Is There a Link Between Video Games and ADHD

It’s a question a growing number of parents are contemplating as excessive screen time is becoming a bigger health concern for kids.

In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics cites research that up to 8.5 percent of U.S. youth, ages 8 to 18, meet the criteria for an internet gaming disorder (IGD).

Does Playing Video Games Cause ADHD?

There’s no evidence that playing video games causes ADHD, but kids who game more often are more likely to develop symptoms later.

However, if your child doesn’t have a diagnosis of ADHD, frequent gaming combined with other signs is a reason to ask for an evaluation.

More than 9% of kids living in the United States, ages 2 to 17, have been diagnosed with ADHD, according to a 2016 Centers for Disease Control study.

Among these children, 6 out of 10 are taking medication for their ADHD, and about the same portion have other diagnosed emotional problems.

In July, a team reported that teens who are heavy users of digital devices are twice as likely as infrequent users to show ADHD symptoms in the future.

The team tracked nearly 2,600 teenagers in public schools for two years, after first eliminating any students who already showed symptoms of ADHD when the study began. The participants reported how often they used any of 14 different media platforms – including games.

“This study raises concern whether the proliferation of high-performance digital media technologies may be putting a new generation of youth at risk for ADHD,” said study co-author Adam Leventhal, PhD, professor of preventive medicine and psychology at the University of Southern California.

Of all the possibilities, from texting to streaming music or movies, or posting photos, video chatting was most linked to future ADHD symptoms, followed by playing games on a console, smartphone, or computer.

How Much is Too Much?

With kids spending so much time on their phones, it’s hard to know what they’re doing or how much is too much.

Research has linked conduct problems to spending more than nine hours a week of gaming. But that’s much less than today’s norm.

About 10% of American eighth-graders said they spent at least 40 hours a week gaming, in an analysis of 2016 data by Jean Twenge, PhD, a psychology professor at San Diego State University. That weekly total comes to nearly six hours a day.

Psychiatrist Dr. Kourosh Dini, author of Video Game Play and Addiction: A Guide for Parents, claims the biggest indicator of an issue isn’t how much time kids are spending gaming, but how well they are functioning.

Additionally, gaming can be a special solace and source of esteem for children with ADHD, so parents may be reluctant to restrict game time.

“I’ve had numerous parents come up to me and tell me that their child has ADHD and the only thing they could focus on for two hours at a time is video games,” said Douglas Gentile, PhD.

Why Are People With ADHD More Attracted to Video Games?

Video games reward short bursts of attention and are designed to prevent your mind from wandering.

For people with ADHD, their attention tends to extremes – scattered or “hyperfocused” when they’re extra-stimulated.

A three-year study of some 3,000 children and teens from Singapore, concluded that gaming wasn’t helping inattentive kids. In fact, the heaviest gamers become more impulsive and less attentive.

A game is a respite and refuge some people don’t want to leave. Also, if someone has ADHD, then they may have trouble organising their time.

As with many psychological questions, there are evolution-based answers and biochemical ones. ADHD may arise from genes that were once an advantage. Being quick-moving and alert to signs of danger from different directions — as you need to be able to win a video game — could make you a good watchman.

Another theory is that people with ADHD are “self-medicating” themselves through gaming, giving themselves shots of the pleasure-chemical dopamine.

Ritalin, a form of ADHD medication, raises dopamine levels, and other research has found that it can reduce gaming.

Do Video Games Have Any Benefits?

Some research has shown that games can enhance spatial skills, especially the more violent “shooter” games. One meta-analysis concluded that playing shooter games enhanced these skills as much as high school and university-level courses designed for that purpose, and those skills applied beyond the games.

So, gaming might help a child succeed later in science and technology fields.

Some of the most popular games today involve teams of people playing online, so they may enhance the ability to work with others as well.

Is Gaming Really Addictive?

There is a difference of opinion about whether heavy gaming is an addiction or just a behaviour that’s extreme in some individuals.

Nevertheless, the World Health Organisation recently added “gaming disorder” to an updated version of its list of ailments.

The idea that an activity can be addictive — like alcohol and nicotine — is recognised in the current manual of official psychiatric disorders (DSM-5), which includes gambling.

However, in an appendix to the DSM-5, the authors identified “Internet Gaming Disorder” as worthy of more study.

In Asia, one gruesome tale of out-of-control gaming fed fears of a serious public health problem.

A couple in South Korea pleaded guilty to negligent homicide after their infant girl died of malnutrition while the parents played 10-hour sessions of a game at an internet café. (The couple was playing Prius Online, a fantasy game that allowed them to raise an online girl with magic powers).

Since 2011, South Koreans under the age of 16 can’t play online games between midnight and 6:00 am, unless their parents make a special request to lift the restriction.

While the topic of video games and addiction continues to be debated, the evidence that gaming can lead to gambling is clearer.

In 2011, a brain scan study of 14-year-olds found that frequent gamers had more grey matter in a particular brain area, a change seen in addicted gamblers.

Additionally, studies in Germany and Canada found that more than a quarter of teens who gamble with play money at home move on to gambling with actual money, most often using scratch cards.

What Can You Do if You Suspect Your Child Has a Gaming Addiction?

Parents might ask their child to answer the questions in a diagnostic tool from the team at reSTART Life, which runs a camp for teens.

Observe and be aware of the following danger signs of tech addiction: spending more and more time online or gaming, trying and failing to cut back, withdrawing from other pleasures, feeling more euphoric when they play, craving games, neglecting family and friends, restlessness, lying about time spent gaming.

Also, feeling guilt, shame, or anxiety about gaming are all indications of an activity gone out of control. Physical symptoms like weight gain or loss, backaches, headaches, and strained wrists could show up as well.

The Bottom Line

While video games do not cause ADHD, they can exacerbate symptoms. Those with ADHD may be more susceptible to developing a gaming addiction as a coping mechanism to better deal with their disorder.

However, as with many things, parents working together with their children to address the issue can lead to positive results.