Health and Me

Ishita Srivastava

How Long Should Children Be Playing Video Games Every Day?

Students gaming more than 10 hours a week can have long-lasting negative effects on their physical and mental health, a new Australian study suggests.

Researchers from Curtin University, Perth have found that playing online games for over 10 hours can worsen diets, increase body weight and led to poorer sleep than lighter gamers.

Professor Mario Siervo, Curtin School of Population Health said of the results: "What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight. The real differences emerged in those gaming more than 10 hours a week, who showed clear divergence from the rest of the sample."

Researchers surveyed 317 students across five Australian universities, with a median age of 20, to understand how time spent gaming each week might affect their diet, sleep, and body composition.

Students were categorized as low gamers (zero to five hours a week), moderate gamers (five to 10 hours) or high gamers, who played video games for more than 10 hours each week.

They found that low and moderate gamers showed largely comparable health outcomes but health indicators deteriorated sharply among students whose gaming time exceeded 10 hours a week.

The study found diet quality declined and obesity was more common once gaming exceeded 10 hours a week, with each extra hour linked to poorer diets even after accounting for other lifestyle factors. While high gamers recorded a body mass index (BMI) of 26.3kg/m2, low and moderate gamers fell within a healthier range, with median BMIs of 22.2kg/m2 and 22.8kg/m2 respectively. 

Professor Siervo said: "Each additional hour of gaming per week was linked to a decline in diet quality, even after accounting for stress, physical activity and other lifestyle factors."

Additionally, sleep quality was generally poor across all groups but students who played video games for moderate or high amounts of time reported worse sleep than low gamers.

Despite clear results, the expert added that the study does not prove cause and effect but shows excessive gaming is linked to higher health risks, while low to moderate play appears largely fine.

<h2>Why Is Playing Video Games Bad For You?</h2>According to the researchers, moderate gaming is not a significant problem for most students but the concern arises when long gaming sessions begin to replace essential daily routines such as eating well, getting enough sleep and staying physically active.

"Our data suggests low and moderate gaming is generally fine, but excessive gaming may crowd out healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, sleeping properly and staying active.

"Because university habits often follow people into adulthood, healthier routines such as taking breaks from gaming, avoiding playing games late at night and choosing healthier snacks may help improve their overall well-being," Professor Siervo said.

Playing video games for excessive amount of time has also been linked to paving the way for mental health problems  such as anxiety, depression, aggression and poor emotional control as well as social/life problems including neglecting responsibilities, isolation, poor relationships, academic/career impact.

Moreover, previous research has also found that playing games for over three hours straight significantly raises the risk of physical issues. Sessions exceeding this time frame can lead to eye fatigue, headaches, neck pain and wrist pain, regardless of the player's age or gender.

This study was published in Nutrition on January 16. 

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Students gaming more than 10 hours a week can have long-lasting negative effects on their physical and mental health, a new Australian study suggests. Researchers from Curtin University, Perth have found that playing online games for over 10 hours can worsen diets, increase body weight and led to poorer sleep than lighter gamers. Professor Mario Siervo, Curtin School of Population Health said of the results: "What stood out was students gaming up to 10 hours a week all looked very similar in terms of diet, sleep and body weight. The real differences emerged in those gaming more than 10 hours a week, who showed clear divergence from the rest of the sample."What Did The Study Find?Researchers surveyed 317 students across five Australian universities, with a median age of 20, to understand how time spent gaming each week might affect their diet, sleep, and body composition.Students were categorized as low gamers (zero to five hours a week), moderate gamers (five to 10 hours) or high gamers, who played video games for more than 10 hours each week.They found that low and moderate gamers showed largely comparable health outcomes but health indicators deteriorated sharply among students whose gaming time exceeded 10 hours a week.The study found diet quality declined and obesity was more common once gaming exceeded 10 hours a week, with each extra hour linked to poorer diets even after accounting for other lifestyle factors. While high gamers recorded a body mass index (BMI) of 26.3kg/m2, low and moderate gamers fell within a healthier range, with median BMIs of 22.2kg/m2 and 22.8kg/m2 respectively. Professor Siervo said: "Each additional hour of gaming per week was linked to a decline in diet quality, even after accounting for stress, physical activity and other lifestyle factors."Additionally, sleep quality was generally poor across all groups but students who played video games for moderate or high amounts of time reported worse sleep than low gamers.Despite clear results, the expert added that the study does not prove cause and effect but shows excessive gaming is linked to higher health risks, while low to moderate play appears largely fine.Why Is Playing Video Games Bad For You?According to the researchers, moderate gaming is not a significant problem for most students but the concern arises when long gaming sessions begin to replace essential daily routines such as eating well, getting enough sleep and staying physically active."Our data suggests low and moderate gaming is generally fine, but excessive gaming may crowd out healthy habits such as eating a balanced diet, sleeping properly and staying active."Because university habits often follow people into adulthood, healthier routines such as taking breaks from gaming, avoiding playing games late at night and choosing healthier snacks may help improve their overall well-being," Professor Siervo said.Playing video games for excessive amount of time has also been linked to paving the way for mental health problems  such as anxiety, depression, aggression and poor emotional control as well as social/life problems including neglecting responsibilities, isolation, poor relationships, academic/career impact.Moreover, previous research has also found that playing games for over three hours straight significantly raises the risk of physical issues. Sessions exceeding this time frame can lead to eye fatigue, headaches, neck pain and wrist pain, regardless of the player's age or gender.This study was published in Nutrition on January 16. 