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"Mature" Video Games: Young Kids Are Playing, Too

Whether thumbing their way to the next level on handheld portable games, logging on to favorite game sites to challenge online opponents, or battling virtual bad guys with their buddies in the basement, lots of preteens and teens are making video games a big part of their techno-filled lives. And many of the games boast content that would make most parents cringe.

So researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital and Michigan State University asked 1,254 7th- and 8th-graders (most ages 12 to 14) detailed questions about their computer and video-game habits.

Almost all (about 90%) of the kids said they play electronic games frequently - a third of the boys and about 10% of the girls play almost every day. And two-thirds of boys and more than 1 in 4 girls said they'd played at least one game rated M (for "Mature") "a lot in the past 6 months."

Geared toward ages 17 and up, the M rating means the game may contain not only heavy-duty violence, but also strong language and sexual content.
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