The negative consequences of video games are one of the common concerns of parents about their children, but a large study released this Monday indicates that this hobby can also have cognitive benefits.
Previous studies have focused on the negative effects of video games, such as the development of depression or increased aggressiveness in young people.
But the study published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open analyzed data from the large NIH-funded Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, explained lead author Bader Chaarani, an assistant professor of psychiatry. at the University of Vermont.
The researchers reviewed participants’ responses, cognitive test scores and brain scans from nearly 2,000 9- and 10-year-olds, divided into two groups: those who never play video games and those who play every day for three hours or so. plus.
This was the duration chosen because it exceeds the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation of one to two hours of video games per day for older children.
Both groups had to perform two tasks. In the first, arrows pointing to the left or right were shown to the children, who had to click on the corresponding button as quickly as possible.
They also didn’t need to press any buttons if a “Stop” sign appeared, a way of measuring their ability to control themselves.
For the second task, the young people saw a first face and then a second, and then had to say if they belonged to the same person, this time to test their working memory, a short-term memory.
After correcting for certain statistical trends related to parental income, intelligence quotient and mental health symptoms, the researchers found that children who played video games always performed better on their tasks.
During the tests, the children’s brains were observed using specific imaging techniques.
Those of the gamers showed more activity in areas of the brain associated with attention and memory.
“The findings raise the interesting possibility that video games provide a cognitive learning experience with measurable neurocognitive effects,” the study authors conclude.
However, it is not yet possible to know if better cognitive performance leads children to play more, or if it is the act of playing more that improves this performance, says Bader Chaarani.
His team hopes to get a clearer answer as the study continues, when the children are older.
The continuity of work will also exclude other variables, such as the children’s home environment, physical activity, and quality of sleep.
“Too much screen time is obviously bad for mental health and physical activity,” Bader Chaarani recalled.
But the study results, he adds, show that playing video games may be a better use of that screen time than watching YouTube videos, for example, which have no detectable cognitive effects.
Source: TSF
