What did children do in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic? They spent a little less time on computer games. Busy with online classes and work assignments, they seem to be concentrating more on video content online than on computer games.

Cyber security solutions firm Kaspersky collected anonymised data and found that children have become less interested in games on personal computers during the lockdown. “From March to May 2020, interest in this category consistently decreased in comparison with the first two months of the year,” according to the report.

YouTube is the most popular video streaming service with kids anywhere in the world. “Declining interest in games on personal computers can be explained by the increased need of having to use them for other activities,” the report said.

“Though children spend a significant part of their time at home during the period, they use computers wisely and don’t feel the need to dive into video games,” said Anna Larkina, web content analysis expert at Kaspersky.

Keep an eye on online activity

She asked the parents to find out whether their children are experiencing anything that makes them uncomfortable or bothers them while they are playing games. “Note that not all negative emotions have negative connotations and there can be good outcomes,” she said.

“If you notice your child is spending significantly less time on computer games during the self-isolation period, try to find out why,” she said.

Talk to them and try to understand how they are perceiving the current circumstances, as well as what difficulties they may be encountering. It may be time to check that they are not overloaded with school work.

Positive relationships

“Finding the time to play computer games with your child will help strengthen your relationship and increase your understanding of what your child does in their free time,” she added.

Published on June 4, 2020