Video Games: Violence and Broken Bones

Thus far, no one has invented a video game that actually injures the players, and yet surprisingly playing video games and watching too much television may actually increase the risk for fractures for some children. There is also evidence that the behavior of those who play violent games can be influenced resulting in increased aggression.

A study in the April issue of the Journal of Pediatrics cites the surprising return of rickets, a bone-softening disease afflicting children that had become so rare that the government had stopped maintaining statistics. Children with rickets may develop bowing in their legs that will remain a lifelong deformity in addition to an increased risk of broken bones.

The researchers attribute this resurgence to the popularity of milk substitutes such as soy that lack certain nutrients, the failure to supplement breast milk with vitamin D, and a lack of childhood exposure to daylight. One of the authors postulates that children are not getting enough vitamin D because parents are keeping them indoors more, leaving them at daycare centers while they work longer hours, or trying to protect them from skin Cancers. One could also infer that prolonged time in front of a video screen is another plausible reason for the lack of exposure to sunlight.

This study brings in mind an episode of “The Simpsons” where Marge successfully lobbied the makers of Itchy and Scratchy cartoons leading to the elimination of all violence. Bored with this sanitized version, children turned off the television to discover the joys of outdoor self-structured play.

Two other studies drew even more remarkable conclusions. The researchers looked at the behavior of college students who had a history of playing video games depicting violent aggression. There was clear evidence that their behavior was influenced yielding greater aggression. Coincidentally, these same students also had the lowest grades. The second study found that students who played an aggressive video game and were then pitted against one another in a simulated contest displayed more aggressive behavior toward one another than a similar group that played a more benign game.

It is too much of a leap for all the examples cited to link them together in a cause-and-effect relationship. Yet this information deserves attention by parents concerned about the influences affecting their children and the kind of adults they hope for them to become.

If you’d like a better understanding of the importance and possible effects of video games on your children, I suggest that you sit down next to your kids as they play one of their favorite games. Make no negative statements or direct criticisms, but instead consider asking them the following questions:

• What do you like about this game?
• How do you feel about the characters in the game?
• Do you identify with any of the characters, and if so, why?
• What do you think is a healthy amount of playing video games on a daily basis?
• Do you think that playing video games has had any effect on your schoolwork?

There is no question that we are busier than ever and more tired than ever as parents. Self-occupying activities for our kids may buy us some short-term peace and quiet, but we need to count the costs and to be wise about what our children are exposed to as their character is being formed.

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