Video games effects on children have been a long standing
debate. Many parents are fearful that video games will make their child violent
or cause behavior problems. After
reviewing the literature it sounds like the debate is not over. More quality
research is needed. With that being said I can tell you what
I learned.
One common thread in all the research is moderation is
important, but ‘how much is too much’ is not defined. Most of the research linked video games and TV
as having similar effects.
A review of the literature
by Frölich et al pointed out that there are populations of children that
are more at risk to negative effects of violent video games or TV. Children with
ADHD, ODD, and children that grew up in violent homes are more likely to respond
poorly to violence in video games. In his research he points out that these
children are already at high risk to be violent no matter what the stimulus. The
research confirms that children in stable, non violent homes are less likely to
show negative sides effects after playing video games.
A study by Greitemeyer and
Osswald pointed out that children that played “prosocial” video games were more
likely to help when seeing someone in need compared to peers that did not play
pro social video games. They also suggest that video game can provide an outlet,
like sports, to work through aggression and can lead to better mental functioning and lower levels of aggression.
Many studies have pointed
out that playing video games can improve hand eye coordination, increased
peripheral attention, and increased reactive decision-making skills. This
can be a great tool if you have a child struggling in any of these areas.
Another fear people question
about video games is if it confuses children’s conception of reality. The
Supreme Court case Schwarzenegger vs. Entertainment Merchants Association, found that “the ability to differentiate
automatically between real and virtual violence has not been diminished by a
long-term history of violent video game play, nor have gamers' neural responses
to real violence, in particular, been subject to desensitization processes.” This
means video games do not cause people to have trouble knowing what is real or
pretend.
Anti social children can use
video games to further their anti social tendencies. If you are a parent of one
of these children you can compromise by agreeing to your child only playing
video games that have a social component to them and buy them a head set so
they can participate in the socialization. This form of socialization can form a bridge
to build confidence and help them to make friends face to face.
To conclude, if we use
common sense with our video games, our children should be protected. One truth
we know is that what we expose ourselves to influences us. So monitor your
children’s video games. Buy video games that promote the values you have.
For more detailed review of
the literature go to:
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