Video games boost higher intellectual function in children: Study

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New York, (IINA) - Researches at Columbia University discovered that contrary to popular belief, spending time in playing video games is good for children, UPI reported.
Researchers found that elementary school-aged children who played video games had nearly twice the odds of high intellectual function and high overall school competence, though they caution against over-interpreting the study.
The potential harm of video games has long been debated, with previous studies suggesting children learn violence from gameplay, and other aggressive, antisocial behavior.
Other studies have found that moderate play was associated with the most well-adjusted children in a study, which is in line with how researchers in the new study are taking their results.
"Video game playing is often a collaborative leisure time activity for school-aged children", said Dr. Katherine Keyes, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Columbia University. "These results indicate that children who frequently play video games may be socially cohesive with peers and integrated into the school community".
Researchers analyzed data on 3,195 children between the ages of 6 and 11 collected as part of the School Children Mental Health Europe. The children were assessed on school performance, video game usage and behavior by parents, teachers and themselves.
Overall, about 20 percent of children played for more than five hours per week. After adjusting for age, gender, siblings, mother's age, marital status, education, employment status, psychological distress and region, high gameplay was linked to 1.75 times the chance of high intellectual functioning and 1.88 times the chance of high overall school competence.
There were no significant links to child-mother-, or child-teacher reported mental health problems found in the study. Additionally, more video game playing was associated with fewer relationship problems than children who played less.
The researchers noted that playing video games may have positive effects on children. However, they pointed out that understanding how games stimulate children requires further research.
"We caution against over-interpretation, however, as setting limits on screen usage remains an important component of parental responsibility as an overall strategy for student success", Keyes said.
AG/IINA

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