I'm 52 and not horrified. But I know it's creating and intensifying the mental health situation for several reasons:

— The most popular games involve killing with guns and bombs - Fortnite, Call of Duty, etc. - and thus the kids playing them become numb to the results. The gaming industry is so rife with money, though, it can line the pockets of politicians to blunt the "these are bad" complaints (just like the music industry 20-25 years ago)

— Teenagers' brains are still developing on multple levels and sitting in front of screens for hours with images flashing absolutely cannot be healthy. Physical changes in the brain, not to mention the emotional ones, have been proven via CAT scans and such. But no one wants to listen to the Dan the Doctor or Polly Purity or Pete Politician saying teens need exercise, good food, less time on electronics and e-stimulation, more outdoors pursuits, clean air and water, etc. Those folks - even though they're right - are told to mind their own business and let parents do what they want with their kids.

— Toss in the "energy drinks" like Red Bull and Monster or sodas and it's another layer. Likely some uppers or other amphetamines are involved in some way by some of them.

We had an Atari "Pong" game when I was a teen so I've literally seen every video game from the start. Pong was harmless and boring. Centipede and Pac-Man and Tron were harmless, other than financially. But when this chit got into the homes with X-Box and turned into "shoot everyone, shoot the cops, shoot shoot shoot wargames" and the intensity got deeper, and you could play with other folks simultaneously, and the weapons and cars and whatever looked more realistic (and they continue to evolve), things got worse. There's no denying it.