Video games help and harm U.S. teens — leading to both friendships and bullying, Pew survey says

Video games are where U.S. teens form friendships — but also where a majority say they experience bullying and name-calling, a Pew survey released Thursday found.

More than 1,400 teens from ages 13-17 participated in the survey last fall, answering questions on various aspects of their relationship with video games. Some of the results are to be expected. For instance, a large majority of teens in the U.S. — more than 85% — play video games.

But other topics weren't so clear cut and painted a more complex picture of how teens viewed their experience. Survey participants reported video games were how they had fun and made friends, despite also reporting bullying, harassment and name-calling. But even with those issues, they still wanted to continue playing, saying gaming also helped them with their problem-solving skills and even their mental health. 

Most teens said they play video games for fun or "entertainment reasons," with around three-quarters saying they play to spend time with others. They said they don't see the games as harmful to themselves or their lifestyle, even though 40% said it hurt their sleep. 

Some 58% of respondents said they felt they played the right amount of video games. 

There were also stark differences in how different genders said they respond to and engage with video games.

Teen boys play video games far more often than girls — and almost two-thirds play them daily — with the activity making up a large portion of their social lives. More than half of the teen boys said video games helped them make friends, compared to 35% of girls surveyed. 

Black and Latino teens said they made friends at a higher rate than White teens, and the numbers jumped even higher for those who considered themselves gamers. 

Even with all the friendships made, about half of teen boys said they've been called offensive names while playing, with about a third of girls reporting the same. Eight in 10 said that bullying is an issue in video games and about one-third of the teens surveyed said it's a major problem.

In:
• Teenagers

Cara Tabachnick

Cara Tabachnick is a news editor and journalist at CBSNews.com. Cara began her career on the crime beat at Newsday. She has written for Marie Claire, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. She reports on justice and human rights issues. Contact her at [email protected]