Are video games better than TV and social media for children's IQ?

Many parents are worried about their children gaming too much. Besides, they also worry about the effects of gaming on their children's mental growth. Fear not because new research suggests that children who spend an above-average time on games show elevated IQ levels.

Above-average IQ growth in children playing games:

Researchers from Sweden-based Karolinska Institutet conducted a psychological test to analyze the general cognitive abilities of more than 5,000 children aged between 10 and 12 in the United States. The test deuced how much time these children spent on gaming, watching TV and videos, and social media. The psychological tests were also repeated two years later in a follow-up. The result showed that gaming for over above-average hours increased intelligence of children by approximately 2.5 IQ points. On the contrary, TV and social media did not show any significant negative or positive changes in children.

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The researchers created the index for the research from 5 tasks comprised reading comprehension and vocabulary, attention and execution function, visual-spatial processing, and learning ability. Two years later, the researchers determined the difference in performance in the period and the individual differences in the preliminary test. Moreover, the researchers controlled the genetic differences and the difference in the education and income of the parents. These tests allowed the researchers to determine the actual effects of media consumption on children.

4 hours of average screen time recorded

Based on the research, they found that a child spent two and half hours watching videos, an hour gaming, and around half an hour on social media on average. That's 4 hours for an average child and 6 hours for the top 25% of the 5,000 children. The researchers observed that time spent on social media did not boost their intelligence or slow their growth. Though, when parental education was not considered, watching videos and TV resulted in a positive increase in one of the tests. The research solidifies the positive effects of gaming on cognitive development in children. It also aligns with recent research that shows intelligence depends on environmental factors and it is not constant.

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