by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on May 4, 2012
Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Michael Rich, MD, MPH, is Children’s Hospital Boston’s media expert and director of Children’s Center on Media and Child Health. Take a look at his blog archive or follow him on Twitter @CMCH_Boston
Q: My son is 15 and displays symptoms of video game addiction, including lying and sneaking to try to gain access. He has Asperger’s and ADHD, and regardless of what medication regimen we try, the gaming obsession remains. I recently asked the psychiatrist to hospitalize him and treat him as they would other addicts, but they just changed his meds. Anyway, even if he were treated, he needs the computer for school. Do you have any advice for me?
-Dealing with Addiction, Orlando, FL
A: Dear Dealing with Addiction,
Unfortunately, more and more families share your story. Whether through sleep deprivation, anxiety, or social isolation, teens struggling with problematic video game or internet use are suffering, and their families are disrupted. And research shows that young people with ADHD may actually be more susceptible to problematic video game or internet use. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on October 28, 2011
Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Michael Rich, MD, MPH, is Children’s Hospital Boston’s media expert and director of Children’s Center on Media and Child Health. Take a look at his blog archive or follow him on Twitter @CMCH_Boston
Q:My father-in-law bonds with my 4-year-old son by playing video games. Recently, he bought a LEGO pirates game, rated for 10 year olds, and the two play it for about an hour every time they see each other. I love that they spend time together, but since they started playing this game, my son has become more violent. My father-in-law doesn’t see the problem, even though I’ve tried talking with him about it. Is there research that might help convince him to choose other bonding activities?
-Baffled over bonding in Palo Alto, CA
A: Dear Baffled,
You know your child better than anyone else, so you are most sensitive to a change in his behavior—and you are in the best position to guide him toward the person you want him to become. Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on August 6, 2010
Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Michael Rich, MD, MPH, is Children’s Hospital Boston’s media expert and director of Children’s Center on Media and Child Health. Take a look at his blog archive or follow him on Twitter @CMCH_Boston.
This week, Rich advises parents of kids who own internet-ready video game systems.
Q: My 12-year-old son wanted a PS3, partly as a birthday gift and partly out of money he’s saved. This was to replace his PS2 because some of the games he wanted were not available for PS2. His PS2 is in his room on a non-cable hooked up TV so that all of his approved, appropriately rated games can be played without all the gaming controllers, fake guitars, and the like taking up all of our adult space. But, he is not far enough from me that I don’t know how long (or what) he is playing. After buying the PS3, we learned that, in order to play PS3 games multi-player, the device has to have the wireless Internet function activated. That essentially puts a computer in his room where he is not under supervision. Full story »
by Tripp Underwood on May 21, 2010
Michael Rich, MD, MPH is Children’s media expert. He is the director of Children’s Center on Media and Child Health. Take a look at his blog archive or follow him on Twitter @CMCH_Boston.
Michael Rich, MD, MPH
Last week he answered your questions on if TV for toddlers can lead to poor school preformance later in life. This week he answers your question about whether or not feelings of control in video games make kids more easily frustrated in real life.
Q: Many of the kids I know have been playing video games from a very young age. For the most part, as these children have grown up, they have become anti-social and easily frustrated. Are there any studies showing that these games, where the player is always in control, affect behavior and the ability to live in the real world?
–Kids in Control? in Santa Monica, CA
A: Dear Kids in Control,
If the kids you are talking about are now teenagers, then their anti-social qualities may just be part of their current stage of life! However, it may be that they seem more withdrawn than other kids their age, or that they are past adolescence and still seem anti-social. Looking at the scientific research, there are a number of studies about the effects of violent video games on behavior. One author actually compared all of these studies to each other and concluded: The evidence strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for…decreased empathy and prosocial behavior. So it is possible that kids who play a lot of violent video games will grow up to be less social. However, the study does not examine why that is. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on March 5, 2010
by Dafna Lemish, PhD
Actress Geena Davis’s recent speech to the United Nations highlighted a concern that researchers of children and media have been speaking about for many years. The programs on the screens our children view – on television, computers, movie theaters or even their mobile phones – portray a world of gross gender inequality: Girls still appear marginal to society. Full story »
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on February 20, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 17, 2010
by Childrens Hospital Boston staff on January 8, 2010
Post update: Dr. Rich responded to the comments on this post, including whether he got some of the facts about the game wrong. Check out his response.
Media expert Michael Rich, MD, MPH, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston, answers your questions about media use. Last week, he discussed junk food ads on kids’ websites.
Here’s this week’s question:
Q: I don’t wish for my teen son to have more “first-person shooter” experiences, and yet all he wants in this world is this Modern Warfare game. All of his friends have it already, and he says he’ll be laughed at and left out if he doesn’t get it. He said these games are so much fun…he gets a real rush. How do these games impact teen boys? Are there any positive impacts? What’s a parent to do?
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Wary of Warfare in Glencoe, IL
Full story »
Other stories we’ve been reading:
