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NPR reports on different interpretations of a recent study involving young mice and prolonged audiovisual stimulation:
The debate centered on a study of young mice exposed to six hours daily of a sound and light show reminiscent of a video game. The mice showed "dramatic changes everywhere in the brain," said Jan-Marino Ramirez, director of the Center for Integrative Brain Research at Seattle Children's Hospital.
"Many of those changes suggest that you have a brain that is wired up at a much more baseline excited level," Ramirez reported. "You need much more sensory stimulation to get [the brain's] attention."
So is that a problem?
On the plus side, it meant that these mice were able to stay calm in an environment that would have stressed out a typical mouse, Ramirez explained. But it also meant they acted like they had an attention deficit disorder, showed signs of learning problems, and were prone to risky behavior.
Overall, the results add to the evidence that parents should be very cautious about screen time for young children, Ramirez said. "I would minimize it."
A more optimistic interpretation came from Leah Krubitzer, an evolutionary neurobiologist at the University of California, Davis. "The benefits may outweigh the negative sides to this," Krubitzer said, adding that a less sensitive brain might thrive in a world where over-stimulation is a common problem.
(Score: 2) by black6host on Tuesday November 22 2016, @01:15AM
I let my son (8) play video games on the weekends. He also goes outside and plays and sometimes has friends in to play with him.
Most of the games he plays are games that we play together, cooperatively. I'm not sitting him down in front of a babysitter. He's at his computer and I am at mine and we love to play Plants vs Zombies Garden Warfare 2. There is a ton of interaction between us, he just loves to stalk me :) One of the key things he's learned is patience and being able to deal with frustration when he doesn't win.
When his friends come over to play he is learning how to share. At first he invited his friends to come in and watch him play. I explained that they would tire of that and they did. Now, he asks if they want to come in and play instead of watch. It's been a good social experience for him.
I do think there should be a good mix between computers and other interests. My son is learning karate and is doing quite well at it. This requires training multiple times a week, every week. And he does just that. He is not lacking for exercise or social stimulation. I use computers, school, karate and everything else he does as tools to help guide him into adulthood.
My point is that I agree with you. Done right a lot of things can be taught that will serve him well.