Child taken into care because parents hooked on video games

Social workers were forced to step in after the parents gaming addiction was deemed as “neglect”.Some 20 million Brits regularly play video games spending an average of nine hours indulging in the pass time.

Experts estimate up to ten per cent get addicted.

The unnamed child was taken into care was from Walsall.

Another was taken in from Devon. In both cases the children were taken into care for having bad teeth.

“The computer gaming must have been extreme use,” said Claude Knights, from charity Kidscape.”I expect the parents were spending hours in front of a screen.

“If a child is being neglected or unsafe then the authorities should set in but it is a fine balance.”

But Walsall Council said gaming was not the main factor the child was taken into care.

Ten more children were removed due to their parents’ heavy smoking habits, according to The Sun probe.

One was in Worcestershire, four in Southampton, three in Bradford and two in Lancashire.