A multinational research team has found that playing video games can boost a child’s IQ. The study indicates that the average child could gain approximately 2.5 IQ points from playing video games. Researchers from Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands concluded by analyzing records from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, known as the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the United States.
The researchers examined screen time data for 9,855 children aged 9 or 10 who participated in the ABCD Study. On average, these children spent 2.5 hours daily watching TV or online videos, played video games for an hour each day, and socialized online for about 30 minutes. Two years later, the researchers assessed data from over 5,000 of these children and discovered that those who spent more time playing video games showed an average increase of 2.5 IQ points compared to their peers. This cognitive boost may be even more pronounced in kids who engage with cognitive puzzle games, which are designed to stimulate reasoning, memory, and strategic thinking.
Video games enhance cognitive skills
This increase in IQ was attributed to improvements in reading comprehension, visual-spatial processing, memory, flexible thinking, and self-control. Torkel Klingberg, a neuroscientist from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute and one of the study’s authors, commented: “Our results support the claim that screen time generally doesn’t impair children’s cognitive abilities.
Playing video games can actually help boost intelligence.”
However, Klingberg noted some limitations of the study. It only focused on children in the US and did not examine the types of video games played. Additionally, the study did not explore the effects of screen time on other factors such as physical activity, sleep, wellbeing, or school performance.
The researchers plan to investigate how other environmental factors might affect cognitive development and how these cognitive effects relate to childhood brain development. This study adds to a growing body of evidence that video games can offer cognitive benefits beyond entertainment, potentially aiding mental health and development.
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