5 Shame-Free Ways To Help Your Video Game-Loving Kid Embrace IRL Friendships, Too

If your child is constantly playing video games with virtual pals, rather than building friendships and making connections with other kids in real life, it can be concerning as a parent.

You might even wonder if your child knows how to make friends offline or if they have the social skills to do it, since you’ve noticed all along your kid does not tend to make friends easily in the first place.

Of course, you know play has changed since your childhood and virtual gaming is what kids do these days, but now your child spends nearly all of their time playing video games with online friends, you’re worried they’re not making friendships in the real world — and that it could lead to social problems down the line.

You want to help your kid improve their social skills so they develop meaningful friendships IRL, but when you try to talk about this dilemma with your child, they tell you, “My online friends are real friends! This is how people do things now.”

While that is true, you also know your child needs more than virtual buddies, and you want them to start making friends in real life.

Read the full article on YourTango.