Mom Calls Cops over Son's Game Addiction
Mom calls 911 over her son's supposed gaming addiction.
The Boston Herald reports that 49-year-old Angela Mejia, a single mother of four children, was forced to call the cops on her 14-year-old son over Grand Theft Auto. According to the police report, the "addiction" has been a growing problem for quite some time, leaving the woman overwhelmed and exasperated. Mejia finally snapped when she discovered her son playing a Grand Theft Auto game at 2:30 a.m., long after he was told to go to bed.
Infuriated, Mejia unplugged her son's PlayStation console (the model wasn't specified). As most gamers know, unplugging an active console is a big no-no--might was well thrust a knife into our back--thus a heated argument ensued between the two. The mother eventually dialed 911 and asked the police to help with her obsessed son.
The two officers who responded to the call told the Herald that they were "surprised" that there was more involved than just cooling down a family feud. Ultimately, they diffused the situation, telling the son to chill out and go to bed. The report didn't reveal any details about what happened to the console and games, or if any therapy would be involved.
Lawrence Kutner, former co-director of the Center for Mental Health and Media at Massachusetts General Hospital, told the Herald that the police call spoke more about the mom's frustration than the boy's so-called addiction. He also added that adults see videogames as isolating experience, whereas young males see games as a means of gaining social acceptance.
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I think the issue here isn't the police call or the video games. The main problem is a 49 year old single mother with a 14 year old child and 3 other children who has no idea what the word discipline means.
No one died? Awww...
It's a good thing he wasn't playing Wii bowling, otherwise the cops might have played too.
Next thing she'll be calling the cops because he has a naked girl in bed at 2:30 a.m.
I think the issue here isn't the police call or the video games. The main problem is a 49 year old single mother with a 14 year old child and 3 other children who has no idea what the word discipline means.
Exactly
but can he play crysis?
Mother is too soft. Should have sold or break the console.
Whack the kid with some wood on the butt and get a husband.
The kid obviously needs a good ass whippin'. Oh wait, that's politically incorrect now-a-days isn't it? I guess the mom is out of luck.
The kid obviously needs a good ass whippin'. Oh wait, that's politically incorrect now-a-days isn't it? I guess the mom is out of luck.
She needs to buy him a new game. Who the hell is still playing GTA?
Kid needs to be backhanded a couple of times.
Too bad you can't do that anymore. I have even hears that you should not put kids in time out because it can cause "mental anguish from being isolated and develop repressed feelings of abandonment that could manifest into greater issues in adulthood." That and it really just doesn't work.
My niece admitted that when she was put it timeout it gave her time to plot revenge. She is one HELL of a prankster for 13. I can no longer visit my brother because I cannot stop laughing at some of the things she does to get revenge and it pushes her to do more.
Seriously though...wtf.
the fact that the police even responded pisses me off, what a waste of tax payer money.
911 whats your emergency my son refuse to eat his vegitables, dont worry mame we will send two officers and make sure he does.
WTF is next
Obviously, the kid needs to start listening to his Mother and understand that nothing in excess is good.
At the same time, though, the Mother seriously needs to learn a bit more about gaming and how to handle it. The kid is clearly in the wrong, but the Mother could do well with understanding what the kid sees in video games and that'd help her reach out to him more and relate to him.
I think the issue here isn't the police call or the video games. The main problem is a 49 year old single mother with a 14 year old child and 3 other children who has no idea what the word discipline means.
I second that! Good comment!
Lol that sounded like me 5yrs ago. My mom would say go to bed then I would wait like an hour or 2 then get back on.
Playstation 2, if the game was any good. The best one was Vice City. The rest pale to it (besides the classic original 2 1/2D overhead title that was released on PC, that game was great).
GTA : San Andreas. More likely on PS2. Because I and everyone find it more addicting than all of GTA series.
And of course nothing's been said or done about the fact this woman purchased a video game rated 18 (or R or whatever the US equivalent is) and is therefore breaking the law by exposing her child, or allowing him to be exposed to, adult material?
lawrence kutner isn't the name of that guy who commited suicide in House?
And of course nothing's been said or done about the fact this woman purchased a video game rated 18 (or R or whatever the US equivalent is) and is therefore breaking the law by exposing her child, or allowing him to be exposed to, adult material?
Good work on quoting something that is not breaking the law in any way. This is the equivalent of bringing a child under the age of 17 to a rated R movie. It is up to the discretion of the parent. Nice try though, legal n00b.
Good work on quoting something that is not breaking the law in any way. This is the equivalent of bringing a child under the age of 17 to a rated R movie. It is up to the discretion of the parent. Nice try though, legal n00b.
Ooh look at the big boy trying to make himself look like a big shot pointing out an error in somebody's comment. Y'know you could've just said "actually, R-rated content can be viewed with parental consent" instead of being a total fucking prick about it, but still I should expect nothing less from the kind of user base this site has these days, especially from the American side.
OK fine, R ratings have a parental consent thing going on. I was not aware of this evidently and it works differently to our 18 rating whereby under 18s are prohibited from viewing, buying or renting 18-rated material, so I retract my statement.
Happy now, oh wise sage of all things legal?
OK, I see something different. Games and social networking sites that do not promote any type of learning experience will be the downfall of this era of children. It is a way to "escape" and "play" without causing a disturbance to others.. essentially. Like when parents tell their kids to go watch tv or play their games when they don't want to be bothered with actually being a parent. Scumbags.
Mommy, buy me a GTA game, i promise i will be good this year.
At the same time Santa is sighing, "*sigh* not another one.. oh well, at least I can cut a present this year."
"Master Elf, please cut that GTA cd for this boy."
My mother is still unable to accept gaming as a social reality... forgetting that almost everybody of my ages are playing video games.
Good work on quoting something that is not breaking the law in any way. This is the equivalent of bringing a child under the age of 17 to a rated R movie. It is up to the discretion of the parent. Nice try though, legal n00b.
That doesn't mean the parent shouldn't have enough discretion to not let their 14yr old be playing games meant for more mature audiences. My mom complains if she sees me playing GTA now and I'm in my 30's. If I was 14 in that situation, the main issue would've been THAT I was playing GTA, with being up at 2:30 secondary. There would have been no calls to police, just straight to a beating and my console would have been gone (cutting off access to something has a drastic effect on a person's ability to be "addicted" to it).
my son is 9, he plays left4dead 1 and 2, gta4 (Multiplayer and free modes only, i dont want him seeing the story) cod4mw,ut3 and a few others, i am right beside him at my system either playing the same game or working, but i keep an eye on him, we do other things together too besides all the games. hes well rounded and in advanced classes and no discipline problems. but i set strong ground rules and if he breaks them he loses various privledges at my discretion for an indefinite amout of time.
it is not the games that are hurting our kids, its the parents. i see more and more doing less and less with their kids and relying way too much on the electric babysiter. then they wonder why their kids are unruly and sociably unacceptable. its not the games, its the lack of a thing called parenting.
I feel bad for cops who have to waste their time with crap like that. Anyways, who gets addicted to Grand Theft Auto? Sure, someone might enjoy it and play it a lot until they win it, but after that, there's not much to keep you coming back. It's not like World of Warcraft or something where the entire gameplay revolves around making you play forever. The mom was either exaggerating or the son isn't too bright. Maybe he was just bored and couldn't sleep. What a parent might call addiction, a "hardcore gamer" might call normal.
YOU DONT TURN OFF A CONSOLE GAME IN PROGRESS PERIOD
this is just stupid, lol. wtf? is the mother not able to control her son? donate all the game and the console to a poor family and make that brat pay for his own crap. as long as the kid lives at home he or she needs to respect the rules of the house and whatever hi or her mother says. wrf is going on with kids these days?
Only time the the cops should have been called was after she put a foot up his ass, and even then to only BACK HER UP.
My son ever acts this way he will find out real quick that the only thing I have to do is make sure he has a roof over his head, food, and clothing. Everything else is at my discrestion. That's one of the downfalls of todays parents, to many of my generation feel they have to provide this and that for their children and the children look at these cellphones, game consoles and whatever else as "rights" instead of priviledges.
Only time the the cops should have been called was after she put a foot up his ass, and even then to only BACK HER UP.My son ever acts this way he will find out real quick that the only thing I have to do is make sure he has a roof over his head, food, and clothing. Everything else is at my discrestion. That's one of the downfalls of todays parents, to many of my generation feel they have to provide this and that for their children and the children look at these cellphones, game consoles and whatever else as "rights" instead of priviledges.
you realize you're legally required to feed and clothe right? and to all the people saying hit the kids...any violence such as that should be met in kind with violence..you don't hit people you love and respect