Once again The Sun has decided gaming is harming the children, this time giving them temporary dementia.
The Sun cites Baroness Greenfield, member of the House of Lords & Professor of Synaptic Pharmacology at Lincoln College, Oxford. Baroness Greenfield was speaking at a conference, though The Sun doesn’t mention which one. The Baroness’ own words are:
“Screen technologies cause high arousal which in turn activates the brain system’s underlying addiction. This results in the attraction of yet more screen-based activity. There is a need to be outside, to climb trees and feel the grass under your feet and the sun on your face.”
However, the Baroness also apparently said that the technology was good for creativity. Now, I must also stress that no study was carried out to support this assertion of temporary dementia. I agree that kids should spend time outside, running about and enjoying themselves. I’m also aware that no study has given a concrete relationship between gaming and addiction. Until full studies are done then all of this is still a hypothesis.
Source: The Sun
Update: The Baroness was speaking at the opening of a science centre at Sherbourne Girls’ school in Dorset.The Telegraph gives us a few more quotes to go on as well:
The human brain has evolved to adapt to the environment. It therefore follows that if the environment is changing, it will have an impact on your brain. If you play computer games to the exclusion of other things this will create a new environment that will have new effects … every hour you spend in front of a screen is an hour not spent climbing a tree or giving someone a hug.
I just wanted to highlight the Baroness’ words. So, her angle isn’t video games are evil but instead if you only play games and do nothing else, then that is bad for you. I’m sure we can all agree with that. If only The Sun did some critical thinking and analysis of it’s own.
Source: The Telegraph
TSBonyman
For god’s sake don’t anyone tell the publishers – they’ll only start charging extra for it! ;)
Tuffcub
“Screen technologies cause high arousal” – This is very true, espeically when I’m watching a Tom Hardy movie.
KeRaSh
“every hour you spend in front of a screen is an hour not spent climbing a tree or giving someone a hug.”
Let’s see what my boss has to say about this… :D
rht992
i prefer to play my tree climbing simulator. at least the telegraph didn’t warp her words
p9ul
You could use the exact same argument against Eastenders…
Origami Killer
I’m afraid health and safety stops us from climbing trees these days.
At no point has she said dementia or video gaming is bad. Don’t see any real argument. I can only agree with her. Still bad reporting from the Sun as per usual
tomhat
So, according to the sun – games give us dementia, facebook causes OCD and scary movies can kill us ! Are they not aware that the sun causes skin damage, trees get hit by lightning and grass is slippery when wet… We’re just not safe anymore
Origami Killer
BBC news is just as bad sometimes. Eating one chocolate bar makes you obese. Not wearing sun lotion in October gives you skin cancer. By the time you’ve got through one episode of X factor you’ve probably already got athroma or an aneryism.
Forrest_01
In fairness, the last one’s probably true! :D
Kev
So it’s taken so long for me to comment on this story. I was stuck up a tree and had to be rescued by a fireman, who I then tried to hug.
I’ve only just been released on bail :-)
Kev
#Sorry it’s taken so long.
Must be the shock of being in custody for so long!
Nocure-fd
Surley doing ANYTHING to the exclusion of other things will create a new environment that will have new effects. Or is that just too much logic for the average sun reader?
Maybe they’ve suffered some form of brain injury from all the times their knees have suddenly jumped and connected with their faces…
Peter Rushton
My memory has gotten worse…