4 Troubled Teens Blog

A study of 1,178 young people between the ages of eight and 18 years old found that 88 percent played video games, and almost one in ten shows several symptoms of being addicted to them.

The study, which was led by Dr. Douglas Gentile of the University of Iowa, found that 12 percent of the boys and 8 percent of the girls who played games had at least six out of eleven symptoms of addiction. Those who were addicted to the games were twice as likely to have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Children had signs of addiction if they agreed to the following statements:

• They skipped homework to play games.


• They played to escape their problems.


• They were restless and irritable if not allowed to play.


• They lied about how much they played.


• They had stolen a game or stolen money for a game.


• They had poor test scores because they neglected homework to play video games.


• They had tried to quit and failed.


• They thought excessively about gaming.

Though many enthusiasts incorrectly employ the word "addiction" when discussing the object of their passion, video game addiction has been identified as a legitimate mental health disorder that can be treated with effective professional intervention.

Labels: video_games, addictions, teens, adolescent

Posted By: Aspen/CRC