“Study: TV, video games corrode kids' attention” plus 3 more

Study: TV, video games corrode kids' attention
Study: Kids' Gaming Is 'Strongly' Associated With Attention Problems
Indoor fun vs. video games
Howard police bring games to kids for second summer

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Study: TV, video games corrode kids' attention

Posted: 07 Jul 2010 09:01 AM PDT

The screen-time debate lives on.

This round goes to the opponents.

According to a new study from Iowa State University, television and video games cause attention problems for children.

The study, published this week in the medical journal Pediatrics, examined 1,323 kids in "middle childhood" over a 13-month period. The participants were asked to play video games and watch television. (Twist their arms.) The researchers then asked for reports from the children's parents and teachers to see how well they were paying attention at both home and school.

Based on those reports, researchers found that "exposure to television and video games was associated with greater attention problems." They also found that the association between the entertainment content and attention problems were just as "significant when earlier attention problems and gender were statistically controlled."

In other words, the video games and television were causing the attention issues, and nothing else.

The Iowa State researchers also examined whether video games and TV caused attention troubles in late adolescence and early adulthood. They examined 210 people in that age range over the same 13-month time frame. Just as with the children, the early adults and late-adolescent youths showed attention problems that followed an increase in screen time.

This isn't the first time Iowa State has examined the impact video games can have on attention span. Last year, researchers at the school examined a link between gaming and Attention Deficit Disorder. In that study, they found a correlation between high-volume game play and ADD.

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Study: Kids' Gaming Is 'Strongly' Associated With Attention Problems

Posted: 07 Jul 2010 12:07 PM PDT

Concern from parents regarding their kids' gameplay habits is nothing new, but a new study published in the Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics 'strongly' suggests that children who play a lot of video games might actually be doing quantifiable harm to their attention spans.

The survey [PDF], which followed 1,323 elementary school students for over a year, found that those who play games more than two hours a day are 67 percent more likely to have attention problems such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in home and in the classroom. It's a similar correlation as found in other studies surrounding television consumption, the results say.

One hypothesis under investigation is that media like TV and games are stimulating enough to young minds that they reduce their ability to remain engaged in the real world. "Others have hypothesized that because most television programs involve rapid changes in focus, frequent exposure to television may harm children's abilities to sustain focus on tasks that are not inherently attention-grabbing," the published results say.

However, the study concedes it can only prove correlation, not causation. The study's lead author, Iowa State University doctoral candidate Edward Swing, says it's an issue of relationship between media and distractibility, rather than a fact that games or television definitely degrade kids' ability to pay attention or tackle mundane challenges: "It wouldn't surprise me if children who have attention problems are attracted to these media, and that these media increase the attention problems," he tells CNN.

And further, researchers admit it's tough to argue that a child able to remain engaged with video games -- which often require persistence, repetitive behaviors and focus on motor-skill tasks -- has focus and attention problems. Further research is needed, it suggests, to explore the difference between the type of attention required for media and the type required for kids in academic and household settings.

A smaller simultaneous study of college students found that those who consume more than two hours a day of television and games are twice as likely to have attention problems. These students may have entered their academic programs with existing issues that led them to spend blocks of time on media instead of on classwork during a period of life when schedules are rigorous for many, and it's again difficult to prove causation over correlation.

Nonetheless, because of this cumulative later-life effect, the study recommended that parents limit their kids' TV and game time to under two hours a day for the best chance of effective and healthy habits in early adulthood.

Indoor fun vs. video games

Posted: 07 Jul 2010 03:23 PM PDT

Kids are exercising at Eisenbergs, an indoor skate park in downtown Plano, instead of playing video games.

Its hard to get kids to go out and play in 98 degree weather, said Richard Marinara. This is better for them since they get to exercise instead of sitting home playing video games.

Marinaras son is new to the sport of skateboarding, but he enjoys the opportunity to skate out of the sun.

He is also playing arena football through Plano Sports Association this summer, Marinara added, which is an indoor football program.

Another parent agrees with Marinara.

This is our first time here at Eisenbergs, said Arlene Maggiano. Weve never been to an indoor skate park before, so we didnt know what to expect.

Maggiano likes the idea of a place where kids can come to a safe environment, try new things and have an overall good experience.

Her son, Michael Maggiano, 10, likes skating indoors because its not as hot is more entertaining than staying at home.

This is way more fun than playing video games, because you can actually do the stuff instead of just watching the TV and moving around a controller on a game, he said.

The parks owner, Vicki Eisenberg, opened the location in 1997. She was inspired by her son, Arlo Eisenberg, who at the time had won the X Games and created a company called Senate, which allowed skaters to have aggressive skates for stunts.

Arlo had been making his own equipment before the company, Eisenberg said. By opening Senate, he was able to offer the same kind of equipment to other skaters.

She wanted to be able to support her sons business and saw a need in the community for an indoor park and supplies to foster this sport.

The park celebrates its 13th birthday July 17 and will be hosting a special tour with skateboarding icons Duane Peters and Bill Danforth July 20. Eisenbergs mini camps begin next week and will go through Aug. 20.

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Howard police bring games to kids for second summer

Posted: 06 Jul 2010 03:45 PM PDT

Despite Tuesday's searing heat and humidity, Howard County police officers spent the day outside, bringing a trailer full of games and activities to the first of five neighborhoods where kids out of school want something fun to do.

The county police helicopter and the department's armored car were on display as hot dogs and hamburgers cooked on a grill behind Stonehouse, the Long Reach community center, though few neighborhood kids showed up for the late-morning start. Police are hoping to attract more neighborhood youths as the summer rolls on.

A police dog demonstration was scheduled for later in the day, and a large trailer was used to bring equipment for basketball, bean-bag toss, video games, footballs and more.

The Community Athletic Program began last year with a $39,000 federal grant from the U.S. attorney's office. The grant expired June 30, but the county still has the recreational equipment it bought last year, and the police foundation donated money for food. Officers who regularly work in county schools and those who concentrate on youth and specific communities will staff the weekday activities.

The Youth Services Division commander, Lt. Jim Marshall, said the trailer and at least five officers will visit a different part of the county every day. They'll be at Oakland Mills Village Center each Monday, Long Reach each Tuesday, Laurel Woods Elementary on Wednesdays, Harper's Choice sports park on Thursdays, and the East Columbia Library in Owen Brown each Friday. Barring rain, the visits will run from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. through Aug. 20.

"We face some challenges getting the word out," Marshall said, and he acknowledged that the extreme heat might have kept some kids away, too. But county Police Chief William McMahon said that once the word spreads and the neighborhood kids see the fun and games are there every week, they will come out.

"We want to take it to places where kids are already hanging out and provide a positive relationship with the police," Marshall said.

Last year, the program attracted an average of 33 kids a day. Places like the East Columbia library and the Harper's Choice sports park are already gathering spots, McMahon said. Long Reach wasn't included last year, but this year the police set up shop behind the community center building owned by the Columbia Association.

The program seeks to put community officers together with impressionable youngsters ages 10 to 15 who may be stuck at home without transportation or a summer activity while their parents work.

"For the kids looking for something to do, they're going to find something to do," McMahon said.

He said the idea is to provide a constructive, supervised activity while building relationships with officers. Most of the communities involved have police substations because they've historically had problems with street crime.

Under a portable shelter, 11-year old Hadriel Ferrer and Nathan Hammond enthusiastically played "NBA 2K10" on a big flat screen television that was a little hard to see because of the bright sunlight. Kya Jones, 10, who like Hadriel will begin Wilde Lake Middle School next month, expressed a common sentiment. Nearby, a sweating County Executive Ken Ulman provided weak competition to the electronic game as he shot real hoops on a portable basket.

"I'd rather it was 86 degrees," Kya said, but all three children seemed enthusiastic about the games, even if they weren't in an air-conditioned living room. But the three children don't live in Long Reach and were invited by officers to help launch the program.

Nathan is home-schooled and said his father works for the Police Department. Kya said she's a member of the police Bear Trax club for kids.

larry.carson@baltsun.com

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