How to Help Your Teen Overcome Video Game Addiction

The Escape Room That Was Never Locked

For many teens, gaming can feel like a lifeline. A place to relax. A world they can win in. An escape from the pressure and chaos of life. But sometimes, that escape becomes something more. A place they go to avoid, to numb, or to disappear.

Imagine an escape room. The lights are dim, the music is loud, and the clues feel urgent. You’re completely absorbed in solving the puzzle. But what if the door was never actually locked? What if you could walk out at any time—but the game convinced you that you couldn’t?

That’s what gaming can be like for some teens.

Why It Feels So Good

Games are designed to feel good. That quick hit of achievement. The fast reward. It’s like a little spark of joy that comes easily—and for a stressed or overwhelmed teen, that can be addictive. It’s not because they’re “bad” or lazy. It’s because, in that moment, gaming offers something their everyday life might not: certainty, progress, fun.

And when life feels confusing or too much, who wouldn’t want to press pause and dive into something that instantly feels better?

A World Where They Can Win

For a teen who isn’t enjoying school, struggling with friendships, or feeling unsure of themselves, gaming can be the one place where things make sense. Where they’re good at something. Where they feel respected, competent—even powerful.

If we dismiss it or try to take it away without understanding, they may just pull away further. But if we get curious—ask what they’re playing, who they’re playing with, what they love about it—we open the door to connection. You don’t have to love gaming yourself. You just need to love your child enough to show interest in what they care about.

Because when you do, they stop hiding. And you don’t lose touch with who they are behind the screen.

Trying On Who They Might Be

Gaming also lets teens try on different identities—be a hero, a builder, a rebel. They’re experimenting. Exploring. Playing with who they might want to be. And that’s okay. They’re not escaping themselves; they’re trying to find themselves.

As a parent, you can gently name that:
“It’s totally normal to want to try out different things as you grow. I did that too. Eventually, it settles down, and you realise you were okay all along.”

Because at its heart, that’s what they’re really looking for—some sign that they’re okay. That they’re enough. That they’re not broken.

The Door Was Never Locked

Gaming isn’t the enemy. It’s just a place. A space that feels safer than the chaos of thought swirling in their minds. But the real safety doesn’t come from logging in—it comes from seeing that those overwhelming thoughts aren’t permanent. That they can ride out the discomfort. That their feelings won’t break them.

When a young person sees that, the grip of gaming loosens. They still enjoy it—but they no longer need it to feel okay.

Because the truth is:
The escape room was never locked.
They were never trapped.
They’ve had the key all along.