"Breaking news: Teens play video games. A lot.

But it might not always be so bad for them.

That's one conclusion of a new report examining teens' gaming habits, socializing, and civic engagement.

While the study found that 99 percent of teenage boys and 94 percent of teenage girls play video games, it didn't find that those who very frequently played games were more socially isolated or less likely to participate in civic activities.

Those who played games with a civic component to them were actually more likely to engage in such activities.

“It matters what kind of game you play more than how long you play it,” says Amanda Lenhart, a senior research specialist at the Pew Internet & American Life Project and a coauthor of the report, which was released Tuesday. “There's a debate about gaming … that is quite polarized…. The intention behind this report is to open up and put some numbers behind some of these questions about games.”


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