Compared to those who have never played video games, those who have proved to be better on cognitive skills tests due to the impulse control and working memory skills they gain from playing. The differences in these two groups were observed as differences in brain activity. Children who played video games for three or more hours per day should have higher brain activity in the frontal regions which are associated with performing faster and more accurately on cognitive tasks and better vision. When playing video games, children are being cognitively demanded, testing their visual processing, and efficiency. 

Even though video games have been linked to mental health and behavioral changes, the findings are not statistically significant, and those results cannot be taken into account when creating trends. However, this does not mean that children should unlimited time playing video games and being on electronics, but the focus should be on what types of games they are playing. The ones that have proved to be the most cognitively demanding are action-adventure, puzzle-solving, sports, and shooting games. Many parents are concerned about their child’s use of video games and how that will affect their development and so it is important to understand the benefits and cons of it. 

Currently, there is an ABCD study going on which is longitudinal, meaning it will take place over longer periods of time, which looks at these trends further and tries to better understand the different factors that play into a child’s development consecutively with video games. This study includes 12000 participants and looks at brain imaging data to learn more about the development of children and hopefully create interventions to enhance life paths. 

Article link: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221024130852.htm

Tulsi Patel

UConn KIDS Research Assistant 

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