Parents' 'Bond' With Their Kids Through Video Games, Smart Phones

Video games and smart phones are helping parents and children bond with each other, new research has indicated. Four in five parents described playing video games with their children as "quality time", while 32 percent of parents play computer games with their kids every day.

More than 3,000 parents and grandparents took part in the poll, which was conducted by Goldsmiths University and PopCap, a gaming company, and found that 22 percent of mums and dads said that playing computer games has helped their children develop a better understanding of technology.

Many grandparents revealed that they play video games with their tech-savvy grandchildren, in a bid to get closer to them.

"These findings are important because they highlight the social benefits of playing videogames," the Telegraph quoted Dr Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Reader in Psychology at Goldsmiths, as saying.

"Previous research has tended to look only at the individual effects of video games, but in the era of social networking games appear to play a vital role in enhancing social relationships.

"The fact that both parents and grandparents are using games to connect with their children and grandchildren, and quite successfully, suggests that video games can improve social skills and make a key contribution to both effective parenting and child development," added Chamorro-Premuzic.

Advertisement

Source-ANI