How to prioritize safety for kids who game

Tech usage in kids and teens today continues to skyrocket as they are exposed to new apps, games and devices at rates far beyond other generations. According to the National Institute of Health, more than 90% of children older than 2 play video games, and three-quarters of American households own a video game console.

According to a recent Pew Research survey, nearly half of teens say they use the internet “almost constantly.”

With usage so high, it is important for both parents and kids to be aware of what safety risks are associated with these platforms and game content, and how to be proactive about mitigating them. Shane Rafferty, a technology support specialist on the Children’ Services team at Lurie Children’s, offers guidance on how to go about being more internet conscious.

“First and foremost, the biggest thing is to be aware of what your kids are interested in,” Rafferty said. “The internet is filled with content, modern gaming and ways to interact with others, and it can be hard to keep up with the latest and greatest. Ask your child questions about their favorite games and what they enjoy doing on the computer. Even better, ask if you can join them for a session to watch and have them explain things as they go along. This will give you a better idea of what they are interacting with while also showing that you are interested in what they are doing. Kids, particularly school-aged, love to feel like they are experts in something, so many will be excited to show off their knowledge to their parents.”

Once parents are aware of where and how their child likes to spend their time online, it is important to have an open conversation with them about how they can maintain safety during online interactions. Rafferty advises against ever sharing personal information with internet friends or as part of user profiles, including things like home addresses, phone numbers and in some situations, a child’s full name. This is where usernames or screen names can come in handy – especially for younger kids whose parents might not yet be comfortable with their full identity online.

Rafferty also suggests keeping friendships made on the internet to that forum unless the right safety measures are put in place to take it “offline.”

“While players may make lasting friendships online, meeting in person should be discouraged,” he said. “If a child or teen is asked to meet in person, they should alert their caregivers, teacher or other trusted adult in their life.”

While many modern games offer parental controls or options to help limit in-game interactions, Rafferty says there is no substitute for discussing safety with your child directly. Making a child aware of the risks and how to handle an uncomfortable request helps to cover all the bases and should be the first line of defense.

Additionally, Rafferty notes that the more aware parents are of the type of gameplay their child is involved with, the easier it will be to set up specific boundaries around the content if needed.

“For example, most online games have a voice chat feature that is integral to the game. That said, it’s possible that kids might run into ‘toxic players,’ i.e., players with a particularly bad attitude who use inappropriate language and ‘trash talk,’” he said. “If that’s something you do not want your child exposed to, investigate the game settings to turn off voice chat or limit to those on their friends list. In most games you can also mute specific players, so your child won’t miss out on opportunities for teamwork or socialization with others.”

Additionally, parents should have a conversation with their child about why certain behaviors and language are inappropriate or harmful, even in an internet setting.

“Kids interact, or eventually will, with these types of personalities in real life, whether on the playground or school hallways,” Rafferty said. “Getting on the same page with them about how to either safely engage or ignore these types of peers could be impactful for them in the long run.”

As parents get more familiar with their child’s gaming content, they can also take a more proactive approach with the parental controls. With these, they can do things like set limits based the Entertainment Software Ratings Board (ESRB) rating – an organization that regulates and rates game content based on age groups – and control the amount of play time per day, among other measures. Rafferty says each gaming system will have different settings, but there are plenty of helpful guides that can be found online for suggestions and setup help.

Ultimately, determining what age is appropriate for a child to begin gaming is up to the parents or caregivers. While internet games exist for virtually every age group, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that screen time is limited to educational programming with a caregiver between 18 and 24 months, to promote the healthiest brain development. For children ages 2-5, AAP suggests limiting non-educational screen time to about 1 hour per weekday and 3 hours on the weekend days. For ages 6 and older, they say to encourage healthy habits and limit activities that include screens.

“While a child may be interested in trying a specific game, it’s also important to take into account the complexity of the controls and gameplay, and what may be too advanced for their developmental stage,” Rafferty said. “Something too difficult could end up causing more frustration than fun. In these situations, a caregiver could play the game and ask the child for input and decision-making help, so they are still involved in the fun.”

For more information about gaming content and screen/media consumption, CommonSenseMedia.org is a great resource that covers games, TV shows, movies and other media. The site offers age recommendations according to reviews and feedback by both parents and kids, and explores other important topics such as representation, messaging, and violence in media.

Children's health is a continuing series. This column was provided by Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.