“It feels like I know my grandson less now than when he was...

“It feels like I know my grandson less now than when he was younger.  He used to be an amusing kid.  We’d go to museums and restaurants.  We’d play games, and cards, and chess.  We’d actually discuss things.  He was very outgoing.  But now he only wants to be on the computer.  He’s obsessed with this game called Fortnite.  And what’s the other one?  Grand Theft Auto.  He’s losing his capacity to socialize face-to-face, especially with adults.  He’s either staring at a screen or desperate to get back to it.  It frightens me.  He’s disassociating from the real world.  He’s becoming more aggressive and rude.  It’s all part of that culture.  There’s a complete acceptance of violence.  I can hear him screaming in his room: ‘Great body shot!’, ‘Great head shot!’  He spends his mother’s money on abstract things like new weapons and armor, then gets angry if she says ‘no.’  We’ve tried setting a screen time schedule with the school psychologist, but he’s angry about that.  He’s always demanding more time.  I feel like we’re losing him.  He probably thinks that I’m just an old fart, and I’m not supporting his interests.  But I have no interest in entering that world.  Just as he appears to have no interest in entering ours.”
(Montreal, Canada)