Video game addictions can lead to social problems in kids, researchers say

By Staff Writer

Children and teens who are addicted to video games are more likely to develop psychological disorders, such as depression, anxiety and other social phobias, according to a new study. Furthermore, adolescents who engage in this unhealthy behavior are also more likely to perform poorly in school.

The study, which appears in the journal Pediatrics, found that children who play video games more than 30 hours per week are at risk of lacking social competence, having less-than-average empathy and greater impulsivity. Researchers studied more than 3,000 children and teenagers from Singapore in grades three, four, seven and eight. Approximately 2,200 of the participants were male.

About 83 percent of the kids said that they play video games sometimes, and the average time spent playing was between 20 and 23 hours per week. Furthermore, a total of 9 percent of the participants qualified as being pathological gamers, which consisted of 30 or more hours per week. The study's authors said that that rate - about one in 10 - is fairly consistent with the pathological gaming figure in the U.S.

Researchers were unable to determine why video games may cause mental and social disorders, but they concluded that, in the study, the gaming preceded the behavioral problems. Thus, they recommended that parents should monitor their child's gaming habits.

Adolescents who are addicted to video games, television or the internet may benefit from wilderness therapy, which is designed to provide help for troubled teens.