DailyMail: Under 7's Risk Brain Damage From Computer Games

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Misty L. Trepke

http://health.

 

Under-7s 'should be banned from playing computer games or risk

damaging their brains'

By SEAN POULTER

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.

html?in_article_id=507143 & in_page_id=1965

 

 

Experts fear computer consoles such as the Nintendo Wii harm child

development

Children should be banned from playing computer games until the age

of seven because the technology is " rewiring " their brains, it is

claimed.

 

Bombardment of the senses with fast-pace action games is said to be

causing a shortening of attention span, harming the ability to

learn.

 

The concerns emerged as technology industry experts gathered at a

special summit discussing the development of children, held

yesterday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

 

Educational psychologist Jane Healy said research indicated that

computer games fuelled the development of basic " flight or fight "

instincts rather than considered reasoning.

 

" If you watch kids on a computer, most of them are just hitting keys

or moving the mouse as fast as they can. It reminds me of rats

running in a maze. "

 

She believes parents would be wise to keep children away from

computer games until at least the age of seven to allow their brains

to develop normally.

 

Researchers from the Joan Ganz Cooney Centre, which investigates the

relationship between children, the media and technology, said the

average age that U.S. youngsters begin to use electronic gadgets has

come down from just over eight to just over six and a half since

2005.

 

They looked at more than 300 products including computer games,

toys, virtual worlds for children and supposedly educational

software to be run on home computers.

 

Of these, only two educational video games employed proven learning

techniques.

 

The researchers found that too many products involve children

sitting isolated in front of a computer screen.

 

Others make unsubstantiated claims about their educational benefits.

 

There has been an explosion in the creation of virtual worlds for

children in the past year.

 

Huge numbers of children in the U.S. and Britain are members of

internet sites such as Club Penguin, Webkinz and others dedicated to

Barbie or the Bratz dolls.

 

The summit heard calls for an industry code of ethics designed to do

away with commercial exploitation of children who visit such sites.

 

By contrast, Alice Cahn, of the Cartoon Network, told the summit

that technology was delivering huge benefits.

 

" We should not be worried about technology changing the face of

play, but rather that all kids have access to the best kinds of

technology. "