In the past, we have heard arguments of how video games are bad for children as some have linked video games to violence. However recent studies have suggested otherwise, but now thanks to an even more recent study from the University of Texas (via VentureBeat), they have found that there could be a slight link between pre-teen gaming and depression.
However we should point out, like the researchers did themselves, that the study is far from complete and that additional study needs to be done, but based on their initial findings, the study did find some link between pre-teens who game and depression. It was found that preadolescent kids who gamed for more than two hours a day have showed signs of depression.
It’s an interesting angle to approach as most studies tend to try to find links between violence and video games, as opposed to depression and video games. It has been said that witnessing violence in real life can lead to depression, so the study attempted to find out if the same could happen to people if they witnessed violence virtually.
The study was conducted over the course of a year and involved 5,000 video game playing 10 year olds. They broke them down into four categories which included those who played violent games for more than 2 hours a day; those who played non-violent games for more than 2 hours a day; those who played violent games for less than two hours a day; and those who played non-violent games for less than two hours a day.
It was found that those who played violent games for longer than two hours a day exhibited depressive symptoms, although interestingly enough this seemed to affect boys greatly as girls did not show much of an uptick in depressive symptoms. That being said, it’s an interesting study but as the researchers note, more work still needs to be done, but what do you guys think?
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