So your patient is a gamer: an exploration of benefits and harms

Purpose of review The appropriate amount and type of screen time for children remains a persistent topic of discussion between parents and pediatricians. During the COVID-19 pandemic, screen time has considerably increased. The need to quarantine and utilize remote learning prompted our review of the basis for current screen time recommendations and more recent research. Recent findings The broad stroke of recent research points to an association of increased video game screen time with sedentary lifestyle and its related harms. However, there also are specific instances where video games have been found to be therapeutically useful for certain populations. Summary In light of these findings, it is prudent for the pediatrician to explore more of the ‘why’ of video game use as opposed to purely the ‘how much’. Given the future beneficial therapeutic uses of some video games, clinicians should keep their eyes on this space for its continued development.
Source: Current Opinion in Pediatrics - Category: Pediatrics Tags: OFFICE PEDIATRICS: Edited by Henry H. Bernstein Source Type: research