A nine-year-old committing rape sounds outlandish but there's a growing trend of boys in this age group simulating that they are raping women.And yes, it's reached our shores and classrooms with some children now addicted to the video game that offers them this option.Grand Theft Auto (GTA) is a video game phenomenon. It's so popular that in 2008 its fourth generation version Grand Theft Auto IV sold a whopping 3.6 million copies in the first 24 hours of release. That equalled about $310 million in revenue and made it the Guinness World Record holder for the highest grossing video game in 24 hours and also the highest revenue generated by an entertainment product in 24 hours.Given its popularity it's not surprising that children here are among its enthusiasts. But according to a local educator many parents are unaware of how violent the game is and the damaging effect it is having on their children.In the US the video game was blamed for causing an 18-year-old Alabama male to murder three policemen.Two years ago, at two separate public meetings in Warwick, police warned that they saw a growing problem of young people playing specific violent video games.The officers urged those gathered not to allow their children to play GTA, a video game they said was gaining popularity and which they described as dangerous to the minds of young people.An educator revealed that she is seeing a disturbing trend here, in primary school children who have become addicted to playing the game. She said the children exhibit a disconnectedness that is difficult to describe.She said it is quite different from a child who appears detached in a classroom because they don't understand the course material. The woman said her GTA addicts behave as if they have attention deficit disorder.She said the danger of the game is that it is extremely violent. Players take on a criminal identity, where they chase and kill Police and innocent bystanders, steal cars and even commit rape.And because the children are addicted, their thoughts are preoccupied with the game. She said one child told her: “My mind feels like I want to go back home and play the game.” Asked if he thought of anything else, the student said: “I think I'm going to die. Every time I watch bad shows I feel like somebody's watching me to kill me.”Playing the game for several hours each week, it becomes all-consuming. According to the educator, many of the children only want to eat and play the game. Nothing else matters.“It's almost like a comfort. It's a proper addiction,” she said.Chartered counselling psychologist Sue Adhemar agreed that playing video games like GTA are unhealthy for the minds of young people.“I'm not sure that it's an addiction. It's more likely an obsession,” she said.She explained that behaviours are formed by positive reinforcements. Children playing GTA get this reinforcement by the excitement they experience in playing the game and also through scoring points in it. Playing the game repetitively builds an obsession and also feeds it. The result is that the child's mind is bombarded with thoughts of playing the game all day long.While the students may not realise they have developed an addiction or obsession with GTA, the local educator said they do recognise that it's an inappropriate activity for them.In some cases parents are unaware that their children are playing the game, in others, the parents have actually bought the game but were oblivious to the extent of the violence in it.“Parents are clueless as to the impact of these games,” said the educator. But she added that when informed, they make no excuses and simply want to know how best to move forward, for the health of their children.“Parents I have spoken to have been extremely cooperative,” she said. “I would urge parents to play these games themselves before giving them to their children.”While that can work well for children who do not have the game, the case is not the same for those have become obsessed with it. Ms Adhemar agreed with the educator that simply denying a child access to the game may not be an effective solution. The behaviour must be replaced with another.For this reason, the educator said she suggests that parents sit with their children while they are playing the game and talk with them about what they are doing and seeing.“I recommend that they ask: ‘What is it about this that you find enjoyable? Do you see how this behaviour (the onscreen behaviour) is inappropriate?” she said.“Parents can try and sear their conscience by having a dialogue regarding the visuals.”Ms Adhemar stressed that parents of primary aged children should not be negotiating with them over playing the game.“If it's as violent as they say it is, the parents should not allow it. They have to set the boundaries,” she said.She said healthy options like playing sports or music should replace GTA.“I had a 12-year-old client where we traded off whatever time he put into his studies and other activities, for time for his electronic stuff,” she said. “When he had completed two hours of studying he could trade it in for an hour on his video stuff. This worked well.”According to Ms Adhemar the key is for parents to not allow video games to babysit their children.“Parents need to put boundaries down,” she said. “Many of our children have quite an entitlement attitude. They need to learn they have to earn rewards and that they are not a right.”And she stressed that video games like GTA, which do not help children progress educationally, should never be given to them.