Playing video games might not be as bad for kids as our parents told us. In fact, according to a study published in 2022, playing video games might have actually increased the IQ in some children.
The researchers say they were careful to factor in several variables when testing their hypothesis, including looking at differences in genetics and even the children’s socio-economic background. They then tested how playing videos, watching TV, and interacting with social media affected their intelligence.
The results are probably shocking for some, especially considering mainstream narratives that gaming is bad for young minds. That’s because the researchers found that playing video games increases children’s IQ. However, watching TV and using social media doesn’t seem to have a positive or negative effect on the child’s intelligence.
Considering how big of a part digital media plays in defining the average modern childhood, understanding the cognitive effects different types of media have on children is important. However, those effects are still mostly unclear and “hotly debated,” the team writes in their paper, which was published in Scientific Reports.
The researcher’s findings, though, support claims that screen time—specifically video games—doesn’t have a negative effect on children’s cognitive abilities. Of course, it will be hard to convince some that playing video games boosted children’s IQs at all, as many continue to use video games as a crutch to explain issues present in younger generations.
Of course, it’s all a bit more complex than just saying that playing video games makes kids smarter. There are a lot of factors to look at, the researchers say, and their sample sizes were very small, which means that there could be other considerations to take into account that were missed this time around.
Still, even the possibility that we could have scientific evidence to fight back against arguments that video games only rot the brain is exciting. We already know that some brain games can help you remember things better. But can video games actually boost children’s IQ? Perhaps more research will give us an even more definitive answer.