Scientists say these kids aren't just playing a lot. Their gaming interferes with school performance, disrupts interaction with family and friends and poses health problems.
Researchers say the study is the first to document the prevalence of video game addiction using a nationally representative sample of children and adolescents.
Experts don't agree on whether video game addiction really exists, but one author of the study says we are currently at the same place with gaming as we were with alcoholism 40 years ago-- noting that decades of research finally showed that alcoholism is a disease.
