Video game addiction is real: Dr. Marc Siegel
The World Health Organization (WHO) will recognize compulsive video gaming as a mental disorder.
Dr. Marc Siegel told FOX Business on Monday that video gaming addiction is real and WHO’s decision to call it out will allow insurance to start to cover therapy costs.
“It’s another word for social isolation,” Siegel said to Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.”
“Fortnite” – currently one of the most popular video games in the world -- allows multiple players to band together and one person survives. Siegel said teenagers who play the game all day may be addicted and need intervention.
“[Video games] can be educational tools. They can be social interaction tools,” said Siegel. “But they can also be socially isolating and I’m concerned about that.”
The video gaming industry is expected to rake in $180 billion a year worldwide by 2021, according to industry experts.