AndyFromMonday said:
It's not that "video games" that draw people with psychological problems. It's that people with problems will find a way to cope. People will ALWAYS attempt to find a way to cope. Coincidentally it happened to be video games and TV here and the study seemed to imediatelly draw the conclusion that video games were the reason.
This is because you're reading this on a video gaming website. No other reason. Both are forms of entertainment that, by and large, require little to no investment from the participant. You sit and are entertained with occasional button clicks.
But to go to your original point--yes, of course, people use a wide variety of things to cope with whatever they need to cope with. Video games are certainly among them--it is, after all, why this website is the ESCAPIST. But you're not looking any deeper into the issue from an understanding of clinical and practical psychology, especially as it pertains to learning:
a) This is illuminating the possibility that screen-as-coping-buddy is a problem at this crucial developmental stage. Rather than developing COPING mechanisms, these children are being herded toward AVOIDANCE mechanisms--which are completely different things. As a result, they are not developing the necessary coping skills, and the lack of these skills manifests as a problem. It isn't the entertainment CAUSING the problem, but it could be FACILITATING the problem.
b) The same effect was not noticed on students who spent large amounts of time reading or studying, even if they weren't being socially active. Reading is a form of entertainment that demands more investment from the participant--you are not GIVEN images and sounds, but rather have to imagine them yourself, make inferences, and otherwise supplement the given materials. This process does help to develop (in some children) important and healthy coping mechanisms--though some literature, like the games/TV, also enables avoidant behaviors.
Like I've said before, they did not take in account any other factor. Was the child experiencing any mental problems? Was the kid socially active? Does he have a good relationship with his parents? Is he bullied? This is just a part of the factors that need to be taken into account before concluding that video games and TV are the reason for a child being "unbalanced". And what the hell does being "unbalanced" mean? The study uses such vague terms it's impossible to deduce what the conclusion really means.
Source?
I could get the same results by making a study about alcoholics and then conclude that alcohol is the reason they're unhappy. Of course, I COULD reach that conclusion but if I take into account other factors, like WHY they're drinking, the study would reach a whole other conclusion. Yes, alcohol is a factor but the REASON they started drinking in the first place would shed light as to why that alcoholic is what he/she is. If a kid is unhappy and uses food as a way to cope with that, is food the reason the kid is unhappy?
And that's all they're saying with this study. Whether it's because the video games "lead to" the psychological problems, or because the video games interrupt a child's ability to be "lead away" from the problems, the TV/video games are now under greater scrutiny for their effect on DEVELOPING minds.
Yes, alcoholics drink for reasons other than alcohol itself. But does that mean it should be okay to continue the drinking, if it's contributing to the cycle? Chicken, egg, it doesn't matter which one started it. One of the best steps to take is recognizing what is enabling the behavior and phasing it out.
Video games and TV are fantastic and great, and I love them. I'm also a grown man in good psychological and intellectual health holding down a steady job and meaningful relationships with the people around me. As a kid, my parents limited my screen time--they didn't forbid it, they just didn't let me park there for hours on end every day.
And your comparation makes no sense. There was no immediate correlation that video games caused mental problems. Sorry, children being "unbalanced". What the study found out was that in the group that they studied, children who played video games and watched TV for more than 2 hours a day seemed to be "unbalanced" or whatever the fuck that means. You didn't disprove anything. Correlation does not imply causation.
No one here has given any indication they believe correlation signifies causation. They're simply saying that this correlation warrants further investigation because of how specifically it seems to revolve around screen entertainment. Taking the knee-jerk reaction against it simply because it speaks less-than-favorably about your chosen entertainment medium doesn't accomplish anything useful.
I like coffee, but that doesn't mean my kids should have it. As adults, many of us like porn. That doesn't mean we should let our KIDS spend hours with it every day. Some things are just not good at certain stages of development, and this might be pointing us toward some interesting facts about how current trends in TV/gaming are affecting the development of our kids.
