Nearly one-third of students play video games constantly for five hours or more: survey

Over 30 percent of primary and secondary school students have played video games continuously for more than five hours, with nearly half of the respondents also non-stop watching online clips for several hours.

The findings came after a survey conducted by the Hong Kong College of Technology (HKCT) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong interviewed 2,770 students from six primary and four secondary schools between June and December last year. 

About 12.6 percent of the respondents were said to have internet addiction symptoms, with the youngest belonging to the 6 to 8 years old group. 

The survey also revealed that most respondents thought they had a bad sleep quality, with 38 percent stating they slept less than seven hours a day.

Furthermore, about half of the students believed they have moderate to severe levels of depression and anxiety, which might correlate to their reliance on the Internet.

Long-term exposure to online gaming could affect the students' studies, family and social relationships, which could even end up in addiction issues in the worst-case scenario.