It used to be enough to worry about children smoking, drinking or taking drugs. Now there's another evil: computer games. According to new research, they can nudge your children into obesity and make them so weak that they can't hang from monkey bars. These findings add to fears about games increasing aggression and creating a generation of social misfits. But before video games, comic books and other distractions were blamed for a multitude of sins. So what are the risks of playing Cooking Mama?
Can games make my children fat?
The sedentary nature of games (Wii excepted) eats up fewer calories than chasing a football round the park. But playing virtual football may, it seems, make children feel as hungry as the real thing. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition of 17-year-old boys found that playing football video games increased the amount of food they ate by 163 calories a day. The calories used when playing were only 20 calories an hour. This, coupled with massive amounts of TV, may be adding to the problem in the UK of one in three 11-year-olds being overweight.
A study last week of more than 300 Essex primary school children found they were much less fit than children 10 years ago. The number of sit-ups they could do had fallen by 27%, and those able to hold their weight hanging from a bar had dropped 5%. The culprits? Computer games, say the researchers (and over-anxious parents who won't let children out of their sight).
Can games cause RSI?
Over-using parts of your hand is never a good idea. Some doctors say Nintendonitis is a real condition, caused by inflammation of the thumb's extensor tendon from pressing buttons. There is a risk that over-using joints to the extent that children feel pain, could increase the likelihood that they develop osteoarthritis later in life. An editorial in the British Medical Journal by Mark Griffiths, professor of gambling studies, says that video games have also been linked to neck and elbow pain, hand–arm vibration syndrome, nerve damage and even hallucinations. Addiction, he says, reassuringly, is probably rare, but excessive use is common.
Could computer games make it harder for my child to sleep?
Playing a game up until the minute the lights are turned off (or under the covers afterwards) is not conducive to a good sleep. Sleeping less is also linked to obesity in children. Try some old-fashioned reading in bed.
Do games cause aggression?
This idea is strongly contested. The studies are not standardised, so it is hard to see what they say as a whole. If you are a well-adjusted teenager in a house that doesn't encourage aggression and you play a violent game for 20 minutes, it won't have the same impact as repeated exposure on a younger child in another environment. But the recent meta-analysis in the Psychological Bulletin from researchers in Japan and the US, looking at 130 reports, says the weight of evidence suggests violent computer games increase aggressive and antisocial behaviour, and reduces empathy. But there is also limited evidence that they can improve children's willingness to be co-operative – suggesting games can teach different types of behaviour.
What can I do?
Regulate your children's use and set time limitations early on. Remind them to take breaks and not to bang on the controls. Get them to use different games that vary hand movements, if you have them.
