Parents need to moderate the number of hours their children spend playing games or using other entertainment-related technologies.
According to a research conducted by Rutgers University recently, teenagers or middle-schoolers who play games for more than an hour each day during the school week are more likely to have significantly lower grades on average.
In order to ensure better academic performances within the said age group, gaming hours should be limited to not more than an hour daily during school days and not more than four hours on weekends.
It should however be noted that the research was conducted using a national survey of Chinese students where around 10,000 first-year students of the average age of 13.5 years old were followed and their habits analyzed. Boys were found to use technology-related entertainment more than girls and who also performed worse in comparison as well as being most likely to skip school.
China has always had a problem with gaming addictions, which has forced publishers to find new ways to limit the number of hours spent playing. Recently, China pushed new regulations where players under the age of 18 are prohibited from playing games between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. to ensure a good night sleep. They are also restricted to 90 minutes of gaming on weekdays and just three hours on weekends and holidays.
“Such findings are critical, particularly in light of the recent movement toward online learning in countries throughout the world,” said lead author Anthony, an assistant professor at the School of Social Work and research associate at the Rutgers Center for Gambling Studies.
“In a learning environment that integrates the internet, it is easy for children to move across educational and entertainment platforms during learning without alerting teachers or adults to alternate activities.”
The research also claims that moderating the time spent playing games or browsing the internet will help children learn about effective time management and reduce their reliance on modern-day technology.