Association between video gaming time and cognitive functions: A cross-sectional study of Chinese children and adolescents
Abstract
This study sought to explore relationships between video gaming time and cognitive functioning in children and adolescents to provide a scientific reference for a reasonable time range of game use. A total of 649 participants aged 6-18 years were recruited through an online survey using convenience sampling. We used a combination of multiple linear regression models, smoothing splines, piecewise linear regression models, and log-likelihood ratio tests to comprehensively analyze the linear and nonlinear relationships between video gaming time and cognitive functions. Neurocognitive functioning was assessed using the digit symbol test, spatial span back test, Stroop task, and Wisconsin card sorting test. Facial and voice emotion recognition tests were used to evaluate social cognitive functioning. Video gaming time had a saturation effect on improving correct answers to the digit symbol test, which means that performance did not increase with increasing video gaming time when the video gaming duration reached 20 h/week (adjusted β = -0.58; 95% CI: -1.22, 0.05). Furthermore, both the relationship between video gaming time and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and the facial emotion recognition score showed a threshold effect. The completed categories of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test began to decline after 17 h/week of playtime, and a decline in facial emotion recognition occurred after playing video games for over 20 h/week. These results suggest that children and adolescents should restrict their video gaming time to within a certain range, which could help reduce the negative effects of video games and retain their positive effects.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Excessive or prolonged gaming has been associated with a plateau or even decline in cognitive performance.
“However, excessive or prolonged gaming has been associated with a plateau or even decline in cognitive performance [29], highlighting the importance of moderation.”
From Health Benefits of Video Games in Adolescents and Young Adults (2026) · cites this paper as [29]
Adolescents who engage in video gaming for a moderate, consistent amount of time have been shown to exhibit greater processing speed and sustained attention compared to their non-gaming peers.
“For example, adolescents who engage in video gaming for a moderate, consistent amount of time have been shown to exhibit greater processing speed and sustained attention compared to their non-gaming peers [29–31].”
From Health Benefits of Video Games in Adolescents and Young Adults (2026) · cites this paper as [29]
Cites
Miyake, A., Friedman, N. P., Emerson, M. J., Witzki, A. H., Howerter, A., & Wager, T. D. (2000) · Cognitive Psychology · doi:10.1006/cogp.1999.0734 · Cited by 15,798 · see citing works
Anderson, C. A., & Bushman, B. J. (2002) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.53.100901.135231 · Cited by 3,915 · see citing works
Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Manual – Revised and Expanded
Heaton, R. K., Chelune, C., Talley, J., Kay, G., & Curtiss, G. (1981) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 2,975 · see citing works
Action video game modifies visual selective attention
Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2003) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature01647 · Cited by 2,540 · see citing works
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale–Third Edition
Dumont, R., & Willis, J. O. (2008) · Encyclopedia of Special Education · doi:10.1002/9780470373699.speced2203 · Cited by 2,151 · see citing works
The influence of improvement in one mental function upon the efficiency of other functions. (I).
Woodworth, R. S., & Thorndike, E. L. (1901) · Psychological Review · doi:10.1037/h0074898 · Cited by 1,223 · see citing works
Chunking mechanisms in human learning
GOBET, F., LANE, P., CROKER, S., CHENG, P., JONES, G., OLIVER, I., & PINE, J. (2001) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/s1364-6613(00)01662-4 · Cited by 1,157 · see citing works
Brackett, M. A., Rivers, S. E., Shiffman, S., Lerner, N., & Salovey, P. (2006) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.91.4.780 · Cited by 1,063 · see citing works
Transfer of Learning from a Modern Multidisciplinary Perspective
Mestre, J. P. (2000) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-60752-673-5 · Cited by 911 · see citing works
Action-Video-Game Experience Alters the Spatial Resolution of Vision
Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2007) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01853.x · Cited by 878 · see citing works
Meta-analysis of action video game impact on perceptual, attentional, and cognitive skills.
Bediou, B., Adams, D. M., Mayer, R. E., Tipton, E., Green, C. S., & Bavelier, D. (2018) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000130 · Cited by 807 · see citing works
The Corsi Block-Tapping Task: Methodological and Theoretical Considerations
Berch, D. B., Krikorian, R., & Huha, E. M. (1998) · Brain and Cognition · doi:10.1006/brcg.1998.1039 · Cited by 542 · see citing works
Development of emotional facial recognition in late childhood and adolescence
Thomas, L. A., De Bellis, M. D., Graham, R., & LaBar, K. S. (2007) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2007.00614.x · Cited by 396 · see citing works
The development of facial emotion recognition: the role of configural information
Durand, K., Gallay, M., Seigneuric, A., Robichon, F., & Baudouin, J.-Y. (2007) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2006.12.001 · Cited by 355 · see citing works
How musical training affects cognitive development: rhythm, reward and other modulating variables
Lombard, E., & Trost, W. J. (2014) · Frontiers in Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnins.2013.00279 · Cited by 350 · see citing works
Nouchi, R., Taki, Y., Takeuchi, H., Hashizume, H., Akitsuki, Y., Shigemune, Y., Sekiguchi, A., Kotozaki, Y., Tsukiura, T., Yomogida, Y., et al. (2012) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029676 · Cited by 346 · see citing works
The development of emotional face processing during childhood
Batty, M., & Taylor, M. J. (2006) · Developmental Science · doi:10.1111/j.1467-7687.2006.00480.x · Cited by 331 · see citing works
Elfenbein, H. A., Foo, M. D., White, J., Tan, H. H., & Aik, V. C. (2007) · Journal of Nonverbal Behavior · doi:10.1007/s10919-007-0033-7 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Cognitive Training Does Not Enhance General Cognition
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2019) · Trends in Cognitive Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tics.2018.10.004 · Cited by 303 · see citing works
Subramaniam, K., Luks, T. L., Fisher, M., Simpson, G. V., Nagarajan, S. S., & Vinogradov, S. (2012) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2011.12.024 · Cited by 283 · see citing works
Enhancing Attentional Control: Lessons from Action Video Games
Bavelier, D., & Green, C. S. (2019) · Neuron · doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2019.09.031 · Cited by 268 · see citing works
Video game training does not enhance cognitive ability: A comprehensive meta-analytic investigation
Sala, G., Tatlidil, K. S., & Gobet, F. (2018) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/bul0000139 · Cited by 257 · see citing works
Does Music Training Enhance Literacy Skills? A Meta-Analysis
Gordon, R. L., Fehd, H. M., & McCandliss, B. D. (2015) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01777 · Cited by 256 · see citing works
Chacko, A., Bedard, A. C., Marks, D. J., Feirsen, N., Uderman, J. Z., Chimiklis, A., Rajwan, E., Cornwell, M., Anderson, L., Zwilling, A., et al. (2014) · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · doi:10.1111/jcpp.12146 · Cited by 244 · see citing works
Cognitive and academic benefits of music training with children: A multilevel meta-analysis
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. (2020) · Memory & Cognition · doi:10.3758/s13421-020-01060-2 · Cited by 235 · see citing works
Beyond Linearity by Default: Generalized Additive Models
Beck, N. L., & Jackman, S. D. (1998) · American Journal of Political Science · doi:10.2307/2991772 · Cited by 217 · see citing works
Dong, G., Lin, X., Zhou, H., & Lu, Q. (2014) · Addictive Behaviors · doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2013.11.028 · Cited by 206 · see citing works
Gao, X.-Q., & Maurer, D. (2010) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2010.05.003 · Cited by 205 · see citing works
Is Playing Video Games Related to Cognitive Abilities?
Nash Unsworth, A., Redick, T. S., McMillan, B. D., Hambrick, D. Z., Kane, M. J., & Engle, R. W. (2015) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797615570367 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Do the benefits of chess instruction transfer to academic and cognitive skills? A meta-analysis
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. R. (2016) · Educational Research Review · doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2016.02.002 · Cited by 169 · see citing works
Przybylski, A. K., Orben, A., & Weinstein, N. (2020) · Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2019.06.017 · Cited by 142 · see citing works
Cognitive training enhances intrinsic brain connectivity in childhood
Astle, D. E., Barnes, J. J., Baker, K., Colclough, G. L., & Woolrich, M. W. (2015) · The Journal of Neuroscience · doi:10.1523/jneurosci.4517-14.2015 · Cited by 123 · see citing works
Specific Cognitive Training Normalizes Auditory Sensory Gating in Schizophrenia: A Randomized Trial
Popov, T. G., Jordanov, T., Rockstroh, B. S., Elbert, T. R., Merzenich, M. M., & Miller, G. A. (2010) · Biological Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2010.09.028 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Bennett, S., Holmes, J., & Buckley, S. (2013) · American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-118.3.179 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Åkerlund, E., Esbjörnsson, E., Sunnerhagen, K. S., & Björkdahl, A. (2013) · Brain Injury · doi:10.3109/02699052.2013.830195 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Edwards, R., Manstead, A. S. R., & MacDonald, C. J. (1984) · European Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/ejsp.2420140212 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Violent video game play impacts facial emotion recognition
Kirsh, S. J., & Mounts, J. R. W. (2007) · Aggressive Behavior · doi:10.1002/ab.20191 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Effect of a Computerized Brain Exercise Program on Cognitive Performance in Older Adults
Miller, K. J., Dye, R. V., Kim, J., Jennings, J. L., O'Toole, E., Wong, J., & Siddarth, P. (2013) · The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry · doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2013.01.077 · Cited by 90 · see citing works
Maturation of vocal emotion recognition: Insights from the developmental and neuroimaging literature
Morningstar, M. A., Nelson, E. E., & Dirks, M. A. (2018) · Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.04.019 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
Video gaming in school children: How much is enough?
Pujol, J., Fenoll, R., Forns, J., Harrison, B. J., Martínez‐Vilavella, G., Macià, D., Alvarez‐Pedrerol, M., Blanco‐Hinojo, L., González‐Ortiz, S., Deus, J., et al. (2016) · Annals of Neurology · doi:10.1002/ana.24745 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
GROUP VERSION OF THE STROOP AND REVERSE-STROOP TEST
Hakoda, Y., & SASAKI, M. (1990) · The Japanese Journal of Educational Psychology · doi:10.5926/jjep1953.38.4_389 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Sala, G., & Gobet, F. R. (2017) · Learning & Behavior · doi:10.3758/s13420-017-0280-3 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Emotion recognition ability: Evidence for a supramodal factor and its links to social cognition.
Connolly, H. L., Lefevre, C., Young, A., & Lewis, G. J. (2020) · Cognition · doi:10.1016/j.cognition.2019.104166 · Cited by 52 · see citing works
Rodríguez‐Ayllón, M., Derks, I. P. M., van den Dries, M. A., Esteban‐Cornejo, I., Labrecque, J. A., Yang‐Huang, J., Raat, H., Vernooij, M. W., White, T. J. H., Ortega, F. B., et al. (2019) · NeuroImage · doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2019.116258 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Cognitive Benefits of Chess Training in Novice Children
Gliga, F., & Flesner, P. I. (2014) · Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.328 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Violent video game players and non‐players differ on facial emotion recognition
Diaz, R. L., Wong, U., Hodgins, D. C., Chiu, C. G., & Goghari, V. M. (2015) · Aggressive Behavior · doi:10.1002/ab.21602 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Establishing Video Game Genres Using Data-Driven Modeling and Product Databases
Faisal, A., & Peltoniemi, M. (2018) · Games Cult. · doi:10.1177/1555412015601541 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Vieillard, S., & Guidetti, M. (2008) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2008.04.005 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Emotion perception in habitual players of action video games.
Pichon, S., Bediou, B., Antico, L., Jack, R. E., Garrod, O., Sims, C. R., Green, C. S., Schyns, P. G., & Bavelier, D. (2020) · Emotion · doi:10.1037/emo0000740 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
The Paradox of Emotion Attribution
Halberstadt, J. B. (2003) · Current Directions in Psychological Science · doi:10.1046/j.0963-7214.2003.01261.x · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Children’s recognition of emotion expressed by own-race versus other-race faces
Segal, S. C., Reyes, B. N., Gobin, K. C., & Moulson, M. C. (2019) · Journal of Experimental Child Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jecp.2019.01.009 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Yan, Y., Li, Y., Lou, X., Li, S., Yao, Y., Gong, D., Ma, W., & Yan, G. (2021) · Neural Plasticity · doi:10.1155/2021/8841156 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The Chunking Theory in Human Learning
Niu, S. (2005) · Journal of Chongqing University. English Edition
Flagged first, then by citations
Cited by
Sorted by citations
A neurobiological taxonomy of sedentary behavior for brain health
Zhang, Z., Chen, Y., Yu, Q., Li, J., Zou, L., Mavilidi, M. F., Green, C. S., Owen, N. G., Hallgren, M. Å., Raichlen, D. A., et al. (2025) · Trends in Neurosciences · doi:10.1016/j.tins.2025.09.002 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Video gaming, but not reliance on GPS, is associated with spatial navigation performance
Yavuz, E., He, C., Gahnstrom, C. J., Goodroe, S. C., Coutrot, A., Hornberger, M., Hegarty, M., & Spiers, H. J. (2024) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2024.102296 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Zioga, T., Nega, C., Ρούσσος, Π., & Kourtesis, P. (2024) · European Journal of Investigation in Health Psychology and Education · doi:10.3390/ejihpe14030048 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Imanian, M., Khatibi, A., Sousa, C. V., Heydarinejad, S., Veisia, E., & Saemi, E. (2025) · Perceptual and Motor Skills · doi:10.1177/00315125251381007 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Verify the effects of esports on cognitive skill: focusing on decision making
Imanian, M., Khatibi, A., Dhamala, M., Moheb, E., Heydarinejad, S., Veisia, E., & Saemi, E. (2025) · BMC Sports Science Medicine and Rehabilitation · doi:10.1186/s13102-025-01236-w · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Validation of the Chinese version of patient health Questionnaire-4 among Chinese adolescents
Xu, H., Zhang, C., Guo, H., Luo, T., Song, J., Shen, Q., Chen, Y., Xu, J., Tan, S., & Jiang, R. (2025) · Journal of Affective Disorders · doi:10.1016/j.jad.2025.119505 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Self-citationEmotional competences and the interaction with digital games in childhood: Scoping review
Ramos, D. K., de Brito, C. R., Silva, G. B., Freitas, R. F. D. M. G. D., do Prado, L. A. R., & Campos, T. R. (2024) · Entertainment Computing · doi:10.1016/j.entcom.2024.100905 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
The Benefits of Playing Action-Like Video Games on Salience Processing
Franceschini, S., Puccio, G., Bertoni, S., Gori, S., Mascheretti, S., Fusina, F., Angrilli, A., & Facoetti, A. (2024) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2024.2346693 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Investigating the impact of gaming and spatial cognition on laparoscopic surgical skills
Hattori, M., Egi, H., & Hasunuma, N. (2024) · Minimally Invasive Therapy & Allied Technologies · doi:10.1080/13645706.2024.2376064 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Wang, J., Wang, Y., Ou, Q., Yang, S., Jing, J., & Fang, J. (2024) · Cerebral Cortex · doi:10.1093/cercor/bhae061 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationPasayat, A. K., Shrestha, M., & Priya, P. P. (2024) · Entertainment Computing · doi:10.1016/j.entcom.2024.100898 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Health Benefits of Video Games in Adolescents and Young Adults
Nagata, J. M., Nayak, S., Choi, W., Potes, C., Heuer, A., Memon, Z., Talebloo, J., Li, E. J., Bao, K., Helmer, C. K., et al. (2026) · Current Pediatrics Reports · doi:10.1007/s40124-026-00376-y · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“These findings underscore the importance of examining video game effects within domain-specific cognitive frameworks rather than assum - ing broad generalization [29].”
Poon, E., Soh, X. C., Hui, T. P. J., Tan, A. C. S., & Hartanto, A. (2026) · Brain Sciences · doi:10.3390/brainsci16070728 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Wang, J., Wang, Y., Ou, Q., Yang, S., Jing, J., & Fang, J. (2023) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4596810
Self-citationLi, J., Fan, H., Qu, W., Jiang, R., & Tan, S. (2024) · Applied Neuropsychology Adult · doi:10.1080/23279095.2023.2290193
Self-citationNeuroethical Considerations in Gaming Communities
Dong, Y. (2025) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-00325-6_15
Karaca, N. H., Kaya, Ü. Ü., & Uzun, A. M. (2025) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-025-03882-8
Atención, memoria y funciones ejecutivas, en niños y niñas que utilizan videojuegos
Barrera, D. C. C., Lozano-Plazas, J. E., & Muñoz, J. D. C. (2025) · Revista Lasallista de Investigación · doi:10.22507/rli.v22n2a3876
- Authors
- Hong, J., Su, Y., Wang, J., Xu, X., Qu, W., Fan, H., Tan, Y., Wang, Z., Zhao, Y., & Tan, S.
- Affiliations
- Peking University (CN)
- Temple University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Tan, Yunlong
- ORCID
- Venue
- Asian Journal of Psychiatry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2023-06
- Volume
- 84
- Pages
- 103584
- ISSN
- 1876-2018 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4365517432
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 53
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 1
- FWCI
- 7.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Asian Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality (7202072)
- Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Commission (Z191100006619104)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
- Social Sciences › Education › Child Development and Digital Technology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Games and Gamification
- Keywords
- video gaming, gaming time, cognitive function, children, adolescents, neurocognitive function, emotion recognition, digit symbol test, Stroop task, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, spatial span, nonlinear dose-response relationship, threshold effects, saturation effects, screen time limits
- MeSH terms
- East Asian People, Adolescent, Child, Cognition, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Surveys and Questionnaires, Video Games
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
