The World Health Organization says playing video games obsessively can be classified as a mental health condition.
Some local psychologists aren't so sure about that declaration, but say summer is a great time to set boundaries for your kids.
LSU Health Clinical Psychologist Michelle Moore is not ready to classify obsessive video gaming as a mental health problem, but she says there are warning signs that parents should be on the lookout for.
"I don't know if we can actually say this is an addiction, but there are certainly warning signs that people can pay attention to that may be cause for alarm that it's time to do something about it," Moore said.
Warning signs include sleeping or eating less, changes in mood or behavior and becoming further isolated from the outside world.
"If somebody has a need to get back to it when they're not with the game, so if they're off at a family event and you can tell they're thinking about it a lot and starting to get anxious because they're not playing it and want to be playing it that would be a cause for concern," Moore said.
She recommends parents set guidelines for kids, by limiting video gaming to an hour a day for young children and four hours a day for older children. She says to create rules that work best for your family and now is an important time to ensure those rules are enforced.
"Summer is a great time to bring this up because kids are not involved in the structured activities like they are during the school year," Moore said.
The World Health Organization estimates that two to three percent of gamers could have an addiction.