Video games and online videos: Which one is better for teenagers?

A typical teenager spends over 8.5 hours a day on screen media. For teenagers who describe themselves as “enjoying a lot of screen-based media,” their favorite activities include watching online videos and playing video games. If we could influence teens to choose video games and online videos, would it be a better, healthier, more digitally nutritious activity?

Online video watching is becoming an increasingly prominent component of teenage media consumption. COVID-19 (COVID-19) Pandemic. According to the latest survey from Common Sense Media in 2019, teenagers spent an average of 7 hours and 20 minutes each day on television, online videos and video games. Social Mediabrowsing websites, creating content, reading, and other digital activities. By 2021, daily media hours had increased to 8 hours and 39 minutes towards the end of the pandemic.

It is important to note that these 8.5 hours may not be exclusive Screen timeteens could be multitasking, such as homework (observed by many parents), eating, and even using multiple screens simultaneously. Nevertheless, a typical 7-hour school day was added, with 8 hours of sleep (hopefully) 8.5 hours per day, with little time left for others (Rideout, 2022 ).

Before discussing whether video game screen times and online video screen times are excellent, it is important to recognize that such comparisons are difficult to make. First, many other forms of screen-based media have not been compared. Most notable social media suggests that it can be harmful to the mental health of teenage girls (Twenge et al., 2022). Secondly, not all video games and online videos are created equally. Some games act as a form of play that attracts cognitive skills, encourages interaction with peers, and practices social skills and problem-solving. Conversely, some games are designed to be overly violent, negatively portray women and minorities, or to sacrifice teens’ sleep.

Online videos provide the opportunity to learn life skills such as cooking and repairing household items, and can promote empathy and prosocial activities. Informational videos can help teenagers learn about health-related issues, and educational videos often support homework and teach new skills and hobbies.

Conversely, many videos harm teens Risk Take Actions including suicide, Drug abuseand dangerous activities. Algorithms that continuously generate and watch new videos often expose teens to unnecessary content. Fortunately, many teenagers are beginning to realize that they are being manipulated. And they don’t like it!

The American Psychological Association recently released it as the volume and accessibility of online videos is increasing Recommendations for Healthy Teen Video Watching (2024). Some of the most valuable recommendations include restricting access to content, violent portrayals that encourage content on positive, prosocial themes, while reinforcing negative stereotypes. Masu. We highly recommend helping teens choose content from reliable, accurate and reliable sources.

At the same time, parents are encouraged to help teens recognize the power, motivations and opinions of online influencers. Perhaps most importantly, parents must regularly engage with teenagers about media choices. Parents can help teens by modeling, discussing, educating and assessing the roles of video games, online videos and other screen-based media in their lives.

However, it often requires extremely careful attention, even tweaking towards one video and another, which can affect the use of screen-based media among teens. Many parents try to monitor their children’s access to games and screen time, but as their children become teenagers it becomes difficult to fully recognize what they are doing with their phones. In the US, 95% of teenagers have access to their smartphones (Anderson, 2024). This means it is essential that parents discuss appropriate screen time activities, time when they watch videos or play video games, and are aware of the risks of online activity. Perhaps even more important is modeling the proper screen time behavior!

If parents can play video games and watch online videos to teens, they can guide them towards the game rather than the video. Content uncertainty and manipulation in online videos make it more dangerous than the limited scope of video games. Parents are generally able to monitor video game play. Many of this occurs on your home computer or console. Aspiring parents can also join the teens in video gameplay. It’s much easier for parents to ask teens which video games they’re playing than they know about videos that pop up in their teen feeds.

The growing number of parents and teenagers is concerned that media usage is out of control. They are fighting a tough battle with large media companies that make money by keeping people involved as much as possible on screen. In this fight, you will need to serve as teens as active participants rather than passive consumers. Parents and educators should work with teens on the roles of video games, online videos and other screen activities.

Here are some research-based recommendations:

1. Set clear boundary: Establish clear rules for screen time, including period limits and timing of use. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends recreational screening times of less than two hours per day for teens.

2. Encourage balanced activities: We encourage teens to engage in a variety of activities, including physical exercise, reading, and direct socializing, to ensure a balanced lifestyle. We aim to help teens achieve healthy and balanced things.”Do a diet. ”

3. Promoting critical thinking: Teach teens to critically evaluate the content they consume and understand the motivations and potential impacts on their actions and beliefs behind media messages.

4. Promoting open communication: Maintain an open dialogue about the content they are visiting and create an environment where teens can comfortably discuss what they are seeing and play.

5. Model Healthy Habits: Show yourself healthy screening habits and show that you prioritize offline activities and relationships.