What Parents Need to Know About Gaming Safety
There are few things children can do without their parents being worried about them. We are parents after all and worrying is in our DNA! As parents, you want to give your children the freedom to try new things, to find out who they are and what they like and dislike, but that also comes with some tumbles and falls along the way. While we can’t protect our children from every bump, bruise and bully, we can educate ourselves on how to keep them safe, what the potential dangers are and what you should plan to keep in your arsenal for protection. Let’s take a look at how to do this when it comes to gaming. Here’s what parents need to know about gaming safety.
Online video games have taken the internet by storm. 65% of American adults play video games and 71% of American children under the age of 18 play video games. Gaming has become a huge hobby for some and a sport for others. From recreational gaming to professional, there is a wide net of what gaming looks like. Whether you have a 7-year old who loves to play Roblox for a bit after school or a 14-year old who locks himself in his room to play Fortnite until midnight, there is a lot you need to know about gaming and how to keep your child safe.
Communication & Strangers Online
Communication has become a big part of gaming. While you may have fond memories of playing Super Mario Bros on your original Nintendo, the gaming space has drastically changed since then. Then, the only thing you had to do to get started was plug the gaming system into your wall and your TV. It was simpler then. Now, gaming takes place on the internet which means your child has access to strangers all over the world, or what’s more concerning is that they have access to your child. This is one of the dangers of video games. Strangers and online predators are lurking in plain sight waiting for the right time to pounce on your child. So, how can you keep your child safe from strangers online?
Protecting your child from strangers online
First and foremost, it is essential that you talk to your children about what they can and cannot do online. The same conversation that you have likely had with your child about not talking to strangers when they are out with their friends and never getting into a strangers car, should be had with regards to the internet as well. While it may seem like strangers are far away online and don’t pose a risk to your child, that is in fact inaccurate. Talk to your child about stranger danger online.
Before your child begins playing or even after, make sure to spend some time looking at the settings and the parental controls. In games like Roblox, parents have the ability to set up who their child can talk to, for example, “everyone”, “friends” or “no one”. Setting up the controls that you are comfortable with is a good way to start. Different games have different features. Some don’t have communication, others have only text or voice communication, and some games have both. Make sure you understand what communication is available in each of the games that your child plays in order to keep them safe.
Privacy Violations
Strangers, friends and foes are all the same when it comes to privacy violations. The reality is that children are online at such an early age that it is unrealistic for us to believe that they are equipped with all the tools they need for success. Despite parents’ efforts, children are online before they are mature enough to understand the consequences of their actions. Sharing a password, the name of their school or even the name of their dog online can result in extreme privacy violations. Many people use pet names of other personal information for their passwords online which can result in a stolen identity in a matter of seconds. So, how can you protect your child from a privacy violation while gaming?
Protecting your child from a privacy violation
Remind your child that nothing they say online is private. The wrong person may be listening to your conversation and listening for specific information. Someone else may take your child’s information or something about them and share it with other people. Remind your child of the following:
Never use your real name - this goes for user names, gamer tags and in gaming chats (or any chats online)
Encourage your child to use a strong password
Remind them to keep their location private on any games or apps they are on
Set up parental controls on the game itself to limit unnecessary contact from strangers
Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is a huge danger of online gaming. Cyberbullying may come from people your child knows or people your child doesn’t know. The reality is that gamers hide behind their screen and feel empowered to hurt others for whatever reason. In some cases, your child may be subject to bullying by someone they go to school with that is following them home through the computer and then pouncing while they play. These situations may feel harder to manage since your child will feel surrounded by all sides. However, many children experience cyberbullying and harassment by strangers who make it their mission to go after your child. When it comes to cyberbullying, it is essential that your child feels comfortable coming to you to ask for help. The sooner you are able to shut it down, the better.
Protecting your child if they are cyberbullied
Ensure that you keep documentation of the bullying with a screenshot before removing the cyberbully’s account.
Block and/or report the cyberbully on the gaming platform your child is playing on.
Work as an ally with your child to determine the best way to deal with the situation. Do not go against what they want to do to deal with the situation, as sometimes a response can make things worse
Do not punish your child for being cyberbullied. This means that you shouldn’t take away their computer or remove their gaming time. Despite your desire to help by removing them from the bully, they may feel that they are being punished and will no longer feel comfortable talking to you about these situations.
As I mentioned at the beginning, we can’t protect our children from every bump, bruise and bully, but we can set our children and ourselves up for success.
Keep the lines of communication open with your child. Don’t wait for something bad to happen to talk to them. Speak to them daily about their experiences online, what games they played, who they played with, who they were chatting with, etc. Show an interest in their gaming life and take some time to learn about the games they love and play. Take some time to watch, or better yet, play with them!
Teach your child to be a good digital citizen. Talk to them about appropriate online conduct. Consider creating a tech contract with your child that the rules about tech use and monitoring are clear in your home. Trust is an essential part of being a good digital citizen.
Consider using a monitoring software as your ally. That doesn’t mean that you can listen to all of their conversations and break their trust, but it will give you peace of mind knowing that you have parameters in place to help you keep your child safe. ProtectMe is software used on PC’s to monitor in-game voice and text communication. The software alerts parents of any threats their child comes in contact with while gaming. This includes online predators, privacy violations, hate speech, flaming, sexual content and more. Each alert comes with recommendations written by experts on how to handle the threat detected while also sharing insights into your child gaming behavior. These insights will help you connect with your child about their gaming experience which in return keeps the lines of communication open between the two of you. Learn more about how ProtectMe can work as your ally and keep your child safe at getkidas.com. Take advantage of the 30-day free trial to see how it can help.
All parents want the same thing. They want their children to be safe both IRL and online. Use these tips to help your child remain safe online and fill up your arsenal with software like ProtectMe for peace of mind and gaming safety.