Notes

Is Minecraft Good For Kids?

If you are a parent of children who are over the age of 5years old, the odds are that you're familiar with Mojang's most popular online game "Minecraft." But, is Minecraft bad for kids or is it a good choice for kids? It all depends.



You have probably dropped a few buzzwords like "Steve," "Creepers," "Baby Zombie Pigman" in an effort to pretend you have been listening when your young "Minecraft" fan prattled on about a mod or whatever-it's-called. You may have enjoyed an enticing brown and green cupcake at a birthday celebration, and then recognized the theme at work.



Most likely you've probably demanded that a child get off the game. Maybe, you then demanded it. Then, possibly, you hid the "Minecraft"-supplying device after all kinds of ultimatums (yours) and loud protestations (your kids') and went to bed that night still cursing the "Minecraft" name under your breath.



If you somehow managed to get away from all this... Please share your secrets.



What exactly is "Minecraft?"



"Minecraft" is an online game for single or multi-players that gives children the chance to construct their own worlds, complete with houses and pets , resources, and even enemies who might creep into their homes in the night and threaten them.



After selling a reported 176 million copies around the world in May 2019 and counting, along with 200 million registered users, it's clear that "Minecraft" is a phenomenon and for some, seeming to be addictive.



Is "Minecraft" bad for kids?



Are they being handed the keys to a kingdom that could soon turn into "Lord of the Flies" in the event that the wrong hands are involved?



"Minecraft is online Legos," parenting and expert in child development Dr. Deborah Gilboa told TODAY Parents. "Could your child play rogue on 'Minecraft,' make something unsuitable, or focus on destruction and gore? It is possible.



"But that's not the purpose or the main focus of the game," she said, "and most 'Minecraft' obsessions make kids more creative, increase their working memory and cognitive flexibility and provide them with opportunities to feel great about their abilities as a nerd."



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The game itself isn't all bad. NBC News even used it to help explain who owns the moon at one point. But what do you think about all that screen time?



Parents who are conscientious, rejoice that a 2017 study published in the journal Child Development by researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute and Cardiff University discovered that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for managing children's screen time might be a bit alarmist - or perhaps incorrect.



'Minecraft' sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live



While the AAP recommends limiting screen time for young children to 1-2 hours a day but the Oxford study found that moderate use of screens over the recommended limits of the AAP might actually contribute positively to the health of children.



"Our findings suggest that the wider family context, how parents set rules about digital screens, and whether they are actively engaging in exploring the digital world with their children, is more important than screen time," Dr. Andrew Pryzbylski the lead author of the paper at the Oxford Internet Institute, wrote in the paper. "Future research should be focused on how digital devices are used with parents or caregivers and turned into a social time that affects children's psychological well-being, curiosity, as well as the bonds formed with the caregivers."



Although the results might be reassuring however, they do not solve the exhausting task of teaching children how to balance life in their virtual worlds with the realities in their real worlds. Maybe if we enrolled them in schools they could attend in their "Minecraft" mods and our children would be more enthusiastic about math-related homework?


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