Video Game Addiction Is Real, Study Finds

Some children really are addicted to video games, a new study concludes. Researchers used data on 1,200 children and teens taken from a survey. They compared kids’ answers about their game use to criteria for gambling addiction. Researchers decided about 8.5% were addicted to video games. These kids showed at least 6 of 11 signs of addictive behavior. For example, some said they skipped schoolwork to play games or played to “escape” bad feelings. The study appeared in the journal Psychological Science. Reuters Health news service wrote about it May 5.