A new study measured the impact that video games have on children’s health.
- 53% of French people aged over 15 played video games in 2020, compared to 19% in 1997.
- This practice slightly improves the cognitive performance of children and adolescents.
- However, it also tends to deteriorate the mental health of young people.
What is the impact of video games on children? To answer this thorny question, researchers formed a cohort of 2,217 young people.
Video games, cognitive performance and mental health
“The final sample used for the analyzes was composed of a first group of 1,278 young people who had never played video games and a second group of 800 children playing at least 21 hours per week”specify the scientists. “There was no difference in body mass index and IQ between the two groups after adjusting for sociodemographic variables”they add.
The team then assessed the cognitive performance and mental health of the individuals included in the research. The first variable was measured using MRI and the second using the psychiatric scale called “Child Behavior Checklist” (CBCL).
“The results of this cross-sectional study showed very low levels of improvement in cognitive performance in children who regularly played video games compared to those who did not play them,” write the authors of the research in their report. Nevertheless, “players had poorer mental health, including more problems with depression and ADHD (attention deficit disorder with or without hyperactivity)”, they note.
Video games: more and more players and research
A large survey conducted in the United States in 2022 found that 71% of children aged 2 to 17 play video games, an increase of 4 points since 2018. “Given that the brain develops significantly during childhood and adolescence, these trends have logically led researchers to study the links between video games, cognition and mental health,” explain the researchers. “Most psychological and behavioral studies to date indicate harmful associations between video games and children’s mental health,” they recall.
According to the Cultural Practices of the French survey by the Ministry of Culture, 53% of French people aged over 15 played video games in 2020, compared to 19% in 1997. The effect of confinements is not enough to explain these figures, since they were 36% in 2008 and 44% in 2018 .
