January 26, 2004

By: Emma Egan
Website: http://www.1st-in-toys.com

One in Seven Teen Video Game Players is Addicted

A new study on adolescent video game addiction from the National Institute on Media and the Family suggests that 14 percent of 8th and 9th graders who play video games are addicted to the games. The study also found that 82 percent of adolescent video game addicts are male. According to the study, non-addicted adolescents play video games an average of 4.5 hours per week while addicted gamers play the games an average 21.6 hours per week.

Measuring for time spent playing video games and patterns of addicted behavior, the study surveyed 607 Midwestern students from urban, suburban, rural, public and private schools. Based on the results of the survey, it appears that behavior of video game addicts is similar to behavior of people addicted to other things, including gambling and drugs.

The study is being presented by Douglas Gentile, Ph.D., director of research for the National Institute on Media and the Family, at the Society for Research in Child Development biennial meeting in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Gentile, senior author of the study, conducted the research with Marny R. Hauge of the Minnesota School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University.

Video game addiction is a serious problem because it's more than a lot of time in front of the screen, Dr. Gentile said. We looked at how video games were affecting these kids' lives. Alarmingly, the worst of classic addict behaviors-including lying, stealing and being antisocial-showed up in these kids. The one in seven of adolescent gamers who are addicted have a frightening risk for other problems. Young men especially are at high risk.

Other findings include:

* Addicted adolescents were much more likely to get into physical fights.

* Addicted adolescents had more arguments with friends and teachers.

* Addicted adolescents were more hostile overall.

* Addicted adolescents reported lower academic grades.

The National Institute on Media and the Family is an independent non-partisan, non-sectarian, nonprofit organization. The Institute's mission is to maximize the benefits and minimize the harm that mass media have on children, through research and education.

Also see: video games game boy advance

About The Author:

Emma Egan is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-toys.com.  Find all the toys you wish you had as a kid. Fun and educational toys found here.