It’s an undeniable fact: Kids love video games and here we will provide 3 tips for safe video gaming. While we want our children to enjoy the things they’re interested in, we also want them to be safe and engage in healthy, age-appropriate behaviors. Parenting expert Sarah shares three tips on how to encourage safe video game playing habits with your kids.
1. Tips for Safe Video Gaming Research
Video games have a rating for a reason. As with movies, the broad range of video games runs the gamut from appropriate for toddlers to made strictly for adults. Before purchasing or allowing your child to play, check the rating to ensure it’s a good fit for your child’s age and maturity. The Entertainment Rating Software Board provides ratings for video games, and the ESRB website includes detailed information on individual games and their ratings. The rating categories start at Early Childhood and run through Adults Only 18+. When you look up a game on the website, it allows you to choose what platform it will be played on. It then provides you with a breakdown of the rating and what details in the game caused it to earn that rating. For a guide written with a parental audience in mind, you can also check out Common Sense Media’s game reviews. Though not as comprehensive as the ESRB website as far as what video games are available to look up, it offers reviews from professionals, parents, and kids alike, which can give a fuller picture of the game. It also has age recommendations and a section entitled “What Parents Need to Know” to highlight issues parents specifically might be interested in.
2. Set Safe Screen Time Limits for Kids
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children should have no more than an hour or two of screen time each day. Too much screen time has been connected to a myriad of issues in children, including obesity, poor sleep patterns, behavioral problems, and diminished performance in school. This can be a difficult battle to fight, particularly when screens are pervasive in social time and school. It helps to establish screen time limits early on. Parental controls allow you to set certain perimeters around your child’s video gameplay. Take advantage of these and set expectations quickly so your children know they have only a certain amount of time to play each day and will learn to budget their time accordingly.
3. Know the Risks for Safe Video Gaming
From video game addiction to interactions with unsavory individuals online, gaming comes with inherent risks. As a parent, you need to be aware of the potential negative outcomes so you can work against them. Communicate regularly about video gaming with your children, discussing their gameplay and the people they team up with. Keep gaming devices in areas of the house where the whole family is welcome so that you and other family members can witness firsthand gameplay and social interactions. To minimize the noise, purchase a quality set of headphones or a headset for your children that is budget-friendly, but make sure they are kept on a safe volume so that your child doesn’t suffer damage to the ears.
Video games can be fun, educational, and enriching for your children when managed appropriately. Take steps from these 3 tips to safe video gaming for kids, to develop a positive relationship between video games and your kids, and your whole family will benefit from it.
Thank you guest writer Daniel Sherwin for shedding light on such an important topic. Be sure to check out his website for more great parenting tips.