Video game addiction affecting children and teens worldwide

By Staff Writer

New research from Iowa State University suggests that video game addiction is becoming a growing problem globally, and risk factors include longer time spent playing, lower social competence and greater impulsivity.

The study, which is published in the journal Pediatrics, surveys 3,034 students from Singapore in grades three through eight. The results show that about 9 percent of gamers are pathological players, according to the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders guideline for gambling addiction. These gamers demonstrated symptoms such as depression, anxiety, social phobias and lower school performance.

The findings also show that the percentage of gaming addicts in Singapore is close to figures for other countries, such as 8.5 percent in the U.S., 10.3 percent in China, 8 percent in Australia, 11.9 percent in Germany and 7.5 percent in Taiwan. Results also show that 84 percent of subjects who were first classified as gaming addicts remained pathological gamers after two years. However, only 1 percent of participants who were not pathological became addicted after two years.

The study authors concluded that pathological gaming is not a symptom of depression, social phobia or anxiety, but that these problems may worsen with increased game playing.