The effects of video games on children’s mental health and psychosocial behavior
Video gaming is a popular activity enjoyed by all ages. In recent years, children and adolescents in particular, are spending more time indoors playing video games, than they do on outdoor activities. While some games are educational, there is an increased demand for games which may focus on unfavourable themes such as war, crime, and disrespect for the law and authoritative figures. Generally, video games fall under the following categories: cooperative, competitive, or violent. As such, considering the popularity of the latter two, there are concerns pertaining to the influence that these types of digital games may have on a child’s psychosocial development.
Psychosocial development as a whole refers to the development of an individual’s personality, which involves changes in and the acquisition of social skills and psychosocial behavior, as influenced by environmental and social factors. Therefore, as the average human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25, younger children are more susceptible to being influenced by certain themes in video games (Understanding the Teen Brain – Health Encyclopedia – University of Rochester Medical Center, n.d.). In fact, video games have been widely studied as a potential cause of aggressive behavior, emotional issues such as depression and anxiety, hyperactivity, and lack of attentiveness (Lobel et al., 2017).
A study by Hasan et al. (2013) demonstrated an increase in aggressive behavior amongst university students who played violent video games for three consecutive days compared to their peers who played nonviolent games. Many other studies have shown similar results in younger children. The term “problematic gamers” was coined to describe those who habitually spend long hours playing video games. These individuals were shown to have elevated internalizing problems, specifically depression and anxiety, in comparison to their peers. Moreover, these children and adolescents tend to avoid social interactions or other obligations in favor of gaming. However, it is still unknown as to whether gaming acts as an escape to real world problems or as a precursor to these issues. Individuals might be retreating to video games to escape real world challenges, but without relieving the distress, excessive gaming can exacerbate the issue and lead to poor emotional health (Lobel et al., 2017). Hyperactivity and inattentiveness are also found to be detrimental outcomes of excessive video gaming. This is premised on the perception that video games are fast-paced and offer frequent immediate rewards, habituating children to consistent pleasurable rewards (Lobel et al., 2017). Moreover, it was also found that video game addiction in elementary school students reduced academic performance (Skoric et al., 2009). Hence, it is not just the type of game, but also the time spent on video games that can have a detrimental effect on attention span.
Despite the aforementioned negative effects, there are potentially positive effects on an individual’s psychosocial well-being, and some research has looked into video games as a domain for training healthy habits of the mind. When comparing early video games to those which are popular now, it is evident that the games are becoming increasingly social in nature, allowing children to engage with other players online, learning the benefits of cooperation. Many video games offer rewards for proper communication, cooperation, and resolving of negative emotions such as anger and irritation (Lobel et al., 2017), which could in turn, boost the psychosocial development of a child. Moreover, these video games seem to fulfill self deterministic needs, which include competence, connection, and autonomy. Just as traditional play has positive effects on the psychosocial development of children, gaming can be seen as a modern form of play where developmental needs can be met (Lobel et al., 2017). While cooperative games promote prosocial behaviors, competitive games are observed to promote aggressiveness. It’s important to note, however, that no longitudinal studies have investigated the influence both cooperative and competitive games have on children. Some competitive games are team-based, hence allow for cooperation amongst players as well.
While benefits have been associated with cooperative based games, competitive and violent video games are often observed to increase aggressive behaviors amongst adolescents and young children. Also, prolonged gaming has long been associated with increased addictive behavior and decreased psychosocial health. Thus, parental monitoring of the amount of time spent playing video games and the type of games being played will be important in preventing addictive behavior and internalizing issues in children.
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Amna is a third-year student at the University of Toronto, studying Human Biology and Nutritional Sciences with a minor in Physiology. As a journalist at Science, Translated, she hopes to bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general public. In her spare time, Amna enjoys reading novels, crocheting, and going on long nature walks.
