Computer children found to be bright

Very young children were found to become more aggressive after playing or watching a violent game, though the effects did not persist, said the report in The Times. The paper, citing a British Home Office survey, said that more research was needed as there was little evidence of the long-term effects on the behaviour of children hooked on games.

One study of 127 people, including 63 children, found that compared to other youngsters, computer geeks were highly intelligent, motivated and achieving people" who were often misunderstood. A five-year follow up found that the younger ones had done well educationally, gone on to university and then into higher ranking jobs," it said.

It added that while a small number of youngsters were in danger of becoming dependent on computer games, it was a harmless dependence.

(la/sda)