As student mental health dominates the school leadership agenda, one factor rarely features in formal wellbeing frameworks: gaming. That may need to change.
The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association’s (IGEA) Australia Plays 2025 report found that 82% of Australians play video games. Among those aged 18–34, 89% said they play to improve their mental health, with de-stressing the most common reason.
For younger students still moving through K–12, that relationship with gaming is forming right now – often without school-based guidance. For education leaders already thinking about how to support student wellbeing across the school day, the data is worth taking seriously.
Three practical approaches can help school leaders respond. These are: understanding what draws students to gaming, learning more about what they play, and building healthy habits around it.
Why do students turn to gaming in the first place?
For most students, gaming meets needs that schools don’t always see. These include the need to unwind, compete, connect with friends, or escape pressure.
“Games provide young people opportunities to challenge themselves, build skills, work towards goals and connect with others,” said Dr Daniel Reidenberg, founder of Safe Online Standards and managing director of the National Council for Suicide Prevention. “Games also create competition which can bring moments of frustration and teach resilience.”
When understood on its own terms, gaming can build the same self-regulation and coping skills that formal wellbeing programs aim to develop.
Getting curious about what students play
Asking students about their games is one of the most overlooked strategies available to school leaders – and one of the simplest.
“I always encourage parents and caregivers to get curious about what their children are playing – ask them to show you their virtual worlds,” said Dr Elizabeth Milovidov, senior director of global parental advocacy at Roblox, a gaming platform. “It’s one of the best ways to open up meaningful conversations about digital citizenship while supporting their interests and growth.”
Understanding which games students gravitate toward and why gives a more grounded picture than a survey alone.
Research also points to games that actively encourage co-operation, mutual support and collaborative problem-solving. Gaming has also been found to help develop key skills such as autonomy and competence. Schools already exploring whether gaming can close Australia’s STEM skills gap may find the wellbeing dimension equally compelling.
Building healthy gaming habits that support student mental health
Self-regulation is where gaming habits either support student wellbeing or undermine it. And this is an area schools can directly influence.
“Stepping away from a game is part of healthy play,” said Dr Milovidov. “When young people notice they need a break and actually take one, they build a habit. That habit develops self-regulation skills that matter far beyond gaming.”
Parents reported games being used in 42% of children’s schools to facilitate learning, according to the IGEA report. The question for K–12 leaders is whether schools are being equally deliberate about gaming as a wellbeing consideration. For those examining screen time and students’ wellbeing, this is a natural next conversation to have.