Negative Effects of Video Games on Children: A Research Review

Introduction

Video gaming is the single most important entertainment medium in America. Young children are particularly drawn to video gaming, and statistics suggest that 97% of all adolescents play video games (NIMF). There has been increasing debate about the effects of video gaming on children. Several researchers claim that video games improve cognitive and motor skills, vision, and reflexes. While these positive aspects are encouraging, there is serious concern about the growing body of literature reporting negative effects of video gaming on the impressionable minds of children.

In particular, many studies have reported that playing aggressive video games can make children less sensitive to suffering and more violent in behavior. Addiction to video gaming has also been implicated in reduced academic performance (Douglas A. Gentile), social isolation, and as a contributing factor to the growing childhood obesity epidemic. The recent spate of school shootings has only heightened parents' and teachers' concerns about the damaging effects of video games on children.

Impact of Video Games

A closer look at the subject reveals that video games are clearly detrimental to children when consumed in excess. They cause addiction, increase aggression, and decrease academic performance. Video games can also foster emotional maladjustment and social isolation. Parental supervision and controlled gaming hours are essential to mitigate the negative effects that video gaming can silently inflict on children.

Before examining the negative effects of video games on children, it is important to acknowledge that video games can be positive as a learning tool. Video games can improve hand-eye coordination, inductive skills, strategic thinking, and pro-social behaviors. For children suffering from poor self-esteem, video games can serve as a therapeutic tool for building self-confidence. Video games also make children more comfortable with computers and help them develop quick-thinking ability. It is likewise possible for positive game content to exert a constructive influence on young and impressionable minds.

One notable study by Gentile et al. (2009) confirmed that pro-social characters in video games can positively influence the pro-social behavior of children who play them. This research involved three studies conducted on children in three different age groups from three different countries. The first study involved 727 Singaporean secondary school students. Students were asked to list three of their favorite games, report the amount of time they spent playing, and describe how often players help or hurt each other in those games. This enabled researchers to gather data on their exposure to violent and pro-social video games. The "Prosocial Orientation Questionnaire" was used to assess helping behavior. Statistical regression of pro-social behavior and pro-social game exposure revealed a positive relationship: β = .49 (p < .001) for helping behavior, β = .18 (p < .001) for cooperation and sharing, β = .48 (p < .001) for empathy, and β = .19 (p < .06) for emotional awareness. Regression with violent game exposure produced opposite effects, clearly suggesting the positive influence of pro-social gaming on children's behavior.

The second study involved a survey of 780 fifth-grade and 1,050 eighth-grade Japanese students. Subjects were asked how often they played video games in the last month, how often the characters in the game helped each other, and how often they themselves engaged in pro-social behaviors (affection, care, friendship, etc.) in real life, rated on a scale of 1 to 5. Subjects were assessed again four months later and results were compared. Using a structural equation model, researchers identified the relationship between pro-social gaming and behavior at time T1 (first assessment) and at time T2 (after four months). The resulting equation fit well — χ² (11) = 6.68, p > .80, RMSEA = .00, NFI = .995 — suggesting a bidirectional relationship and an "upward spiral" between pro-social gaming and pro-social behavior.

In the third study, 161 U.S. college students were randomly assigned to play 20 minutes of either a pro-social game (Super Mario Sunshine or Chibi Robo), a violent game (Ty2 or Crash Twinsanity), or a neutral game (Pure Pinball). After playing, participants completed a task in which they could either help or harm a fellow participant. The two pro-social games scored an average of 5.6 (on a 7-point scale) for doing nice things and 1.8 for hurting or killing fellow participants, while the two violent games averaged 2.5 and 6.2 respectively. The neutral games averaged 1.1 for both. This study illustrates the short-term causal effects of both violent and pro-social games on the immediate behavior of children. Together, the three studies indicate that players with greater pro-social game exposure exhibited higher pro-social behaviors in real life, clearly implying that positive video game content can have a constructive bearing on children's developmental traits (Gentile et al., 2009).

Video Gaming Addiction

However, the positive aspects of video games are easily overridden by the negative ones. Video games can be dangerous for children in several respects, chief among them their addictive nature. Multiple studies focused on the effects of video games on children have attested to this addictive quality.

A study by Philip and Terry (2006) analyzed the possible relationship between video games and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among adolescents. This cross-sectional study included 72 adolescents from a high school in Vermont and their parents. Subjects were assessed for the number of hours spent on the internet, watching television, playing internet video games, and playing console-based video games, with researchers examining the effects on academic performance and social functioning. The researchers administered the Young's Internet Addiction Scale (YIAS) to gather details about school grades, detention, and exercise habits, while parents completed the Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS) to provide information about behavioral abnormalities, hyperactivity, inattention, and ADHD.

Statistical analysis clearly revealed an increase in inattentive behavior (p ≤ 0.001 for both internet and console video games) and ADHD (p = 0.018 and 0.020 for console and internet games, respectively). The researchers also concluded that students who engaged in video gaming for more than one hour showed significantly lower academic performance, with GPA results of p = 0.019 and p = 0.009 for console and internet games, respectively. The association between time spent playing video games and the YIAS score (p < 0.001) was clearly evident, indicating the development of video game addiction among subjects who played for more than one hour daily (Philip & Terry, 2006). This study shows that children who play video games may develop attention deficits, which in turn can affect school performance. It is also evident that children can easily develop an addictive relationship with gaming, consuming time and energy that could otherwise be directed toward academic pursuits.

An early study by Marny and Douglas (2003) analyzed 607 eighth- and ninth-grade students using a self-reported survey about their video gaming behavior. Participants rated themselves on a seven-item addiction scale based on a 3-point Likert psychometric evaluation. A total of 85 subjects (15%) answered affirmatively to four or more addiction measures; 265 subjects answered negatively to at least six items and were classified as non-addicted. Subjects were then assessed for school performance history, time spent playing games, aggressive behavior, and hostility. Addicted subjects spent significantly more time playing video games (t(341) = −13.17, p < .000). The study also revealed a gender difference, with boys more vulnerable to addiction than girls (χ² (1, 345) = 42.86, p < .000). Addicted subjects had higher hostility scores (t(347) = −4.14, p < .000) and were more frequently involved in physical fights (t(347) = −4.14, p < .000). The study further indicated a negative association between video game addiction and school performance, with addicted students reporting lower grades (t(337) = 5.035, p < .000) (Marny & Douglas, 2003).

Conclusion

Video games are clearly detrimental to children when consumed without appropriate limits. They cause addiction, increase aggression, and decrease academic performance. While some researchers highlight the positive aspects of educational video gaming in improving academic performance and modeling positive behavioral traits, the vast majority of studies conclude that video games carry serious negative implications. This is explained in large part by the fact that most popular video games are violence-laden, fostering desensitization to human suffering. That violent video games contribute to aggressive behavioral traits in children is now an established finding across multiple independent studies.

Video games are also inherently addictive, causing children to spend vast numbers of hours glued to screens in ways that directly harm academic performance. They further promote emotional maladjustment, social isolation, and other undesirable social characteristics. The sedentary lifestyle they encourage poses a substantial risk factor for overweight conditions, childhood obesity, and diabetes — serious public health issues that demand attention. Parental supervision and controlled gaming hours remain the most essential tools for limiting the damaging effects that the video gaming industry can silently inflict on children.