DRIVING AIN'T A GAME

Mature games, immature driving

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Nicholas Garlow with HHS HealthBeat.

Teens who play recklessly in the virtual world may drive recklessly in the real world.

A study examined the effects of mature, or M, rated video games, on those young drivers. Teens who played these kinds of games were more likely to be stopped by police, get in auto accidents, drink and drive, and not wear a seatbelt, among other things.

Playing such games was not only associated with risky behavior, it increased it.

Jay Hull is the chair of the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College.

“It may sound obvious, but parents need to impress their children that driving a car is not a game. Reckless driving can kill oneself and others.”

The study in the journal Psychology of Popular Media Culture was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at healthfinder.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Nicholas Garlow.