My mom always used to blame me for spending too much time playing video games – but now I make money writing about them, so I showed her. Parents around the world are worried about the time their children spend sitting in front of screens playing games, but new study shows virtual toys aren’t as bad for kids as parents might think – they may even be. be beneficial.
A recent study found that children who play video games don’t seem to suffer any negative consequences from their screen time. It even suggests that playing action games improves children’s response times.
“But what about their schoolwork? All the play and the lack of time for homework must be bad! I hear you say. Well, the study “found no direct relationship between time spent on video games and grades.” The study even goes so far as to say, “Play could affect educational performance by improving cognition, albeit indirectly, given the link between video games and cognition (increased speed) and the link between cognition and the notes.”
What the study found is that as children get older, the amount of media they use simultaneously increases. The study calls it “multimedia multitaskingâ€. Multimedia multitasking is when you use your phone while watching a movie or listening to Red (Taylor’s Version) while writing a news article.
“Higher levels of media multitasking were associated with higher levels of psychological distress, lower levels of socio-emotional functioning, poorer behavior and attention rates on the part of teachers and parents,” worse sleep and lower levels of notch.
“These findings are consistent with previous research showing an association between media multitasking and increased depression and anxiety in young adults.”
So, if your child is able to concentrate on video games for a few hours after completing their homework, this data suggests that you have something to worry about. However, if they need seven screens all doing a different thing to keep them entertained, that could be a problem.
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