Playing violent video games linked to depression in kids

A new study has suggested that kids who play violent video games might be at a greater risk for depression.

The study conducted at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School recorded significantly more depressive symptoms over the course of a year among fifth-graders from three U.S. cities who reported playing high-violence video games for 2 or more hours a day, compared to those who reported playing low-violence video games for less than 2 hours a day.

Editor-in-Chief Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, Institute, San Diego, California and Virtual Reality Medical Institute, Brussels, Belgium said that one of the strengths of this study was its large and ethnically diverse sample.

The study was published in the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.