How Video Games Are Shaping a Generation of Boys, for Better and Worse

In the last decade and a half, boys and young men ages 15 to 24 more than doubled their average time spent gaming, to about 10 hours a week, according to a major survey.

Some teachers say gaming has disrupted focus in classrooms. Some economists have linked it to the decline in young men's work hours. Many readers told us it was a chief reason for the recent struggles of boys and young men, when we started our series on the subject in May.

Yet video games also serve an important role in young people's lives. They've become a central way that young people socialize and provide them — especially boys — with a sense of belonging…

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/03/upshot/video-games-boys-young-men.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare