Can Kids Really Become Addicted to Video Games?

By JustMommies

It’s tough to pull them away from the computer, the Nintendo DS or wherever they are playing the latest video game. Now, a new study reveals that some kids – as many as 8.5% – actually become addicted to playing their video games.

LiveScience reported on the study done by Harris Poll, which questioned over 1,000 kids between eight and eighteen.

Assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State University Douglas Gentle tells LiveScience that the numbers equate to about one in ten. “This is the first study to tell us the national prevalence of pathological play among youth gamers, and it is almost one in ten. What we mean by pathological use is that something someone is doing — in this case, playing video games — is damaging to their functioning," Gentile said. "It's not simply doing it a lot. It has to harm functioning in multiple ways."

According to LiveScience, kids that took part in the study and that were considered “pathological”  played about 24 hours per week and often times had the game setup in their bedrooms. They also received poorer grades in school and dealt with some health issues – including ADD and ADHD.

Interestingly, Gentile says he went into the study not thinking kids could actually be addicted to video games. He now has changed his tune after seeing the results. “I assumed that parents called it 'addiction' because they didn't understand why their children spent so much time playing. So I measured the way you measure pathological gambling and the way it harms functioning, and was surprised to find that a substantial number of gamers do rise to that level (of pathological addiction)."

Learn more here:
http://www.livescience.com/health/090420-children-video-games-addicted.html

 

0
No votes yet
 

0 comments

Most recent

Sign in to leave a comment!

Today on JustMommies

PMS or Pregnancy Symptoms?

One of the most maddening things while you are trying to conceive is staying patient during the “two-week wait” (the gap of time between ovulation and when you would normally expect your menstrual period to begin).

Fetal Development Month by Month

Month 1: Your first month of pregnancy your baby will accomplish many things, first and foremost, conception, fertilization, and implantation.

How to Outsmart Your Picky Eater

One day, my youngest daughter had strep throat, and in the time-honored tradition of mothers everywhere, I hid her foul-tasting medicine in some chocolate pudding.

How to Make a Dreamcatcher

To make our dreamcatcher you will need: wood embordery hoop, leather lace, scissors, 3 to 4 feathers, beads



Article Tools

Print this article

Email this article

RSS

Bookmark and Share

From the Message Boards

Traveling Mommies

Today

I spent the morning having a lie-in; re-listing my old acoustic guitar on Ebay as it didn't sell in...

Done Having Children

Did it cause arguments for you?

When you & your SO were making the decision as to whether you were done or not, did it cause any arg...

Done Having Children

Shy Saturday

Do you consider yourself shy?? I do, very much so... it usually takes me quite a long time to open...

General Spirituality

The angel whisperer

I have just made an appointment to go and see Francesca Brown the Angel Whisperer. I have just fi...

General Spirituality

Today

I spent the morning having a lie-in; re-listing my old acoustic guitar on Ebay as it didn't sell in...

» Check out the friendliest message board for moms and moms-to-be!