It has been reported that the number of children and young adults entering treatment for gaming addictions and disorders tripled over the last year.

The UK’s first specialist clinic to treat children and young adults who are addicted to playing video games opened in 2019. Now, figures obtained by The Guardian show that 56 people entered treatment at the clinic between January and May this year, compared with 17 in the same period last year.

The Nightingale hospital, a private hospital that specialises in treating mental health disorders, also saw a rise in referrals and individuals seeking treatment for gaming and technology addictions.

Between March to June and July to September 2020 the number of inquiries received regarding technology addiction doubled, with the majority of them from parents seeking support for their children. In 2021 the hospital has recorded a fourfold increase in inquiries.

Dr Henrietta Bowden-Jones, the lead on gaming addictions at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, said the closure of schools during lockdown had had a significant impact on young people with gaming disorder.

She said: “Many of our young patients reported [that] the loss of structure caused them to game for longer hours and more compulsively, to the detriment of other interests and activities including family time. For several of our patients, the escalation of gaming caused a shift in the family dynamics, with attempts by parents to block the gaming causing the children to respond with anger and at times with physical aggression. The last year has brought far more patients into treatment than we had expected and we now need to review how we will support both parents and children in such large numbers.”