Parents in rural towns worried over video game kiosks targeting children

According to a parent who spoke to Wananchi Reporting, video gaming is the new fad in most rural towns.

Reports indicate that children as young as five years old in these village towns are spending long hours in front of the screens with no one to control their activities and interactions.

“This is no longer a Nairobi problem only, it is here with us, and as a parent I am worried,” said John Ouma who lives in Migori.

“I have seen children as young as five years old getting hooked on these games. Our children don’t want to be at home; and every coin they get goes to the gaming kiosk,” he noted.

“It’s a relatively new thing here in Migori, but it’s taking away our children from us,” he added.

A mother from Rongo town in Migori constituency told Wananchi Reporting that she was shocked to learn that her 12-year-old son had been stealing her money – and spending it all on gaming kiosks.

“Sometime he would take Sh50, other times Sh100, and just recently he took Sh200, and that’s when I became suspicious. So, when I asked him, he confessed that he had been taking my money and spending it at the gaming shop at the town center,” she said.

There is silent concern among parents that their children could find themselves grappling with video game addiction that could hurt their development and even school work.

Johannes who runs a video gaming shop in Migori told Wananchi Reporting that most of their customers are young people who are still in school.

“Our customers are mostly high school and primary school students; young people aged between eight and 23 years," said.

The students – he says – troop to the gaming kiosks during weekdays and weekends.

“A chief in Migori used to show up at our gaming shop occasionally during weekdays to smoke out school-going children. Other than that, there are no controls, anyone can come and play,” said Johannes, noting that the linear town has over 10 video gaming stations all within a very small radius.

“The gaming shops charge between Sh10 and Sh40, monies children can easily get, and the games are very addictive,” he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) included ‘gaming disorder’ in the 11th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health.

Parents who spoke to Wananchi Reporting want tighter controls to be put in place to protect children.