The journal, Psychological Science (May, 2009 Douglas Gentile. Pathological Video Game Use among Youth 8 to 18: A National Study) sampled youth aged 8 to 18.

Iowa State University Assistant Professor of Psychology, Douglas Gentile, found that 8.5% of the gamers to be pathological players. Gentile bases his statistics on standards established for pathological gambling. So, while parents often cite that their child is ‘addicted’ to video games, Gentile’s standards necessitated that video game play actually caused family, social, school or psychological damage due to video game playing habits.

“What we mean by pathological use is that something someone is doing – in this case, playing video games – is damaging to their functioning,” Gentile said. “It’s not simply doing it a lot. It has to harm functioning in multiple ways.”

On average, the pathological gamers in the study played video games at least 24 hours per week. This is nearly twice as much as non-pathological gamers. Parents of pathological gamers also allowed their children to have video game systems in their bedrooms far more often than non-pathological gamers. 

According to Science Daily, Gentile found that pathological gamers reported having more trouble paying attention in school and thus received poorer grades in school, had more health problems, were more likely to feel “addicted,” and even stole to support their habit.

The study also found that pathological gamers were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with attention problems such as Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

“There is still much we do not know,” Gentile said. “We don’t know who’s most at risk, or whether this is part of a pattern of disorders. That’s important because many disorders are co-morbid with others. It may be a symptom of depression, for example. And so we would want to understand that pattern of co-morbidity because that would help us know how to treat it.”

Gentile is continuing his own research, currently conducting both longitudinal and clinical studies to determine risk factors and symptoms found in pathological youth gamers.

It is wise for parents to limit use of video games and TV. Treat them as you would dessert; limited portions used as a reward.

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Recently, national media have declared war on TV, video games, and various other media.  Supported by a study performed by the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”), the news appears gloomy; these various media cause obesity, declining grades, etc.  I’ve even read some press that they may be related to childhood onset of diabetes (related to lack of exercise) and ADHD!

The NIH’s claims are alarming and necessitate a review of the method they employed to derive the claim they make that 80 percent of the studies reviewed have linked media use to negative health effects. I’ve said this before, when researchers review other researcher’s studies (study of study approach), generalizations are contrived that don’t necessarily convey actuality.  Granted, I’m not an advocate of chronic video game play, overuse of the Internet, TV, cell phone, or anything for that matter. Overuse is over use. Moderation is best. Overuse tends displace other healthier activities like taking walks, interacting with human beings face to face, or reading a good book.  So before chucking your Xbox out the window, let’s examine the flaws in this study a little more closely. Then, let’s discuss what actually is happening with video game use.

The NIH report was sponsored by sponsored by the nonprofit group Common Sense Media.  To be candid, I like this group.  It makes sense. Its mission statement reads:

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the media and entertainment lives of kids and families.

We exist because media and entertainment profoundly impact the social, emotional, and physical development of our nation’s children. As a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization, we provide trustworthy information and tools, as well as an independent forum, so that families can have a choice and a voice about the media they consume.

I’ve reviewed many of the 173 studies included in the NIH report. And while the NIH report conveys that media use impacts children’s health negatively, I am unable to find reliable data that justify this huge generalization.  This generalization was derived by lumping together research on movies, video games, cell phone usage, Internet usage, TV, movies, etc.  Unfortunately, when information is not disaggregated, it does not control for the way in which the media was used during the research or particular types of video games, movies, etc. For example, was the Internet use studied used for play, school research, or shopping?  Were the video games educational or entertainment? With the NIH’s method of aggregating data, we’ll never know.  Compounding this is the fact that research available on the impact of media like texting, social websites, etc. is nascent.

As I’ve noted many times before, children with ADHD tend to be pre-wired to concentrate on high stimulation and less able to control concentration on mundane tasks. This is neither a gift nor a blessing.  However, this coincides with the finding that children with ADHD had watched more TV as toddlers. This correlation often generates a great misconception (often propagated by the media) that TV-viewing causes ADHD. It would be more likely that the predication toward high-stimulation makes TV far more attractive to children with ADHD than playing with a stuffed toy or Legos.

The strongest correlations may be made with obesity and sexual behaviors.  Obesity is obvious; sedentary behavior (sitting in front of the TV or computer) would lead to obesity and many other diseases associated with obesity including diabetes.  Sexual behavior is obvious as well.  Watching others perform sexually whether under a mild TV-G rating or explicit pornography on the Internet, does impact the child watching. Most research indicates that children will experiment with intercourse or other sexual behavior in a correlation with their ability to access it via media.  Of course, what is not accounted for is the impact of parental influence (or lack thereof) and media exposure.

I’m frequently asked questions by parents about media and their children.  “Should I let my child play video games?” “How much TV is too much?”

Video games are not created equally. The most popular utilize compelling, sharp video imagery, fantasy, and violent action. I’m afraid the genie is out of the bottle. Whether you’re concerned about TV or video games, it is vital to first screen what your child is watching or playing.  Watching TV with them or watching them play their video games gives you the opportunity to discuss offensive, sexual, or violent material. You may object and censor their use or viewing of this material.

As a parent, you set the example as well. If you are sedentary, your child will likely be sedentary (as well as your pet). Play with your child, take them outdoors.

Treat video games like dessert. Dessert is given as a reward, and it is given in highly limited quantity.

So, even if research says correlations exist, you mustn’t dismiss the impact that you impart as parent. Study of study correlations often result in generalizations which may or may not be significant to your family.  As parent you are the decider – provided that you accept that role and are proactive. 

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