Eighty-six percent of parents agree that teens spend too much time gaming, but many may be mistaken about the extent of their own child’s video game habits, a new national poll suggests.

Parents also report very different gaming patterns for teen boys than girls, according to the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. Twice as many parents say their teen boy plays video games every day compared to parents of teen girls. Teen boys are also more likely to spend three or more hours gaming.

Overall, parents surveyed say gaming often gets in the way of other aspects of their teen’s life, such as family activities and interactions (46%), sleep (44%), homework (34%), friendship with non-gaming peers (33%) and extracurricular activities (31%).

«Although many parents believe video games can be good for teens, they also report a number of negative impacts of prolonged gaming,» says Mott Poll co-director and Mott pediatrician Gary Freed, MD, MPH.

«Parents should take a close look at their teen’s gaming behavior and set reasonable limits to reduce harmful impacts on sleep, family and peer relationships and school performance.»

But parents may not always have the most accurate perception of their teen’s gaming tendencies. Among parents of daily gamers, 54% report their teen plays three or more hours a day (compared to only 13% of teens that do not play every day.) Just 13 percent of these parents believe their teen spends more time gaming than others, while 78% believe their teen’s gaming is less than or about the same as their peers.

Story Source: Materials provided by Michigan Medicine — University of Michigan. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.