During his sophomore year, Carter Hill would stay up late on school nights playing video games online—so late that he’d lose sleep.

“I just didn’t prioritize much other than playing my games,” Carter, 17, recalls. “I ended up sleeping in classes.”

Now a senior at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri, Carter is more careful about getting to bed on time. But gaming is still a big part of his life, something he does for a few hours before getting to his homework, after homework, and even during homework.

“If I’m being fully honest,” he says, “[I play] probably eight hours a day.”

Carter is far from alone. In the past decade and a half, the average time spent gaming for boys and young men ages 15 to 24 has more than doubled, to about 10 hours a week, according to the American Time Use Survey, a federal survey that annually tracks how people spend their time.

The explosion of gaming hasn’t gone unnoticed. Teachers complain that it disrupts focus in classrooms. Some economists link it to a decline in the number of hours young men are working. And many experts believe that the time spent gaming is a chief reason that a growing number of boys are struggling with schoolwork, with their mental health, and in making the transition to adulthood.

“Millions of boys are struggling because they carry in their pockets constant access to products that are addictive by design,” says Zach Rausch, chief researcher at the Tech and Society Lab at New York University.

Yet researchers, and teenagers themselves, say video games also serve an important role in many boys’ lives.

“The nuance on boys and gaming is completely overlooked,” says Annie Maheux, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who studies adolescents and digital media.

Carter Hill would stay up late on school nights playing video games online. During his sophomore year, he would stay up so late that he’d lose sleep.

“I just didn’t prioritize much other than playing my games,” Carter, 17, recalls. “I ended up sleeping in classes.”

Carter is now a senior at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri. He is more careful about getting to bed on time. But gaming is still a big part of his life. He plays for a few hours before starting his homework, after homework, and even during homework.

“If I’m being fully honest,” he says, “[I play] probably eight hours a day.”

Carter is not  alone. In the past 15 years, the average time spent gaming more than doubled for boys and young men ages 15 to 24. They spend about 10 hours a week gaming, according to the American Time Use Survey. This federal survey tracks how people spend their time.

The increase of gaming hasn’t gone unnoticed. Teachers complain that it disrupts focus in classrooms. Some economists think it has caused a drop in the number of hours young men are working. Many experts believe that the time spent gaming is a main reason that a growing number of boys are struggling with schoolwork and their mental health. Gaming is also affecting the transition to adulthood.

“Millions of boys are struggling because they carry in their pockets constant access to products that are addictive by design,” says Zach Rausch, chief researcher at the Tech and Society Lab at New York University.

But researchers, and teenagers themselves, say video games also play an important role in many boys’ lives.

“The nuance on boys and gaming is completely overlooked,” says Annie Maheux, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She studies adolescents and digital media.

For teens like Carter, who in addition to playing at home also plays for his school’s esports team, gaming brings a sense of achievement and boosts self-esteem. And playing video games online has become a central way for Carter and other young people to socialize, especially when classes and after-school activities make it hard to meet up with friends in person.

It helps with making new friends too. Carter and classmate Declan Fowler, 17, who’s also on the school’s esports team, regularly meet virtually with another gamer from Canada.

“Having that similar interest allowed us to keep the conversation going and just made us better friends over time,” Declan says. “Now we don’t have to play games. Sometimes we’ll just sit on a call together for a couple hours, even if we’re not doing anything.”

For teens like Carter, who also plays for his school’s esports team, gaming brings a sense of achievement. And it boosts self-esteem. Playing video games online has become a central way for Carter and other young people to socialize, especially when classes and after-school activities make it hard to meet up with friends in person.

It helps with making new friends too. Carter and Declan Fowler, 17, who’s also on the school’s esports team, regularly meet virtually with another gamer from Canada.

“Having that similar interest allowed us to keep the conversation going and just made us better friends over time,” Declan says. “Now we don’t have to play games. Sometimes we’ll just sit on a call together for a couple hours, even if we’re not doing anything.”

Of course, plenty of girls play video games too. According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 73 percent of girls play them. But boys spend five times the number of hours a week gaming that girls do.

What makes the lure of video games so strong? It’s about more than just winning, says Zhiying Yue, a scientist at the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. Gamers, she says, build confidence as they master their gaming skills, and they learn to think for themselves by creating avatars and exploring worlds. A sense of belonging comes with connecting with peers.

But aside from whatever psychological benefits they may provide, the games have become more immersive and addictive, says Rausch. The major change, he says, came in the 2010s, when many games became free to start playing online, instead of requiring a purchase upfront. Companies that sold games wanted to maximize the time people spent playing them and get players to make small, in-game purchases, from virtual coins to extra lives. Continual updates, rewards for daily check-ins, and other attention-grabbing devices kept players hooked.

By 2015, the time boys and young men spent gaming had pulled ahead of the time spent on sports or hanging out with friends or family, the Time Use Survey data shows. Some boys were becoming addicted. Today roughly 8.5 percent of gamers in the U.S. ages 8 to 18 show signs of addiction, according to researchers at Iowa State University.

Research has shown that boys are more susceptible to video game addiction than girls, who are more likely to become addicted to social media. One reason is that boys tend to be drawn to competition and risk-taking, says Marc Potenza, who studies addiction at the Yale School of Medicine. Brain scans show that young men playing video games have a stronger activation in the brain region involved in reward processing than women do, which suggests a similar occurrence in boys.

The hobby is nearly universal among boys. Ninety-seven percent of teenage boys play video games, according to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey. Girls also play video games. According to the Pew survey, 73 percent of girls play them. But boys spend five times the number of hours a week gaming that girls do.

What makes video games so appealing? It’s about more than just winning, says Zhiying Yue, a scientist at the Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. Gamers, she says, build confidence as they master their gaming skills.  They learn to think for themselves by creating avatars and exploring worlds. Connecting with peers gives them a sense of belonging.

Even with all the benefits they may provide, the games have become more immersive and addictive, says Rausch. The major change, he says, came in the 2010s. Many games became free to start playing online, rather than requiring an upfront purchase. Gaming companies wanted to maximize the time people spent playing them. They also wanted to get players to make small, in-game purchases, from virtual coins to extra lives. Frequent updates, daily rewards, and other attention-grabbing devices kept players hooked.

By 2015, the time boys and young men spent gaming was more than the time spent on sports or hanging out with friends or family, the Time Use Survey data shows. Some boys were becoming addicted. Today roughly 8.5 percent of gamers in the U.S. ages 8 to 18 show signs of addiction, according to researchers at Iowa State University.

Boys are more at risk for video game addiction than girls, who are more likely to become addicted to social media, research has shown. One reason is that boys tend to be drawn to competition and risk-taking, says Marc Potenza, who studies addiction at the Yale School of Medicine. Brain scans show that young men playing video games have a stronger activation in the brain region involved in reward processing than women do, which suggests a similar occurrence in boys.

Those differences are playing out in how boys and girls interact with their peers. Amy Gifford, the mother of a teen boy and girl in Salem, Massachusetts, says her daughter often gets together with friends, while her son’s friends mostly meet up online, which they find easier because it requires little planning.

“It’s hard for them to pull away from that,” she says. “We have literally sent our kid knocking on doors asking other kids to play or ride bikes, and they say no because they’re gaming.”

Experts point to the Covid-19 pandemic, when face-to-face interactions declined dramatically, as the period that really supercharged gaming: Males ages 15 to 24 spent 13 hours a week gaming in 2022, up from 7.5 hours in 2019. Some say it helped them cope with isolation.

“It was really, really helpful to me,” says Julian Minkoff, 19, from Silver Spring, Maryland. Though online gaming provided him with much-needed friendship at the time, he wonders if it created anything of lasting value. “It doesn't really force you to have wonderful relationships,” he says.

In fact, for teens who might be feeling lonely, playing games often doesn’t alleviate loneliness, a Digital Wellness Lab survey found. And the time spent gaming can take time away from the development of in-person social skills, some experts worry.

Those differences are playing out in how boys and girls interact with their peers. Amy Gifford, the mother of a teen boy and girl in Salem, Massachusetts, says her daughter often gets together with friends. Her son’s friends mostly meet up online because it requires little planning.

“It’s hard for them to pull away from that,” she says. “We have literally sent our kid knocking on doors asking other kids to play or ride bikes, and they say no because they’re gaming.”

Experts point to the Covid-19 pandemic as the time period that really supercharged gaming.  Males ages 15 to 24 spent 13 hours a week gaming in 2022, up from 7.5 hours in 2019. Some say it helped them deal with the isolation caused by fewer face-to-face interactions.

“It was really, really helpful to me,” says Julian Minkoff, 19, from Silver Spring, Maryland. Online gaming provided him with much-needed friendship at the time, but he wonders if it created lasting value. “It doesn’t really force you to have wonderful relationships,” he says.

In fact, for teens who might be feeling lonely, playing games often doesn’t lessen loneliness, a Digital Wellness Lab survey found. Some experts worry that the time spent gaming can take time away from the development of in-person social skills.

The key for young people who enjoy gaming, experts say, is to figure out what constitutes a healthy amount of time spent on the activity. They might ask parents to help set limits and talk with them about the risks of online gaming—including gaming addiction, bullying, and being exposed to extremist views.

Some say tech companies should do more to block the features that make gaming addictive or unsafe in the first place.

“Parents’ boundaries don’t stand a chance against products designed to keep kids hooked,” says Bennett Sippel, a researcher at the Tech and Society Lab.

The key for young people who enjoy gaming, experts say, is to figure out what represents a healthy amount of time spent on the activity. They might ask parents to help set limits and talk with them about the risks of online gaming—including gaming addiction, bullying, and being exposed to extremist views.

Some people think tech companies should do more to block the features that make gaming addictive or unsafe in the first place.

“Parents’ boundaries don’t stand a chance against products designed to keep kids hooked,” says Bennett Sippel, a researcher at the Tech and Society Lab.

Some families have brought lawsuits against video game companies in recent years, accusing them of engineering their games to be highly addictive without providing adequate safeguards. The companies have defended the ongoing suits on First Amendment grounds, arguing the games are creative works entitled to free speech protections. But Aubrey Quinn, a senior vice president at the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry group, says most gaming companies already provide safeguards. These include a rating system for games, Quinn says, and safety controls for limiting screen time or blocking other players.

Some high schools, such as Francis Howell, have tried to address issues around gaming by starting esports teams. These operate like traditional sports teams and encourage camaraderie among gamers who’d otherwise be playing at home, alone.

Jaxten Bonneson, 18, who plays for the team at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says esports competition has boosted his self-confidence. And he’s met many of his friends through the team.

“It’s given me kind of something to devote myself to,” he says. “I have this thing I enjoy, and I’m good at it. I’m happy with myself for being like that.”

Some families have brought lawsuits against video game companies in recent years. They accuse the companies of engineering their games to be highly addictive without providing adequate safeguards. The companies have defended themselves on First Amendment grounds, arguing that games are creative works entitled to free speech protections. And Aubrey Quinn, a senior vice president at the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry group, says most gaming companies already provide safeguards. These include a rating system for games, Quinn says. There are also safety controls for limiting screen time or blocking other players.

Some high schools, such as Francis Howell, have tried to address issues around gaming by starting esports teams. These operate like traditional sports teams. They encourage in-person interactions among gamers who’d otherwise be playing at home, alone.

Jaxten Bonneson, 18, who plays for the team at La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, says esports competition has boosted his self-confidence. And he has met many of his friends through the team.

“It’s given me kind of something to devote myself to,” he says. “I have this thing I enjoy, and I’m good at it. I’m happy with myself for being like that.”