Time Spent Gaming and Social Competence in Children: Reciprocal Effects Across Childhood
Keywords
Electronic games
Norway
Time spent
Social development
Publication details
| Year: | 2020 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/cdev.13243 |
| Issued: | 2019 |
| Language: | English |
| Volume: | 91 |
| Issue: | 3 |
| Start Page: | 861 |
| End Page: | 875 |
| Editors: | |
| Authors: | Hygen B.; Belsky J.; Stenseng F.; Skalicka V.; Kvande M.; Zahl‐Thanem T.; Wichstrøm L. |
| Type: | Journal article |
| Journal: | Child Development |
| Publisher: | Wiley |
| Topics: | Social mediation; Internet usage, practices and engagement; Literacy and skills; Content-related issues; Risks and harms |
| Sample: | A community sample of Norwegian 6 year olds (n = 873) followed up at ages 8, 10, and 12, controlling for socioeconomic status, body mass index, and time spent gaming together with friends. |
| Implications For Parents About: | Parental practices / parental mediation; Parenting guidance / support |
| Implications For Educators About: | Digital citizenship; Professional development |
| Implications For Policy Makers About: | Stepping up awareness and empowerment |
| Implications For Stakeholders About: | Researchers; Industry; Healthcare |
Abstract
Electronic games are popular and many children spend much time on this activity. Here we investigate whether the quantity of time children spend on gaming is related to their social development, making this the first study to examine this relationship in children. We examine prospective relations between time spent gaming and social competence in a community sample of Norwegian 6 year olds (n = 873) followed up at ages 8, 10, and 12, controlling for socioeconomic status, body mass index, and time spent gaming together with friends. Results revealed that greater social competence at both 8 and 10 years predicted less gaming 2 years later and that more age-10 gaming predicted less social competence at age 12 but only among girls.
Outcome
Results revealed that greater social competence at both 8 and 10 years predicted less gaming 2 years later and that more age-10 gaming predicted less social competence at age 12 but only among girls.