4 ms·

Perhaps the most unintended consequence of these innovations will have the most profound impact: keeping our youth from turning themselves into criminals. Juve

Perhaps the most unintended consequence of these innovations will have the most profound impact: keeping our youth from turning themselves into criminals. Juvenile crime rates are plummeting, and the leading theory is that it's because all the kids are too busy on their electronic devices to commit any crimes. "Arrests of juveniles for all offenses decreased 15.5 percent in 2013 when compared with the 2012 number" http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/crime-in-the-u.s.-2013/persons-arrested/persons-arrested http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2013/c...

jacquesm 12y ago
That's extremely interesting. What if you could get game addiction to supplant drug addiction?
- pron 12y ago
  A therapist told me that the former is almost as bad as the latter in terms of its effects on daily function.
  - jacquesm 12y ago
    That I readily believe. But game addiction hopefully does not have the longer term effects on the body that drugs are usually inflicting on their users. So one would hope that a gaming addiction could eventually be undone completely without lasting harm (other than wasted time).
    - AnimalMuppet 12y ago
      Arthritis in the hands?
      - jacquesm 12y ago
        Beats psychosis or an overdose by a mile or so. Though it's definitely no fun thing. Usually that's not just due to gaming though, unless taken to (rare) extremes, you need some predisposition for that.
  - csallen 12y ago
    Yes, but in the long run it's much more likely that you'll emerge from a game addiction alive, in good health, and with the ability to integrate into society.
  - Dewie 12y ago
    Is video game addiction a physical addiction?
king_jester 12y ago
> Juvenile crime rates are plummeting, and the leading theory is that it's because all the kids are too busy on their electronic devices to commit any crimes. I have never heard that theory at all from any crime reporting, statistics, or books. Do you have any information on that?
- toby 12y ago
  Agreed, I'm fascinated by this theory but I can't find a single reference to it.

jacquesm 12y ago

That's extremely interesting. What if you could get game addiction to supplant drug addiction?

pron 12y ago
A therapist told me that the former is almost as bad as the latter in terms of its effects on daily function.
- jacquesm 12y ago
  That I readily believe. But game addiction hopefully does not have the longer term effects on the body that drugs are usually inflicting on their users. So one would hope that a gaming addiction could eventually be undone completely without lasting harm (other than wasted time).
  - AnimalMuppet 12y ago
    Arthritis in the hands?
    - jacquesm 12y ago
      Beats psychosis or an overdose by a mile or so. Though it's definitely no fun thing. Usually that's not just due to gaming though, unless taken to (rare) extremes, you need some predisposition for that.
- csallen 12y ago
  Yes, but in the long run it's much more likely that you'll emerge from a game addiction alive, in good health, and with the ability to integrate into society.
- Dewie 12y ago
  Is video game addiction a physical addiction?

king_jester 12y ago

> Juvenile crime rates are plummeting, and the leading theory is that it's because all the kids are too busy on their electronic devices to commit any crimes. I have never heard that theory at all from any crime reporting, statistics, or books. Do you have any information on that?

toby 12y ago
Agreed, I'm fascinated by this theory but I can't find a single reference to it.