There is an alternative form of interest among teens, and it's not sex or tobacco. Teens are now more into video games.
One research confirmed that teenagers, at least in New York, are into virtual games more than sex and tobacco. According to New York Post, the survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found out that nearly half of New York teens preferred playing games. These teens play video games for at least three hours.
In 2005, only 28.1 percent prefer games over the three other choices and increased by nearly half, which was 41.7 percent in 2013. The federal CDC conducted the latest survey in 2015 and the results concluded that the previous statistics rose to 45.6 percent in a span of two years.
Conversely, more and more teens veer away from sex and substance use. High school students in the city who have had sex dropped since 2013. Thirty-one percent of the teens used to engage in sex while in high school at 2013, but in 2015, figures went down to 27.2 percent, which becomes the lowest rate ever recorded since 1997.
Tobacco consumption also plummeted by nearly half — from 8.2 percent down to 5.8 percent in 2015. However, one in six teens said that they substituted tobacco with vaporizers or e-cigarettes.
The downward trend may be a feat for some, but other experts warn that there are also negative effects in video gaming, especially if played excessively. Per Chicago Now, the most common complaint about video games is its overt violence.
Aside from the violence, health may also be compromised if video games are played too often. The World Health Organization already classified excessive gaming as a disorder, as per the official International Classification of Diseases.
Health experts also warn teens of the sedentary lifestyle that comes with video gaming. Sleeping patterns also come at the expense of video gaming, which can affect school performance and social interaction.
