85%
Percentage of U.S. teens who say they play video games. Boys are more likely to play video games than girls (97% versus 75%) and are far more likely than girls to play them daily (61% versus 22%). Boys are also much more likely than girls to identify as “gamers” (62% versus 17%).
72%
Percentage of teen players who say they do it partly to spend time with others. Nearly half (47%) say they met a friend online because of a video game they both play, while 47% say it has helped their real-world friendships. In addition, 41% say it has helped them improve how they work with others.
32%
Percentage of teen game players who say gaming has helped their mental health, with 60% saying it has neither helped nor harmed it. Meanwhile, 56% say gaming has also improved their problem-solving skills. On the downside, 41% say playing video games has negatively impacted their sleep.
41%
Percentage of players who have been called an offensive name while playing video games—48% of teen boys compared with 32% of teen girls. A smaller percentage—15% of boys and 9% of girls—add that they have been physically threatened while playing games. Overall, 80% of teens say bullying is a problem in relation to video game use.
