News
Keeping Kids Safe from Gaming Predators
Cordova, TN; May 14, in
the year of our Lord 2013 -- One of the God given
duties to parents is to keep their children safe. There are
plenty of dangers kids face on a daily basis. Entertainment is
not always a safe haven, or babysitter for our children. Gaming
predators will try and devour our kids. We parents need to stop
that from happening because the video game industry will not act
in our best interests. Here are some easy tips to help keep our
kids safe from gaming predators.
Stay Involved
This may seem like a no-brainer but there are too many parents
who have no clue what their kids are into, and what their kids
do. Your children may not like you being actively engaged in
their lives during certain periods of their life, but later on
in life they will appreciate it. Spend time playing the games
with them. You might find these games are too offensive to be in
your household. Maybe the addiction factor will shake you awake.
Maybe the people influencing them from inside this games will
raise a red flag. You really have no idea what is going on if
you are not actively engaged.
Check With Me
My kids know they can come to me and ask any question. They will
always get an answer. They may not like the answer, but they
will receive one. Your kids do not have all your experiences.
They have not run into gaming predators. They have not faced
viruses, malware, spyware, phishing scams, and other dangers.
They have also not faced a harmless software update. So they do
not yet know the good from the bad. This is where we parents
come in. When they face something new we want them to come to us
for answers. We parents will not always know, so we get actively
involved, and assist them. I drop everything plenty of times
during my day to assist my kids. I use it as a teachable moment.
They cherish these moments as do I.
Personal Information
Kids need to be taught to avoid giving out personal information.
They do not know when they are communicating with a gaming
predator who wants to do horrible unspeakable things to them in
the real world. What school they go to, what street they live
on, their phone number, even their full name can be used to
track them down. Parents have an obligation to teach their
children to avoid giving out personal information online –
especially if it is a public forum. A gaming predator may be
listening in to your conversation with someone safe.
Limit Time
How much time do your children spend with video games on any
given day? If you don't know the answer then you are not
actively engaged. There are so many different things that can be
done in a day. So it is very important to limit the amount of
time spent in front of televisions and computer monitors. Get
outside, go for a walk, play with a football, soccer ball,
baseball, Frisbee or other safe objects. Video games influence
our minds just like other forms of entertainment. The more time
you spend with them the more they mold you into what they are
teaching.
Read Reviews
Are the lessons in the games your kids play good or bad? There
are gaming predators trying to warp your kids minds right under
your nose. Read reviews, research the games (preferably before
you purchase them), study the ESRB rating descriptors. The ESRB
gets things right around 75% of the time. So they are not
perfect. But they are better than just letting your kids pick
whatever off the shelf. There are all kinds of adult only
content in some games. Do you want your kids exposed to that?
Would you rush into buying a house that is falling apart? What
about rushing into buying a car that may not run tomorrow? You
want all the information you can get so you can make an informed
decision. Apply the same standards to the video games you
purchase for your kids.
- Paul Bury
- Family Friendly Gaming