Do Video Games Damage Kids' Attention Span?

Lives are ruined, marriages, end, and economies crumble, all because of video games. This is a little extreme, but new studies are suggesting that video games cause irreparable damage to the attention span of children in the United States.

A study performed by Douglas Gentile and associates at the University of Iowa examined children ages 3 to 5, as well as a group of college students to determine the effects of video gaming on attention span. Participants in the study were asked to track the time that they spent playing video games for a period of one year. The evidence gathered suggests that the more time that a child spends playing video games, especially those that play for over two hours a day, indicates more trouble in the area of attention span.

Critics of this type of study have suggested that video games are mentally stimulating and serve the same purpose as reading, or attending an academic lecture. While the study conducted at the University of Iowa, or the critics for that matter, don't show the reasons for decreased attention span in those children who spent two or more hours playing video games, I feel that the evidence is indicative of one problem among many.

Video games were once seen as an activity reserved for entertainment purposes. These types of games have increased in popularity, (as well as technology), since the 1980's. The problem is that video games are becoming a lifestyle and a babysitter. It is much easier to keep track of a child that is sitting in front of an X-Box than it is to supervise one that is playing outside.

I will argue that video games increase the attention span of a child to the point that nothing else matters with the exception of that game. This occurs to such an extent that it resembles addiction. Ordinary life, especially school, seems dull and boring in comparison to magical worlds. Teachers cannot compete with digital heroes with various magical powers and important missions. The reason that these children are having difficulty with their attention spans in school is because they are preoccupied with gaming.

In addition to damaging the attention span of children, video gaming causes further harm. Increased levels of violence in video games leads to a blurring of the line between right and wrong. Let's face it, parents are not in attendance to explain the PG rated games. While children are gaming, they are not developing social skills that will be so necessary in later life. Children are becoming increasingly inactive, and this in combination with less healthful diets leads to obesity.

My advice to parents is to unplug the gaming device and remove it from the home. Replace gaming time with family time. Arrange play groups so that children can interact with other kids in their age group. Most importantly, get these kids outside! Active play that replaces video gaming will result in kids having a greater attention span during school hours because that excess energy will have been expended.

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