Stoyan R. Vezenkov and Violeta R. Manolova
Center for applied neuroscience Vezenkov, BG-1582 Sofia, e-mail: info@vezenkov.com
For citation: Vezenkov, S.R. and Manolova, V.R. (2025) Gaming and Gambling Addiction in Fathers as a Risk Factor for Early Screen Addiction in Children. Nootism 1(2), 31-40, ISSN 3033-1765 (print), ISSN 3033-1986 (online)
Abstract
In therapeutic practice with children diagnosed with early screen addiction and complex neurodevelopmental conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and others, it is increasingly evident that their parents often present with undiagnosed behavioral addictions - including screen addiction, gaming, or online gambling. These parents typically seek help not for addiction, but for unrelated complaints such as somatic discomfort, insomnia, memory difficulties, anxiety, depressive symptoms, or attentional deficits. However, initial functional assessments frequently reveal underlying screen-related behavioral addictions, which the clients themselves do not recognize as pathological.
This study presents two case reports of young, professionally functioning fathers, both of whom sought clinical evaluation for issues unrelated to addiction: one for reduced motivation and poor sleep (Client A), and the other for cognitive optimization in professional online poker (Client B). Both underwent a comprehensive assessment protocol including semi-structured clinical interviews, quantitative EEG (qEEG), and autonomic nervous system profiling. Despite their outward stability - employment, family, and social integration - both individuals demonstrated clear neurophysiological and autonomic biomarkers of behavioral addiction. These included slowed cortical activity in frontal and prefrontal regions, increased theta and alpha power with eyes open, deficits in executive functioning, low impulse control, and autonomic dysregulation, particularly heightened sympathetic activity and poor parasympathetic recovery, closely linked to sleep disturbances and chronic fatigue.
A critical shared feature in both cases was the early and unregulated screen exposure of their young children (under age two), which the fathers not only tolerated but actively defended, equating it with their own positive experience of screen use as entertainment and stress relief. This intergenerational normalization of screen addiction poses a significant developmental risk to children during sensitive neurodevelopmental periods. The findings suggest that screen-addicted parents are likely to minimize or rationalize the risks of early exposure, thereby unknowingly facilitating the transmission of addictive patterns to the next generation.
The study underscores the need for preventive strategies that go beyond public education, calling for the early identification and intervention of behavioral addictions in young adults, especially those entering parenthood. The growing prevalence of screen-related behavioral addictions, and their neurophysiological and psychosocial impact on family dynamics, demands urgent recognition within medical, psychological, and public health frameworks.
Keywords: screen addiction, behavioral addiction, qEEG, executive function, parental behavior, early childhood development, online gaming, online gambling, intergenerational risk
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