{"id":65744,"date":"2025-08-14T06:11:08","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T06:11:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/65744\/"},"modified":"2025-08-14T06:11:08","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T06:11:08","slug":"hobby-enjoyed-by-millions-of-young-people-linked-to-risk-of-serious-mental-illness-shocking-new-study-reveals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/65744\/","title":{"rendered":"Hobby enjoyed by millions of young people linked to risk of serious mental illness, shocking new study reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"

By ELEN JOHNSTON, HEALTH REPORTER<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 14:00 EDT, 13 August 2025 | Updated: 14:00 EDT, 13 August 2025 <\/p>\n

A new study has revealed that binge gaming is directly linked to anxiety, depression<\/a>\u00a0and poor sleep in young people\u2014with it being a particular problem in boys.<\/p>\n

Hong Kong<\/a>\u00a0researchers surveyed 2,592 of children and teens currently in school and found that 31 per cent of the youngsters had a binge gaming problem.<\/p>\n

The experts defined a binge gamer as someone who games on a console or PC for five or more hours consecutively.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Specifically, 30 per cent revealed that they binge game at least once a month, with this being 14.3 per cent more prevalent in boys.<\/p>\n

In both genders, binge gamers experienced more instances of depression, anxiety, stress, loneliness, poor sleep, and lessened confidence in their educational ability than non-gamers.<\/p>\n

They also reported higher rates of a troubling gaming addiction medically known as internet gaming disorder (IGD).<\/p>\n

The authors of the study<\/a> said: ‘Binge gaming may signify an initial phase in the progression of IDG and other severe social, physical and mental health issues.’<\/p>\n

However, they added other risk factors may lead to the development of the disorder like attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism.<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A new study has revealed binge gaming is linked to poor mental health in children and teens<\/p>\n

In the UK, the latest government figures show 91 per cent of children and young people between three and 15 years old play video games.<\/p>\n

The gaming disorder has even been labeled as a health condition by the World Health Organization (WHO).\u00a0<\/p>\n

In June, a study found that teens who spend more than two hours a day scrolling on phones or tablets doubled their risk of developing anxiety and quadrupled their chances of becoming depressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Prolonged screen time, particularly passively scrolling or \u2018doomscrolling\u2019, led to heightened anxiety, depression, aggression and impulsiveness among adolescents who took part in a nine-month study.<\/p>\n

Neuroscientists said 45 per cent of the 12 to 17-year-olds they studied, who had no prior mental health conditions, experienced psychiatric symptoms that needed further medical evaluation.<\/p>\n

The research comes amid a growing mental health crisis in Britain\u2019s schools, with NHS data showing more than a fifth of eight to 16-year-olds had a probable mental health problem in 2023, a rise of 7 per cent since 2017.<\/p>\n

However, other\u00a0studies\u00a0<\/a>have found that video gaming can have benefits\u2014with one claiming it can be a better workout for the mind than physical exercise.<\/p>\n

Last year, researchers found gamers scored better on memory, attention and reasoning compared to those who did not play video games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Prolonged <\/p>\n

Prolonged screen time led to heightened anxiety (file photo)<\/p>\n

Meanwhile moderate-level exercise of 150 minutes per week, in line with NHS guidelines, didn’t boost memory and thinking skills, despite improving memory.<\/p>\n

Another study <\/a>with 97,000 participants found the often misunderstood hobby, gaming, had a positive impact on their mental health.<\/p>\n

The Japanese researchers revealed owning a game console and playing games helped participants improve their wellbeing.<\/p>\n

However, participants who played video games for over three hours a day did not enjoy the same benefits, which suggests the problem may lie in binge gaming.<\/p>\n

But in one study, researchers found those who played video games for three or more benefits a day performed better in cognitive and memory tests.<\/p>\n

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