Playing video games may boost child IQ levels – study

A multinational research team found that the average child could gain 2.5 IQ points from playing video games. Researchers from Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands observed records from the ABCD Study.

READ: There’s an equation for genius and IQ isn’t part of it The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study is “the largest long-term study of brain development and child health in the US.” The researchers observed screen time records for 9,855 children in the ABCD Study. They’re aged 9 or 10 and spend 2.



5 hours daily watching TV or online videos on average. Moreover, the kids played video games for an hour daily and socialized online for around 30 minutes. The researchers accessed data from over 5,000 children two years later.

Consequently, they found those who spent more time playing video games had 2.5 more IQ points than others. They based the IQ point increase on the children’s performance in reading comprehension, visual-spatial processing, memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.

Torkel Klingberg, study author and neuroscientist from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, stated: “Our results support the claim that screen time generally doesn’t impair children’s cognitive abilities...

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that playing video games can actually help boost intelligence.” However, the researchers admitted some of the study’s limitations. For example, it only focused on US kids and did not consider the types of video games the children played.

“We didn’t examine the effects of screen behavior on physical activity, sleep, wellbeing, or school performance, so we can’t say anything about that,” said Klingberg. “We’ll now be studying the effects of other environmental factors and how the cognitive effects relate to childhood brain development.” The researchers published their findings in the journal Scientific Reports.

Subscribe to our daily newsletter By providing an email address. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . Other studies have shown the other benefits of video games, such as improved mental health.

Read this Inquirer Tech article to learn more..