A new study has pinpointed brain markers that may predict which teenagers are vulnerable to developing gaming addiction, providing a potential breakthrough for parents grappling with screen-time limits.
The research, published Dec. 9 in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, comes from the University of Rochester’s Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience. Scientists analyzed data from more than 6,100 adolescents aged 10-15 over four years and found reduced brain activity in decision-making and reward-processing regions correlated with increased symptoms of gaming addiction.
“A number one concern for parents of children and teenagers is how much screen time and how much gaming is enough gaming and how to figure out where to draw the line,” said John Foxe, PhD, director of the Del Monte Institute and co-author of the study. “These data begin to give us some answers.”
The researchers conducted brain scans using fMRI during the first year of the study while participants performed a task that involved pushing a button quickly to earn a $5 reward. Over the following three years, the same teens completed questionnaires assessing video game addiction symptoms. Those who showed higher signs of addiction exhibited lower brain activity during the initial reward-based task.
“This blunted response to reward anticipation is associated with higher symptoms of gaming addiction and suggests that reduced sensitivity to rewards, particularly non-gaming rewards, may play a role in problematic gaming,” the study noted.
Lead author Daniel Lopez, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at Oregon Health & Science University, said the findings are crucial for understanding the fine line between healthy and unhealthy gaming.
“Gaming itself is not unhealthy, but there is a line, and our study clearly shows that some people are more susceptible to symptoms of gaming addiction than others,” Lopez said. “For parents, that’s really key because restricting children entirely from gaming is difficult and can hinder social development. This research starts to point us in the direction of neural markers we can use to identify who might be at risk.”
The study relied on data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest long-term investigation of brain development in the United States. Launched in 2015, the ABCD Study tracks nearly 12,000 children into adulthood and provides valuable insights into the social, emotional, and cognitive factors shaping adolescent growth.
Ed Freedman, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience at the University of Rochester and co-principal investigator for the Rochester site of the ABCD Study, underscored the importance of this comprehensive data set.
“The large data set that contains this understudied developmental window is transforming recommendations for everything from sleep to screen time,” Freedman said. “Now we have specific brain regions associated with gaming addiction in teens. This allows us to ask other questions that may help us understand if there are ways to identify at-risk kids and if there are other behaviors or recommendations that could mitigate risk.”
Foxe added that the Rochester team’s contributions to this national effort are influencing health policy globally. “We’re very proud that this Rochester cohort is a part of this national and international dialogue around adolescent health,” he said.
The research offers a promising step toward more targeted approaches in managing screen time, helping parents and professionals alike navigate the evolving digital landscape.
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