The effects that video games and other technology impart on children’s mental health are not entirely known, but findings often take a negative connotation. Contrary to popular opinion, new research suggests video gaming improves intellect and enhances overall school performance.
A joint-study by researchers at Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and Paris Descartes University found evidence suggesting that playing video games may actually have a positive effect on young children.
The research, published in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, studied the association between the time spent gaming and children’s cognitive and social skills, as well as their mental health. It was discovered—after adjusting for age, gender, and the number of children—that increased video game usage was linked with 1.75 times the odds of high intellectual functioning and 1.88 times the odds of overall school competence.
Parenting reports showed that a fifth of all the children studied gamed for more than 5 hours a week, and to everyone’s surprise, these children displayed less relationship issues with their peers than those who gamed for less. What’s more, no correlation was drawn with any mental health problems self-reported by child, or its parents and teachers.
This is no surprise, explains Katherine M. Keyes, PhD, assistant professor of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health
“Video game playing is often a collaborative leisure time activity for school-aged children. These results indicate that children who frequently play video games may be socially cohesive with peers and integrated into the school community,” said Katherine M. Keyes
The results were deduced from data belonging to the School Children Mental Health Europe, a project that tracked the mental health of children ages 6 through 11. The joint-study evaluated multiple questionnaires answered by the parents, who revealed family conditions and time spent gaming; educators, who assessed academic success; and the children themselves, who used an interactive tool to answer questions.
Some of factors correlated with time spent gaming include being male, being older, and belonging to a medium-sized family. Being raised by a less educated or single mother typically reduced time playing video games.
At the same time, Dr. Keyes cautions against overly interpreting the results, as “setting limits on screen usage remains and important component of parental responsibility as an overall strategy for student success.”
Reflecting on my own childhood, the time I spent gaming was a positive experience that engaged my imagination, hand-eye-coordination, and taught me to enjoy teamwork. Video gaming, like all tools, may be beneficial or detrimental depending on how they’re use. So long as gaming is not a replacement for all the other fun things that make childhood precious—curiosity, exploration, psychical activity, minor amounts of danger, reading—a moderate amount can be beneficial.
Source: Sciencedaily
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