Videogame playing ‘can be good for children’s mental health’

Videogame playing for less than an hour a day could result in better adjusted children and teenagers, a new study has revealed.

The Oxford University research aimed to examine both the positive and negative effects of gaming using a representative sample of 5,000 children and adolescents, whose playing habits were assessed alongside their life satisfaction, levels of hyperactivity and inattention, empathy, and relationships with peers.

It was found that young people who spent a small amount of time playing games tended to be better adjusted than those who had never played, or those who spent three hours or more on games daily.

However, the study also noted that any positive or negative influence of videogames on children was very small compared to more enduring factors, such as whether the child was from a functioning family, their school relationships and whether they were materially deprived.

Lead author Dr Andrew Przybylski, from the Oxford Internet Institute, said: "Further research needs to be carried out to look closely at the specific attributes of games that make them beneficial or harmful."

Numerous studies in the past have tried to evaluate the possible impact of violent videogames on the brains of young people, while others have looked at whether games can improve coordination and mental reasoning.