Playing Video Games Has an Unexpected Effect on Kids' IQ, Says New Study
Playing Video Games Has an Unexpected Effect on Kids' IQ, Says New Study
Playing Video Games Has an Unexpected Effect on Kids' IQ, Says New Study
By David Nield
May 15, 2022
Summary
Researchers have linked spending more time playing video games with a boost in intelligence in children, which goes some way to contradicting the narrative that gaming is bad for young minds.
The researchers looked at screen time records for 9,855 kids in the ABCD Study, all in the US and aged 9 or 10.
On average, the youngsters reported spending 2.5 hours a day watching TV or online videos, 1 hour playing video games, and half an hour socializing over the internet.
Over the intervening period, those in the study who reported spending more time than the norm on video games saw an increase of 2.5 IQ points above the average rise.
It's important to note that while the study only looked at children in the US and did not differentiate between video game types, it's still a valuable insight into gaming and IQ - and backs up the idea that intelligence isn't a fixed constant that we're born with.
"Our results support the claim that screen time generally doesn't impair children's cognitive abilities, and that playing video games can actually help boost intelligence," says neuroscientist Torkel Klingberg, from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
As the researchers note, this is not the first study to suggest that there could be a link between the time that kids spend gaming and the development of their cognitive abilities - and there seem to be other associated benefits from video games, too.
Reference
Nield, D. (2022, May 15). Playing video games has an unexpected effect on kids' IQ, says New Study. Retrieved May 21, 2022, from https://www.sciencealert.com/video-games-could-be-able-to-boost-intelligence-in-kids