Almost every teenager plays video games today, and for most of them it is a form of entertainment, a place to meet friends, or a way to relax after school. For a smaller proportion of players, however, gaming can begin to affect their sleep, schoolwork, or relationships. But are there differences between boys and girls? And which symptoms appear most often in which country?
A large international study led by Andrea Stašek and Lukas Blinka from the Institute for Psychological Research sought answers to these questions. The team compared unique data from more than 44,000 adolescents from 12 European countries and focused on how they manifest symptoms of problematic online gaming.
Escape and preoccupation: the most common gaming symptoms of adolescence
The most common manifestations of problematic video gaming include escape from stress and constant thoughts about gaming. Escape and constant thoughts occur in many gamers, but they do not in themselves indicate addiction – current research also discusses whether such behavior should be considered a symptom. More often than not, it is simply a way to cope with worries or to seek joy and identity in an environment that is like a second home for today's adolescents. Negative consequences of gaming, such as arguments with parents or the inability to stop playing on time, were less common. However, researchers identify these situations as "core" symptoms that may signal a real risk of problematic gaming.
Boys versus girls: different gaming, different meaning
According to the results, boys exhibited all symptoms significantly more often than girls. Interestingly, even boys who reported that they "hardly ever play" had similar problematic gaming scores to those who play daily. The authors believe that this may be related to frustration from restricted access to games (at the time of completing the questionnaire, they were not allowed to play, so they feel symptoms similar to "withdrawal" symptoms), and therefore it is necessary to also address those who are not currently active players. The results showed that long gaming marathons – situations where adolescents spend more than four hours at a time playing games – pose a greater risk than frequent gaming. Therefore, it is not only how often a child plays that is decisive, but above all how long and in what way.
Czechia has "moderate" gamers
Czechia, along with Iceland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Serbia, was among the areas with the lowest incidence of problem gaming. On the contrary, adolescents from Malta, North Macedonia, and the United Kingdom showed a higher risk. According to the authors, caution is needed when comparing countries and genders – socio-economic and cultural differences in how young people spend their free time and how parents view gaming can influence the results more than the actual amount of gaming.
What can parents and teachers take away from this?
For most adolescents, playing games is a normal and often positive part of life. It only becomes a cause for concern when it begins to crowd out other areas of life, such as friends, school, or sleep. The study also points out that gaming is a way for young people to learn to manage their emotions, form relationships, and develop skills. Instead of banning it, it may be more effective to take an interest and engage in dialogue – talking to children about what they do in games, why they enjoy it, and how it makes them feel.
Recommended citation:
Stašek, A., Galeotti, T., Canale, N., van den Eijnden, R., Husarová, D., & Blinka, L. (2025). Internet gaming disorder scale: A comparison of symptoms prevalence, structure, and invariance in 12 nationally representative European adolescent samples. Journal of Behavioral Addictions. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.2025.00090
The described study is from the project „Research of Excellence on Digital Technologies and Wellbeing CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004583“ which is co-financed by the European Union.
