Frequent early gaming linked to higher risk of adult gaming disorder, study finds
A new study published in PLOS ONE reveals that preschoolers who play video games frequently—before age 6—are more likely to develop severe internet gaming disorder symptoms as adults.
Key findings from the research
- Researchers at the University of Western Ontario created the Lifetime Video Game Usage Scale (LVUS) to measure gaming engagement from early childhood to the present.
- Using growth mixture modeling, they identified four distinct gaming trajectories:
- 'Consistently high group': High gaming throughout childhood and adolescence; showed higher internet gaming disorder symptoms than the 'low escalating' and 'rapidly escalating' groups.
- 'Low escalating group': Low early gaming, increasing later in life.
- 'Rapidly escalating group': Low preschool gaming, then high gaming.
- 'Moderate gaming group': Moderate gaming with significant preschool gaming.
- Preschool gaming was the strongest predictor of adult symptom severity, followed by high school gaming.
- Online gaming predicted problematic behavior more strongly than offline gaming, though offline gaming was also a significant predictor.
- Gaming with others—especially strangers—predicted higher symptoms than gaming alone.
Important limitations to consider
This study uses a retrospective, cross-sectional design, meaning it cannot establish causation between early gaming and later disorder symptoms.
- Unmeasured environmental factors—such as family environment and parental supervision—may influence the associations.
- Statistical models explained only a modest portion of symptom variation, indicating that other contributing factors are likely at play.