New study recommends limiting kids to one hour of video games per day

NEW YORK (WABC) -- For some time now, kids have been trying to convince parents video games are good for them. Turns out they might be right, but there is a catch.

One hour may be the golden hour. A new study finds that kids who play video games for an hour or less per day are more well-adjusted.

Researchers in the U.K. surveyed nearly 5,000 boys and girls ages 10 to 15. They found that kids who spent less than an hour a day playing video games ranked highest in terms of peer relationships, attention and overall satisfaction with life.

That's a time that kids can unwind or do something where they are distracted from their daily stressors.

Clinical psychologist Dr. Vasco Lopez says some video games may be more beneficial than others. "Playing a game where it's interactive and they have to problem solve together. There might be also advantages to games where you have to figure something out by yourself and accomplish some kind of goal," said Dr. Lopez.

But like most things, more is not better. Playing for more than three hours a day had the exact opposite effect. And it's more important to vary your child's free time activities.

"Playing with friends, hanging out with other family members, doing some kind of physical activity," said Dr. Lopez.

No matter what game your kids love, chances are you'll agree with one busy dad. "He plays too much, but there is a little bit of peace and quiet in the house when he's playing his video games," he said.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of any type of screen time, but as the other of three teens, Jean Marie says limiting game time to one hour may be tough to enforce.

"We'll just have to unplug it, which we've done," she said.