Cureus. 2025 Jul 7;17(7):e87414. doi: 10.7759/cureus.87414. eCollection 2025 Jul.
ABSTRACT
Video games are commonly integrated into the lives of childhood and adolescence, with their impact on cognition and mental health widely debated. Concerns about academic distraction are increasingly balanced by recognition of their potential cognitive and therapeutic value. This review aims to explore the dual role of video games in pediatric populations, examining both their potential cognitive risks and their emerging utility as digital mental health interventions. It examines two key roles that video games may play in a child’s life: as potential risk factors for academic distractibility and as emerging digital interventions for mental health conditions. While video games may enhance attention, executive control, and working memory, excessive use can disrupt sleep patterns, reduce focus, and hinder academic performance. Therapeutic applications of video games are gaining interest, with certain games developed to enhance cognitive function in attention-related conditions and others aimed at fostering social and emotional learning in children with developmental differences. Immersive platforms are also being explored for emotional regulation and exposure-based therapies. Healthcare professionals should guide parents and educators to recognize both the potential benefits and risks of video game use. The future of therapeutic gaming lies in the integration of AI, personalized interventions, structured clinical applications, and interdisciplinary collaboration among neuroscientists, clinicians, educators, and game developers.
PMID:40772151 | PMC:PMC12326338 | DOI:10.7759/cureus.87414
