Video Games -
The Research
The information below is based upon information from the Byron review,
which was conducted for the government in 2008 by Dr Tanya Byron. The final
version was produced after consultation with parents and has been rewritten for
the Saint Jude’s blog on 19/11/15.
Children's use of Internet and video games is seen by some researchers as linked to violence and destructive behaviour. It seems that a child’s individual characteristics such as their age, personality and ability to learn, affects the level of risk. As the brain develops children become better at identifying and managing risks- most recent research conducted by the University of Bonn has shown that heavy use of ‘shooting type’ games (more than two hours a day) has an impact on the brain.
Children's use of Internet and video games is seen by some researchers as linked to violence and destructive behaviour. It seems that a child’s individual characteristics such as their age, personality and ability to learn, affects the level of risk. As the brain develops children become better at identifying and managing risks- most recent research conducted by the University of Bonn has shown that heavy use of ‘shooting type’ games (more than two hours a day) has an impact on the brain.
The research goes on to say that this affects the young person's ability
to understand feelings and to control their emotions. Most research has been
carried out on older children so we don't know the full effect the playing
violent games may have on younger children, but we do know that when the repeat
patterns of behaviour they build up pathways of learning in the brain therefore
we can assume that excessive play of violent video games is likely to have a
detrimental effect on the development of their values, ideas and behaviours.
This is why age rating codes are very important, as younger children are
less likely to be able to recognise risk and manage this appropriately, it is
important to keep this in mind with children who may be functioning at a level
lower than their actual age in terms of social skills and learning. What may be
okay for the peers may not be suitable for them due to differences in their developmental
stage. Young children's perception and expectations of the real world can be
affected, as they are developing the ability to identify between fact and
fiction.
As printed in – Information for Parents-The effects of playing video games on children and young people.
CAMHS - Falcon House
