Are Video Games Helping Or Harming Your Child

At Little Rockies Pediatric Dentistry, we want our little patients to be healthy and safe in every aspect of their lives, not only their dental health. We have many parents concerned about the amount of screen time they allow their children to have and the effect it may be having on their developing brains. Are video games and other devices harming your child?

According to some, we shouldn’t be allowing our children to have any type of screen-based technology. Others will say that, as long as it’s used in moderation, screen-based technology, including video games, can actually benefit our children.

We did a little research on the pros and cons of video games and children, and the list of our findings is below:

Cons of Children Playing Video Games

• Excessive video game playing has been linked with childhood obesity
• If a child plays more than 3 hours a day of video games, it can negatively impact their psychological development
• Video games depicting violence can increase violence in children
• Children who play too many video games can lose motivation to do chores or other activities.

Pros Of Children Playing Video Games

• Video games have been shown to improve problem solving skills and processing speeds in the brain
• Playing video games can improve memory and build brain regions and flexibility
• Video games have been shown to increase pro-social behavior in children
• Can improve reading comprehension and fluency

What we learned was that, in moderation, video games can actually benefit your child. You need to make sure that you’re monitoring the types of games being played and limit screen time to ½ hour to an hour a day.

Bringing your child in for regular dental cleanings and exams is an important part of keeping them healthy and happy! To schedule your child for an appointment with Dr. Matthew Brady, please contact Little Rockies Pediatric Dentistry. Our office is located in Parker, CO!