Gaming Disorder Among Children and Adolescents

Abstract

Research interest in problematic gaming has increased considerably in the past decade leading the World Health Organization to classify ‘gaming disorder’ (GD) as a formal diagnosis in 2019. This chapter describes the current state of knowledge in relation to minors, as well as future research on GD along with recommendations for important stakeholders such as researchers, the gaming industry, and policymakers. Meta-analyses on the prevalence of GD range from 3.05% to 4.6%, with males, children, and adolescents, being the most affected. There are three overarching interacting factors that are involved in the acquisition, development, and maintenance of GD, namely the individual factors, gaming-related factors, and environmental factors. Future research on GD requires more studies with clinical samples, large-scale representative samples using longitudinal designs, more cross-cultural comparisons, as well as more studies from a neurobiological perspective. The topic of esports and the ever-changing structural characteristics of video games also require further research. The chapter concludes with several recommendations such as developing specific screening instruments for child and adolescent populations and the need for independent regulators in each country that oversee the video game industry to ensure social responsibility initiatives for player protection and harm minimization.