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Are nearly 10 percent of kids and teenagers who play video games showing signs of addiction?
That's the word from a report in the journal Psychological Science, which says that 8.5 percent of the 1,178 kids ages 8 to 18 who were randomly sampled by a 2007 Harris poll showed at least six of 11 addiction symptoms.
If 8.5 percent of American children and teens are addicted to video games, that would add up to 3 million kids. But don't trash the Xbox just yet. First of all, the addiction symptoms included skipping household chores or homework to play, playing games to escape problems, and lying about length of playing time. And just spending a lot of time gaming doesn't mean a kid is in trouble, notes David Gentile, the Iowa State University psychologist who conducted the study.
That's the word from a report in the journal Psychological Science, which says that 8.5 percent of the 1,178 kids ages 8 to 18 who were randomly sampled by a 2007 Harris poll showed at least six of 11 addiction symptoms.
If 8.5 percent of American children and teens are addicted to video games, that would add up to 3 million kids. But don't trash the Xbox just yet. First of all, the addiction symptoms included skipping household chores or homework to play, playing games to escape problems, and lying about length of playing time. And just spending a lot of time gaming doesn't mean a kid is in trouble, notes David Gentile, the Iowa State University psychologist who conducted the study.
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