Parental Controls in Gaming

Gaming has established itself as a major source of entertainment for children throughout the world. From playing Fortnite on the PlayStation to Roblox on the computer, kids play games to socialise with friends, experience new stories, and get creative in a virtual space. However, gaming does have its downsides and parents are the first to know about how it can get out of hand. Luckily, game developers have created parental controls in video games which can be extremely useful in controlling your children’s gaming habits.

Is gaming good for my child?

Before we dive into parental controls and how you, as a parent, can use them to your benefit, we must first discuss why gaming is a beneficial activity for children to be engaged in.

Gaming not only acts as a major platform for children to socialise with friends in today’s technology-driven society, but it has been proven that gaming increases average IQ scores, assists in developing short-term memory, boosts cognitive capabilities and acts as a defence against dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease later in life. Please check out our Science Behind Gaming article for further information.

However, it is important to state that these benefits are a result of gaming in moderation. When gaming is taken to the extreme and played excessively, multiple studies reveal that a player’s mental health can suffer. And that is why parental controls are needed to ensure your child can have the best experience when playing video games.

What are parental controls?

Parental controls are tools and settings in video games, apps, and gaming consoles that allow you to monitor and limit what your child can do online. For example, if you own a gaming console like a PlayStation, Xbox, or Nintendo Switch you can turn on a setting that excludes certain users (like your child) from making purchases online. This can be extremely helpful if you’ve noticed a few extra video games or in-game tokens have been bought using your debit or credit card.

But this is just a single example. Perhaps your kid is spending a few too many hours gaming and you believe it’s beginning to impact their everyday life. Again, there are parental controls on video game consoles, handheld devices, and even in some games which allow you to choose certain times of the day when a child can play, or set an overall gaming time limit. This automatically resolves the stress of having to time a child’s gaming habits yourself.

The examples listed above are limited and don’t go into great detail about how to turn on these game-changing parental controls. Now that is where the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) becomes your best friend. This website has parental control guides for all the major video game platforms in addition to the most popular kids’ games like Fortnite, Minecraft, and Roblox. The ESRB and the Australian Classification Board also provide ratings for each individual video game and can educate parents on what type of content their child will be experiencing when playing a video game.

Safe Gaming Strategies

However, its important to note that not every gaming issue can be dealt with a parental control. This is where parents need to step in and help build good gaming/online habits with their children. For example, teaching your child to use a screen name and not their real name online and educating them not to click on links provided by strangers which might expose their device to viruses and malware.

The Australian eSafety Commission provides a wealth of knowledge on safe gaming and online use strategies. From tips on how to create safer gaming environments to navigating in-game chats, the eSafety Commission can assist across a variety of issues.

In-Game Chat Environments

In many games, there can be an ‘in-game chat’ feature that allows all players to speak to one another by using a microphone. Understandably parents are concerned about what kind of people their child might interact with online.

Ultimately, for a child to have a safe and positive experience when interacting with strangers online, the Australian eSafety Commission recommends for parents to educate themselves on the possible risks with online social interactivity, this can include bullying and grooming in the most extreme of cases.

Using extensive research, the Australian eSafety Commission suggests a combination of both parental controls and building “safe gaming strategies” as a way to ensure a fun and positive online experience for children. From educating a child on how not to share personal information to learning how to mute and block other players who are being negative in a specific game, there are a range of measures a parent can take to ensure their child enjoys their time in an online environment.

For game/platform-specific information regarding in-game chat environments please visit the ESRB and for further reading and safe gaming strategies check out the Australian eSafety Commission.

In Summary

Parental controls are a powerful tool created by developers to assist parents in constructing an enjoyable online experience for their children. However, it is also the parent’s responsibility to help build safe gaming strategies and educate their kids on how to remain safe online. By doing so a child can reap the benefits and join in the fun of playing video games.