The university of Glasgow conducted a study recently using a survey of mothers, asking about their children and video games.
The study included a sample of roughly 11,000 children, tracking their behavior over time. This was achieved by asking parents to report on average screen time, and the behavior of their children as a result. The goal of the study was to see if a relation between playing video games at a young age and behavioral problems occurring later in life would occur. The study concluded that there is not.
Researchers also took into account the hours children spent watching TV, and they noted that a “small increase” in behavioral problems occurred at age 7 if children watched more than three hours of TV on average at age 5. Several key takeaways have been released by the researchers:
- Exposure to video games had no effect on behavior, attention or emotional issues.
- Neither television nor video games lead to attentional or emotional problems.
- There was no difference between boys and girls in the survey results.
The efforts by the University of Glasgow to explore the idea of kids being influenced by video games is interesting, especially considering the blame the video games receive for many accounts of child behavior or attention problems. The study should provide context and real weight in any debate about children and video games. What do you think? Do you agree with the findings Let us know in the comments below.