Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Information Minister in Pakistani-administered Kashmir: Five civilians killed and at least 29 others injured in shelling across the border with India
Israeli Army Radio's diplomatic correspondent quoted a senior Israeli official as saying: So he [Trump] decided to cut off contact. That might still change, but that’s the situation right now
Israeli Army Radio's diplomatic correspondent quoted a senior Israeli official as saying: Trump’s circle told him [Dermer] that Netanyahu was manipulating him, and there’s nothing Trump hates more than being portrayed as someone being played
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: Meetings between the Israelis, Egyptians, and Qataris are all centered around the Israeli proposal, which does not guarantee an end to the war [on Gaza]
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: “Israel” is threatening to expand the ground offensive if Hamas rejects the proposal
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: Hamas rejects the Israeli proposal, viewing it as failing to guarantee an end to the war
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: “Israel” is sticking to its proposal, and insists there is no alternative offer on the table for negotiation
Senior Palestinian official to Al Mayadeen: The meetings between the Israelis and the Egyptians and Qataris all revolve around the Israeli proposal
The administration was clearly looking for an off-ramp for this campaign against Ansar Allah, NBC News reports, citing US official
Trump's operation against Ansar Allah cost more than $1 billion, NBC News reports, citing US official

OCD and kids: video games, screen time linked to compulsive behavior

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Healthline
  • 17 Dec 2022 20:19
  • 1 Shares
3 Min Read

A recent study has found an association between screen time and the development of OCD in preteens, with playing video games and watching videos being the most strongly linked.

  • x
  • Video gaming is linked to OCD (Photo: China Photos / Getty Images)
    Video gaming is linked to OCD (Photo: China Photos / Getty Images)

A recent study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that the amount of time spent on screens by preteens was linked to the future development of the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

In fact, every hour of playing video games increases the risk that a child would develop OCD by 15%, according to to study lead author Dr. Jason Nagata, an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco.

Every additional hour per day of watching videos, such as on YouTube, also increases the odds by 11%.

OCD is a mental disorder that features recurring and intrusive thoughts and makes a person feel urged to perform certain repetitive behaviors, the report says. According to the authors of the study, OCD can have severely debilitating effects that continue to a person's adult life.

How the study was conducted

Nagata and his team chose to examine kids aged 9 and 10 for their study since OCD tends to peak around these ages. 

The study evaluated over 9,000 American children who were analyzed using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study.

The study was almost equally balanced between girls and boys and was racially and ethnically diverse, and researchers examined data at baseline and two years later.

To determine the time spent on screens, every child took a survey that included questions on how many hours they usually spent on various types of screens, including watching TV or movies, playing video games, watching videos, video chatting, texting, and social media. The results were used to calculate the screen time children engage in on a usual day.

A diagnostic tool, the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (KSADS-5), was used to evaluate whether the study participants had OCD at the two-year mark, and researchers found that every additional hour of total screen time was connected to higher odds of having an OCD diagnosis after two years.

Spending hours playing video games and watching videos were the most strongly two screen uses linked to OCD.

Screen time may be linked to OCD development in preteens

In an interview with Healthline, Nagata said that kids who spent a great deal of time playing video games revealed a need to play more and more and an inability to stop even when they needed or wanted to.

“Intrusive thoughts about video game content could develop into obsessions or compulsions,” he explained.

YouTube videos can allow for compulsive viewing, Nagata noted, saying that algorithms and advertisements can exacerbate obsessions and compulsions.

Researchers had one “interesting” observation during the study: no association between traditional television viewing and OCD was found, he noted.

“With traditional television, it’s harder to be so focused on only one area as there are limited channels and programming,” he explained.

  • United States
  • OCD
  • ABCD Study
  • YouTube
  • Videogames
  • screen time
  • Compulsive behavior

Most Read

Pro-Palestinian protesters march toward the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Saturday, April 5, 2025, in Washington (AP)

US House to vote on bill criminalizing boycott of 'Israel'

  • Politics
  • 3 May 2025
Throughout Operation Prosperity Guardian, current and former US military and intelligence officials expressed disquiet at the enormous “cost offset” involved in battling Ansar Allah. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab El-Hajj)

Ansar Allah triumphant: US facing Red Sea defeat again

  • Opinion
  • 3 May 2025
Pakistan downs an Indian jet and hits a military base in Kashmir escalation.

Pakistan downs 3 Indian jets, hits military base in Kashmir escalation

  • Politics
  • 7 May 2025
Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu, senior Israeli official says

Trump cut off contact with Netanyahu: Israeli media

  • US & Canada
  • Today

Coverage

All
Gaza prevails against genocide

Read Next

All
UN experts warn: Stop the genocide or witness Gaza's end
Politics

Stop the genocide or witness end of life in Gaza: UN experts warn

Israeli police attack mourners as they carry the casket of killed Al Jazeera veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh during her funeral in occupied al-Quds, Friday, May 13, 2022. (AP)
Politics

Israeli sniper who killed journalist Shireen Abu Akleh identified

The Department of Defense logo is seen on the wall in the Press Briefing room at the Pentagon, Oct. 29, 2024, in Washington. (AP)
Politics

Pentagon’s unused properties drain billions in taxpayer funds

Haaretz
Palestine

Israeli military avoids calling up unwilling reservists: Haaretz

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS