In what could generate a greater risk by triggering obesity, aggressive and violent behaviour, about 82 per cent teens in Ahmedabad spend an average 14-16 hours a week playing video games.
The numbers are a result of a recent survey, conducted by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), that looked at children between the ages of 8-18 who play games on computer, web portal or consoles. The survey was conducted on more than 2,000 teenagers and 1,000 parents in major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chandigarh, Lucknow, Ahmedabad, Patna, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru and Jaipur. The survey also disclosed that more than 90 per cent of kids between 8-14 years old go online to play games. Moreover, Facebook is one of their favourite websites. The average 8 to 12 year-old plays 10-12 hours of video games per week, while the average 13 to 18 year old plays 14-16 hours of video games per week. At the same time, younger teen boys are the most likely to play games, followed by younger girls and older boys. While an equal number of female and male participants were surveyed in the 10 city survey, Delhi stood first followed by Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
"Getting highly involved with video games can become addictive, and parents need to be cautious about how many hours kids play," said BK Rao, chairman ASSOCHAM Health Committee. The survey highlighted concerns about the effect of violent video games on young minds who play video games excessively. "Children who are exposed to violence can become 'immune' or numb due to the horror of violence, imitate the violence they see, and show more aggressive behaviour with greater are exposure to violence. Some children accept violence as a way to handle problems. So the repeated exposure to violence, the greater is the impact on children," said Rao.