Medical X-Press – Alan Mozes
“Playing video games might improve a child’s motor skills, reaction time and even academic performance, but new research shows that too much gaming can be linked to social and behavioral problems. Spanish investigators found that any skill enhancements linked to gaming among those aged 7 to 11 started to max out after about eight hours of gaming a week. And those who played nine hours or more a week were more likely to have social and behavioral problems. The bottom-line: “One to nine hours per week seems to be safe, but playing more than nine hours—one hour on weekdays and two hours on weekend days—may be not recommended for children 7 to 11 years old,” said study author Dr. Jesus Pujol. But the study “does not permit [us] to directly establish whether the observed effects are a cause or consequence of gaming,” Pujol stressed.”(more)