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Senator seeks installation of microchip to turn games consoles off after two hours
on 12/03/2013 09:35:59
Her calls come after a 20-year-old male died in the UK from Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), following a 12 hour gaming session.
She also compared the lasting effects of lengthy gaming sessions to the health impacts of smoking cigarettes.
Healy Eames, who once said teenagers are 'literally living in a parallel universe' said: "It is only now that research on the addictive nature of these gaming consoles is beginning to emerge. What we need is quick action; and I believe it is not unreasonable to demand some class of a microchip to be installed that shuts the game down after two hours, and that it cannot be restarted for another period of time.
"We are soon to be putting images on cigarette boxes to prevent smoking because of the impact on health and its addictive quality. This is not far behind in respect of lasting damage.
"Apart from the health point of view, thousands of our children, teens and even young married men are spending endless hours on these machines. Just ask parents how difficult it is. Prolonged periods of usage is negatively impacting on education outcomes as well as emotional and mental health.
"This call is not about one death, which is reason enough in itself. Its about the impact the gaming industry without reasonable controls can have on young people's minds and the quality of their lives.
"I will be writing to the National Consumer Agency asking them to communicate with manufacturers to see what steps they will take to ensure responsible, healthy usage.