Thursday, March 26, 2009

Researchers: Video games hurt brain development

Researchers: Video games hurt brain development

45 comments:

Anonymous said...

Basically like everything we know everything must be done in small amounts. To much of something can be not a good thing. Once in awhile sure go ahead and let your child play games or tv but one must remember its not your free baby sitter. Parents or caretaker interaction is important and a must for our little with their brain develpment.
Carolyn

Joey said...

I don't think it is ever a good idea to allow a very young child to watch TV or play video games.

Unknown said...

everyone is only worried about the childs emotionally and mental well being, well what about the physical well being? most children now days do not exercise but instead play video games, iam sorry to inform you that exercising your fingers is not enough, look at all the obeese children. cut the games and get them outside. because of video games my friends son is 70 lbs. over wieght and he cant even play catch for more then 3 minuets without being out of breath, all he does is play games all day afetr school, this is the parents faults for allowing this to happen.

Anonymous said...

Although I agree too much game playing can not be healthy for kids. However their are learning games out there such as math, spelling, reading that kids do learn from and which I encourage with my own kids that if they want to play DS game then they have educational ones to play that are fun at the same time and stimulating I believe...not the violent gory ones of course. Shannon T

Anonymous said...

I think that in moderation, and what is being played is very important. I do agree with the article on brain development and behavioral problems. It is a subject with such vast areas of discussion. The problem is when its used for baby sitting, and replaces social interaction with others. Thats when it affects the behavior. Violent games do promote violence as a form of conflict resolution, as in the games thats which the child plays - controls that enviroment and 'people' by violence. So if a child is left to interact with a video game for hours on end there are no learning of social skills, no behavioral skills, no communication and no emotional skills either. In saying all of this. We live in a world with modern technology. So rather replace the violent games with Maths programs, literacy programs and such, and limit the time to minimal, and sit and interact with the child while they are doing it, as to see their progress and to be there to help with questions.

Anonymous said...

So the questions I have are if it is said video games affect the brain and promote violence. Then why are such games made and allowed to be distributed. and why is there not a setting on these games that automatically switch off to recharge after a short time, thus limiting play time and forcing intervals? Sociey makes far to many excuses to justify what they do, due to their need for money making goods vs childrens well being.

CR Petersen said...

In the US, it's the bill of rights. Bottom line is it's the parent's responsibility and too often it is a cheap babysiter.

Anonymous said...

I dont fully believe that all videos games stimulate the mind but the educaional ones do.

sharon s said...

I think some video games can be good and help with the ability to learn to react fast, but there is the violent ones that can cause problems with children thinking that this is the way life works and does not realize you do not go around shooting people and they come back to life again. I have heard of too much video games have affected children health, and there learning abilities, but I do have a grandson that plays all the time and his a top student, but he also his made to do his math and homework also.

Ronda said...

I agree that regulating video game usage is a parent's responsibility, but just like explicit lyrics in music and violence on television, it's difficult to shield our children in this society they are growing up in. The best we can do is be there with them...talk to them about what they are hearing, seeing, and playing.

I do make use of Wii Fit and Smarty Pants for my school-age daycare children, and use Just Dance Kids even with the preschoolers. Do you feel these types of games hold the same risks to brain development?

CR Petersen said...

To be honest, I'm not familiar with these games so could not ventura an opinion.

Dove Roberts said...

I have quite a few arguments pro and con with video games. The biggest argument that can benefit both sides is that like with all things, you must exert moderation. As the mother of a child with Asperger's Syndrome AND ADHD, I have seen first hand that lack of playing outside and being glued to a TV or an IPad has affected my son's ability to control impulse and make good decisions. I have restricted his time and found his behavior to be much better - also monitor what they play and watch. It doesn't seem to me that ruling out technology is the right course of action. This decision and control belongs to the parents. Video games and TV should not belong or have a place in child care. Ever!

Nicole Tabales said...

Childrens brains need to be constantly stimulated. Even though video games and T.V. can be very stimulating, in large amounts they are no longer beneficial. An earlier video stated that the best thing for brain development is interaction. Children do not get personal interaction from video games and T.V. Small quantities are a must and if available educational ones.

Gwenevere said...

Even educational video/computer games are no substitute for human interaction. Kids miss out on social skills & vital problem solving skills.

Unknown said...

**anna**
i love reading to my kids but what is also special is watching my son read to his sister the interaction is fantastic we make up stories and write them down so that we can keep them forever seening their faces when i have written them a new story is amazing my son plays games but he also plays with board games as well as doing physical activities

Anonymous said...

The Daycare kids that I have do not get to set and play video games...I have them outside and learning stuff from the bboks or games that I have.

sheri W said...

I think that video games are ok. but not too much. You need to do more reading and other activites.How much video game time is considered healthy?

Anonymous said...

This article was actually really informative. Instead of just telling us that playing video games is bad for you, they are telling us why. Without development of the frontal lobe, the kids are more prone to violent acts.

Cristina Lejardi said...

I'm curious about the variables in these studies; how old were the children they studied? Were these findings concluded after longitudinal studies? Where the children playing specific types of video games, or did the researchers have them try different kinds and still have the same results? Hmm. Interesting.

Unknown said...

i think in this video it should have said how old the kids are also. i think that different ages of brain development would comprehend and take in the games in different ways. im prety sure the way i think of a game is different than i five year old. a five year old is gonna think the games are real life.

Anonymous said...

I feel like specific games and tv shows effect the brain more than anything else. There are some learning games and learning tv shows out there to help the brain development. so i thing they need to narrow this down more.

Connie said...

I guess what it comes down to is moderation is the key to video games. Human interaction is our responsibility, to help our children grow and develop.

Anonymous said...

Catalina Rodríguez said:

Hello!

After read the article of Video Games hurt brain development, I am more aware of restrain the play hours. It was interesting the results of Kawashima's investigation. So, I agree to encourage my children to practice basic math, reading and writing in order to develop their frontal lobe.

Thanks,

Catalina Rodríguez

Source:Researchers: Video games hurt brain development
http://news.cnet.com/2100-1040-271849.html

Rachel Madsen said...

Basically things need to be done in small amounts. Letting kids play video games for awhile, probably won't hurt that much. Just watching out that not all time is spent doing just video games.

Unknown said...

I would be interested in reading the journal publication that this article is based on. I’m interested in knowing what sort of research method Kawashima-Sensei used and what sort of sample he had. The article itself does not give enough information to form a strong conclusion, but it really perks my interest to look at the research behind it.

Anonymous said...

From ward5672:

I would be interested in reading the journal publication that this article is based on. I’m interested in knowing what sort of research method Kawashima-Sensei used and what sort of sample he had. The article itself does not give enough information to form a strong conclusion, but it really perks my interest to look at the research behind it.

kristie said...

Video games can be an occasional fun activity for children but their are so many other activities that children can engage in that are more beneficial to their brain development and physical development. if the child wants to play a sport video game, I would instead have them go play the game for real outside to help stimulate their senses in a more productive manner.

Anonymous said...

Not all video games hurt the development of a child.there are learning games out there such as math,leap frog learning to read.My children played the educational games and turned out just fine.

Anonymous said...

Let me share a grandmother's point of view. I have a grandson who travels a long distance (one day) to visit grandma and grandpa. He is so addicted to his hand-held game that he doesn't have time to join in the family activities. He is so zoned out that you need to call his name several times to even get his attention. This past visit, Mom and Dad limited his game time. He was so bored with the everyday activities, ie going to the park, riding bike, etc. and was always asking to play his game. His social skills are very limited and I truly blame his game playing.

Unknown said...

I have 2 nephews that grew up doing nothing but playing video games.and it has a deep inpact on their social skills.

Heather Ford said...

What would be a reasonable amount of time to allow a child to play their video games?

CR Petersen said...

My personal preference would be none at all...but some might argue that isn't very reasonable. So then I'll go to, after all chores and homework are done, if the grades are good, and if the child is participating in family activities as requested. So no specific amount of time, just that it falls behind these more important things in priority.

Unknown said...

I am confused by the title of the article- "video games hurt brain development." The very first paragraph explains that video games stimulate the parts of the brain devoted to vision and movement, but it does not explain how video games hurt brain development. This leads to the implication that it is very important to limit video game time and ensure that the child is involved in plenty of activities that stimulate full brain development. We need to place the blame where it belongs- on the parent or caregiver who allows excessive use of of video games.

Unknown said...

Moderation is key to anything in life but I don't think all video games are bad,there are a lot of educational games that have kids and adults use their brains.

jason f said...

interesting to see a modern take on video games and how they affect kids. when i was a kid, we played video games nonstop.

Anonymous said...

My concern is always how the games affect behavior in a child, including but not limited to "addictive" behavior practice.

Anonymous said...

The article presented here has a great lack of support and is little more than one mans conjecture. I have read real studies that completely refute the postulations in this article. The DANA Foundation provides a much more scientific and balanced approach in the following article: http://dana.org/Cerebrum/Default.aspx?id=39414

Violent video games that present violence as random acts are very harmful for all brains, kids or adult, for the tend to stimulate the same area of the brain over and over with a reward for random violence. With that said, our military, Aeronautics industries, NASA, and computer science industries rely heavily on high value assets with brains trained on video games high in problem solving and strategy skills.

Andrea R said...

Its hard to sheild out children from society these days, but I dont believe that we should have them sit infront of a television and play video games.I believe it can impact childrens social skills and behavior. Kids should be outside interacting with other children and adults.

Audra said...

Children definitely lack good communication skills these days. It is very important for children to be exposed to different cultures and experiences in order to grow into mature adults.

James Hudlin said...

From what I have read here, I realize that not working the part of the brain that helps coordinate body movements and other vital things is not used, and that hurts Brain development. Video games are great and fun for the family, I'm not saying don't do video games. But where you're really getting changes is on the playground. If i'm climbing up on a ladder, and my foot slips, I have to react to that. With most games, it's a movement of the wrist at the most. If you're not using all your senses you're missing out on a very important part of the brain that's not being activated. -James Hudlin

Unknown said...

Personally I believe evereything in moderation. This article does not speak about occassional video games nor does it speak about games like Legos and Disney Kinect. I think it very one sided and not support by enough facts. Now that said we do not play video games in preschool except for a special occassion. All screen time adult and children needs to be moderated and minimal.

Unknown said...

I believe that videogames are bad i believe it not only slows the child development process but also influences what their brain is enduring as entertainment.

Raichael Nelson said...

"The researchers are particularly concerned that by spending many hours playing games some children will not develop their frontal lobes, which play a crucial role in controlling behavior and in developing memory, emotion and learning."

Even if the content isn't violent, the behavior and emotion controlling frontal lobe is not developing wile they are playing.

Trisha K.. said...

I wonder if the age of the child effects the extent of the problem. For instance a 12 year old verses a 16 year old.

On another note; I can't help but feel frustration toward the gaming industry who (many) deliberately design their games to keep one interested and gives them a false sense of progress to string them along and keep them "hooked".

Mytch Gaddi said...

But aren’t there some video games that can be educational? Maybe the parents and teachers could be catalysts in monitoring the content of the video game, because I know for a fact that some computer games online are designed to be educational. Obviously, there are a lot of video games out there that are just all about violence and stealing.