A UCL researchers-led study showed that boys who regularly play video games at age 11 years old are less likely to develop depressive symptoms three years after.
The study that Psychological Medicine published also showed that girls spending more time on social media seep to develop more depressive symptoms.
Collected altogether, the research findings showed how different screen time types could positively or negatively impact young people's mental health, not to mention affect boys and girls differently.
Medical Xpress reported, according to UCL Psychiatry Ph.D. student and lead author Aaron Kandola, "Screens allows us to engage in a wide range of activities."
In addition, guidelines and recommendations on screen time need to be based on understanding how such activities might impact mental health and if that impact is meaningful.
Link of Playing Video Games to Mental Health
Kandola explained, while they cannot verify if playing video games actually enhances mental health, it did not seem harmful in their study "and may have some benefits."
Specifically, in this pandemic, video games have been an essential social platform for young individuals. The lead author added a need "to reduce how much time children, as well as adults," are spending sitting down for their mental and physical health, although that does not mean that use of screen is naturally dangerous.
To understand what's driving the link between playing video games and mental health, Kandola, together with his colleagues, selected to examine screen time as responsible for much of the inactive behaviors in adolescent individuals.
Other studies have shown mixed findings, and a lot of them did not distinguish different screen time types, compare between genders, or track such a large group of young individuals for many years.
Screen Time Examined
The researchers from Sweden-based UCL, Karolinska Institutet, and the Australia-based Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute examined data from over 11,300 adolescents who took part in the "Millennium Cohort Study," a nationwide representative sample of young individuals who had been involved in the study since they were born in the United Kingdom in 2000 to 2002.
Participants of the study had all answered questions about their respective screen times spent on social media, playing video games, or using the internet at age 11.
They also answered questions on depressive symptoms like low mood, poor concentration, and loss of pleasure at 14 years old.
The clinical questionnaire measured symptoms of depression and their severity on a range instead of providing a clinical diagnosis.
Study Findings
In their research analysis, the team accounted for other factors that might have presented the outcomes like socioeconomic status, levels of physical activity, bullying reports, and past emotional symptoms.
As a result, the researchers found that boys playing video games most days had 24-percent lesser symptoms of depression after three years, compared to boys who were playing games less than once each month. However, this impact was only essential among boys who had low levels of physical activity.
More so, the same finding was not found among girls. Specifically, the study authors said this might suggest that boys who are less active could "derive more enjoyment and social interaction from video games.
While their research cannot validate if such a link is causal, the study authors said there are several positive aspects of video games that could support mental health, including solving problems, as well as "social, cooperative and engaging elements."
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