Researchers Penny Sweetser, Daniel Johnson and Peta Wyeth, from Queensland University of Technology's Games Research and Interaction Design (GRID) Lab, investigated the amount of time children spent watching TV and DVDs compared to video game and computer use.
While watching television was a "passive" experience, video and computer games were interactive and boosted children's self-esteem, cognitive skills such as problem-solving and, in some cases, physical activity levels, Johnson said.
The analysis of data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children found children in a particular age group spent, on average, some two to three hours watching television compared to less than a half hour playing video games or using computers.
"There is a lot of negative press about gaming and that's not well-supported. Where there is a negative effect, research shows it's on the minority of people.
"Video games are a mainstream pastime. More than 92 per cent of Australian homes have at least one device for playing video games," he said.
Sweetser said computer use and video game play should not be classed as the same type of activity as watching TV, the Australian Journal for Early Childhood reported.
She said screen-time recommendations, which are based on the sum of all screen-related activities, should be divided into two categories, active and passive screen time.
The research found active screen time involved cognitively or physically engaging screen-based activities, such as playing video games or completing homework on a computer.
"Clearly, certain forms of media such as violent video games are not appropriate for children, and games should be played in moderation," she said.
