What Are the Biggest Changes Central New York Kids Need to Make?

It's frequently said that people today, especially youngsters, are too reliant on their digital devices, whether it be video games or phones or computers. So much so, that the World Health Organization has declared "video game addiction" to be an officially recognized disease.

On May 25, the World Health Organization officially voted to declare "gaming disorder" as a behavioral addiction.

According to a report on NPR, "in order to be classified as having a disease, being a video game fan isn't enough. According to WHO, the criteria doesn't include a certain amount of hours spent playing. Instead, the description is of someone with an inability to stop playing even though it interferes with other areas of one's life, such as family relationships, school, work, and sleep. And, these problems would typically continue for at least one year."

The WHO also decided that "burnout," the condition of being over-stressed on the job or at school, is a syndrome or condition to be reckoned with as well. But what about other complaints we've heard about the younger generation? What are the worst habits and behaviors of kids? We put it to our Facebook Friends: If you could change one aspect of your child, what would it be? Here were some of the top responses from parents:

• Not telling on each other all the time
• Taking warnings about food more seriously
• Smoother hormone swings
• Getting grown kids living out of state to call more often
• The teenage know-it-all attitude
• No more high-pitch yelling
• Change their smartphone to a landline
• Listening more
• The ability to recognize their own self-worth

From the looks of this list, it appears that Central New York parents are concerned with a lot more stuff than excessive video game playing. So, maybe the World Health Organization's new disorder is not such an issue here. If you have anything to add, send us your comments.