We sometimes read or hear about children in the 8- to 16-year-old range acting violently toward parents or guardians who shut off their machines while in the middle of a computer game.

This scenario is increasing with the continuing technical advancement of personal computers and smart-phones coupled with increased operating speeds of the Internet itself. These competitive games have become more complex and seductive as they encourage more participation.

I have also seen how such games can even become addictive to adults, causing them to withdraw from daily tasks and basic employment duties.

This was the topic of a well-attended public seminar at the Noank Baptist Church on Sept. 29. It was conducted by Dr. Paul Weigle, associate medical director of Natchaug Psychiatric Hospital, a division of Hartford Health Care. He took us through the process of how video gaming and other internet screen habits can impact, for good or ill, both the physical and mental health of our children.

In many cases, advanced computer technology and persuasive gaming design have increased youth engagement to at least six hours daily, with perhaps 25 percent going over 12 hours daily. Violent video games (many involve war and guns) can result in increasingly aggressive behavior.

Pornography, sexting or cyberbullying are also risky behaviors involving the child interacting improperly with others.

Weigle used slide presentations to illustrate the history of electronic games, from the old Pong series on up through various Mario enhancements and into challenging competitions between other Internet players. He showed how the level of challenge combines with increased skill levels to create an increased zone of concentration that, if suddenly interrupted by a parent turning off the devices, is very disturbing to the child, sometimes causing violent reactions.

In essence, video games produce a “world” that a child can control, to which they can apply effort and achieve positive results. However, overindulgence can lead to isolation or lack of sleep, making it harder to control their own behavior.

Parents can deal with these potential problems by establishing early guidelines and not allowing distractions, such as TV and smartphones, in the child’s bedroom. They can establish daily time limits for gaming, rather than just sticking them in front of the TV.

Parents should use a wall chart to organize activities and activate parental controls for the TV and computer, along with ensuring daily physical exercise.

The take-away is that computer games don’t have to be taken away, just used for shorter periods. That way, games can be fun and productive, improving children’s ability to multitask, for instance.

Finally, Weigle suggested that if a parent has an older child who is already “addicted” to games and resists prompts to change his or her behavior (and shows signs of depression and isolation), parents should obtain professional mental health assistance. The idea is to help change the child’s behavior patterns as well as to help modify the parent’s methods for dealing with these issues.

Ed Johnson lives in Noank.