repetitive Strain Injuries
Gaming involves the continuous use of the keyboard and mouse. Any aggressive, repetitive movements can put you at risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. If your child's wrists aren't positioned right, the nerve passing through the wrist can get compressed, and this can cause stiffness of the fingers or numbing or tingling sensations that can be very painful at times.
Eye Strain
Having their eyes locked on the computer screen for long hours causes eye strain in children. Eye strain can result in corneal damage, weakening of eyesight, and headaches.
How Can You Ensure Your Child's Safety During Gaming?
Reading all the above risks might have scared you to the core and left you wanting to stop your child from gaming altogether. You don't have to take such impulsive steps. Gaming has some great benefits, like problem-solving, strategizing, etc. You should take steps to make gaming safer for your child. The good news is that it's not all that difficult!
1. Invest in a Gaming Chair
The first thing that you need to do to make gaming safe for your child is to invest in a gaming chair. Gaming chairs like Gaming Chair GC02 are quite different from the regular chair that your child may be currently using. These chairs offer superior back, elbow, and neck support to ensure your child's body doesn't get strained. An ergonomic gaming chair allows a child to adjust the height of the chair so that their feet aren't hanging in the air. Your child can also adjust the seat depth to ensure their lower back (lumbar region) is supported by the backrest. The headrest of a gaming chair reduces strain on the neck. Moreover, gaming chairs also have armrests to ensure the elbows are supported adequately as well so that the strain on arms and shoulders is reduced. A gaming chair reduces the risk of musculoskeletal disorders significantly.
2. Replace the Desk
The next thing you should consider doing is replacing the computer table and bring home an ergonomic desk. Now, an ergonomic desk offers numerous benefits. Firstly, you can adjust its height to ensure it's not too high or too low for your child. Secondly, it offers a lot of space on the surface for your child to arrange their gaming monitor(s), speakers, headphones, keyboard and mouse within their reach so that they don't have to extend their arms or bend their waist too frequently to grab things they need.
3. Install an Adjustable Monitor Mount
An adjustable monitor mount is the simplest yet the most impactful addition to your child's gaming setup. One of the biggest ergonomic hazards during gaming is the incorrect position of the computer monitor. If the monitor isn't at eye level, your child will have to raise or lower their head to get a good view. If it's not in front of your child, the child will have to tilt their head. And if it's too far or too close to your child's eyes, it'll cause eye strain. And since your child's eyes are locked on the computer screen for several hours, they'll stay in the incorrect posture for a very long time.
An adjustable monitor mount can be used to adjust the distance, height, and angle of the computer monitor to ensure the monitor is right in front of the eyes, at eye level, and at an appropriate angle.
4. Anti-Glare Screen
Another accessory that'll instantly improve the gaming ergonomics for your child is an anti-glare screen. It's a screen that's mounted over the computer monitor to shield the eyes from the blue light that causes eye strain. Eye strain can damage your child's eyes and may even weaken their eyesight. However, you can prevent that from happening with an anti-glare screen.
5. Get Your Child a Gaming Keyboard and Mouse
A gaming keyboard and mouse reduce the risk of Repetitive Strain Injuries significantly. Your child's hands are constantly at work when they're playing a game on their computer. If you look closely, their wrists are slightly raised and placed at an awkward angle as they type or use the mouse. This causes wrist strain and puts your child at risk of developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.
The gaming keyboard and mouse have a unique design that encourages the child to place their hands correctly. A gaming keyboard has two distinct sections, each at a different angle (unlike the straight placement of the keys on a regular keyboard). This allows the user to place their hands in a neutral posture when they're typing. As for the ergonomic mouse, not only does the design make way for a more comfortable grip, but the buttons are also softer and more sensitive so that the user doesn't have to press them too hard, which can strain their fingers.
Some Tips to Ensure Your Child's Safety and Well-Being During Gaming
We've listed some helpful tips below to help you ensure your child is absolutely safe. Setting up an ergonomic gaming station isn't all that you've got to do. There's still more to do.
Talk to Your Child and Educate Them About Gaming Ergonomics
Your child may still be at risk even after you've set up an ergonomic gaming station for your child if they don't know why you made a certain change. They may tell you that they don't feel any discomfort with their current gaming setup, but you need to make them understand that it can take years for the initial signs to appear. Tell them why they need to correct their gaming posture and how the certain changes you made will help them.
Set Limits
Just because your child is now gaming in better ergonomic conditions doesn't mean excessive gaming won't harm them. You still need to set limits and encourage your child to take breaks. This would reduce eye strain and release pressure and strain on their body from sitting for long hours.
Closing Word
Your child's health, safety, and well-being are your responsibility. Stopping the child from doing what they like isn't a solution. It would be best if you came up with ways that are a win-win for both of you. If your child loves to play games on the computer, improve the ergonomics of their gaming setup and let them have their fun!
