Videogames and Children's Health - Behavioral Effects

Parents often wonder if the videogames that their child is playing have an effect on their child's behavior.  This has been a controversy that has brewed for a considerable period of time.  When comic books became increasingly popular many decades ago, parents had the same concerns.  Therefore, many of the arguments about the effects of videogames involve the same type of reasoning that was employed in the past.

 Overall, the research I have reviewed has shown that:

• Violent videogame play is linked to an increase in violent behavior of children, especially if they are already somewhat violent.
• Videogame violence is linked to an increase in the belief of common rape myths such as “she deserved it” or “she wanted it.”
• Violent videogame play is linked to a child’s strongly identifying with a more traditional or exaggerated masculine or feminine gender role

References for further information :

Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2001). Effects of violent video games on aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and prosocial behavior: A meta-analytic review of the scientific literature. Psychological Science, 12, 353-359.

Anderson, C. A., & Dill, K. E. (2000). Video games and aggressive thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the laboratory and in life. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78, 772-790.

Bartholow, B. D., Dill, K. E., Anderson, K. B., & Lindsay, J. J. (2003). The Proliferation of Media Violence and Its Economic Underpinnings. In Gentile, Douglas A. (Ed), Media violence and children: A complete guide for parents and professionals. (pp. 1-18). Westport, CT, US: Praeger Publishers/Greenwood Publishing Group.

Bushman, B. J., Anderson, C. A., & Freedman, J. L. (2007). Issue 18: Does Media Violence Cause Aggression? In Nier, Jason A., Taking sides: Clashing views in social psychology (2nd ed.). (pp. 372-397). New York, NY, US: McGraw-Hill.

Carnagey, N. L., Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2007). Erratum to The effect of video game violence on physiological desensitization to real-life violence [J. Exp. Social Psychol. 43 (2007) 489-496]. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 684.

Konijn, E. A., Bijvank, M. N., & Bushman, B. J. (2007). I wish I were a warrior: The role of wishful identification in the effects of violent video games on aggression in adolescent boys. Developmental Psychology, 43, 1038-1044.

What you can do:

1. Limit your child’s exposure to violent videogames. Playing such videogames for 1-2 hours a day is seen as a reasonable amount.
2. Engage your child in a conversation about what they do on the videogame and educate   them about how those activities make you, as their caregiver, feel.
3. Discuss rape and rape myths to dispel them with your child. This need only be done when  children are old enough to understand the dynamics of rape. Waiting until they bring up this topic is typically the best way to address rape. If your early teen is playing violent    videogames, they may have already been exposed to rape scenes.  You might need to bring up this topic and expose them to the victim's perspective on violence in order to counter their developing notions.
4. Involve your child in some sort of community service in which they give back to others and learn about the experiences of those less fortunate than themselves.

As noted above, the research shows an effect of videogames on the children who play them.  However, as their parent, or caregiver, you have an equally, if not more, powerful effect upon their behavior.  Use this role to introduce them to experiences that counter what they see in the violent videogames.  Proactively involving them in experiences that open their eyes to the issues presented in the videogames can be more powerful than the videogames themselves.  This goes for children who watch violent television or movies as well.  The experiential nature of the videogame environment, though, makes these situations feel more real and likely results in a deeper impact.   If you become concerned about your child's ability to distinguish between what occurs in videogames and what occurs in day-to-day life, or you are having a difficult time communicating with your child about their videogame habits and behavior, find a mental health professional who can help you through these difficulties.