According to researchers, much time spent playing video games can boost a child's intelligence. If you're a parent, you might find this a contradiction because gaming is perceived as a bad habit for young minds. However, there could be both drawbacks and benefits.

 Screen time has a positive impact on intelligence. It allows children to adapt to new situations quickly, reason, understand complex ideas, and learn effectively. Since, on average, kids spend 1 hour playing video games, half an hour on social media, and 2.5 hours watching TV daily, their intelligence has changed over time.

Also, studies show that children who play video games for an hour score higher in intelligence than those who play less. Therefore, this article discusses the impacts of screen time on intelligence and the outcome of increased intelligence due to video gaming and activities like watching TV and social media.

Effects of screen time on Intelligence

After conducting several studies about the effects of screen time on children's intelligence, scientists found that gaming had a positive impact compared to other activities. Below are the results:

Result of increased intelligence because of video games

They showed that most kids at ten years gained intelligence after two years of video gaming, both girls and boys. For instance, a child who spent 17% of hours gaming had a higher intelligence quotient (IQ) of about 2.5 points over two years compared to the average kid.

While a previous study argued that playing video games could rot a child's mind, this study contends otherwise. It finds that video gaming hour after hour can boost a child's brain.

Result of increased intelligence of other activities (social media & watching TV)

Regarding other kinds of screen activities, studies found something different. For example, using social media platforms does not affect intelligence after two years. The many hours a child spends messaging, and Instagramming does not boost their intelligence and doesn't detriment their brain either.

Lastly, watching online videos and TV programs presented a positive outcome in one of the many analyses. However, when parental education is considered, there is no effect. Hence, this finding is negligible. Some empirical studies showed that watching high-quality TV and video content might positively impact the kid's school performance and cognitive skills. But these outcomes are found in rare cases.

Although these results do not provide all psychological aspects, you don't have to lose your mind over kids who love gaming because it makes them more intelligent.

As the researchers have found, screen time for children who love gaming doesn't necessarily impair their cognitive abilities. On the contrary, playing video games boosts their intelligence and benefits them in several other ways. However, you might want to be more vigilant on other screen activities like social media, watching TV, and video content.

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