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Because of this, parents and carers
need to understand the games their Internet safety 101 for parents
children are playing and how to set Review games and ratings posted by games and apps (provided by
them up safely. This is never more the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) before you download or buy
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important than with webcams as this games to make sure they are age-appropriate. The Internet is a parent’s best
could be exceptionally dangerous. friend for getting up to date information on safety, tools and gaming features.
Settings for webcams should be
Play the game yourself by spending time alongside your child to learn about
monitored regularly - preferably
the game. Children love to teach parents and will enjoy the interaction.
turned off.
Build an atmosphere of trust with your child regarding all of his/her online
Handled sensibly, playing with other activities. Have regular conversations with your child about the games they
children online can enrich a child’s are playing, their gaming experiences (both good and bad), and who they are
enjoyment and also bring them into talking to. Use these opportunities to keep the safety conversation normal
contact with others from around and regular.
the world with different cultures
Use parental controls for games used by your child. Additionally, set and save
and outlooks. The main message
parental controls provided within the game or gaming app. Remember if you
is monitoring what your child does set controls provided by the game itself, you will also need to do the same on
online. the gaming platform used by your child. (Xbox, Nintendo Switch, Playstation
4, Windows 10 and iOS).
Growth of social networking
Remember, games can be played on multiple devices (consoles, phones,
in gaming tablets), so controls need to be set on each device.
The level and types of Keep your parental password private. Believe it or not, some parents are lazy
communication online games offer enough to have their child set up these controls - which totally defeats the
has evolved significantly over recent purpose!
years. Whereas games were seen
separately to social media, they now
greatly overlap with online social
sharing sites. In fact, most children’s
first interaction with someone they
don’t know online is now more likely
to be in a video game like Roblox
than anywhere else.

In-game and in-app
purchases
Other costs that parents should be
aware of are those that crop up after
the initial purchase or download of
the game. An increasingly popular
way to fund game development is to
offer games for free but then charge
for content or characters in the
game – these are called ‘freemium’
games. Fortnite, yet again, is an
example of a free game making In the UK, the Gambling exchange for information - their
a lot of money from its in-game Commission does not view this as data is effectively monetised. It’s
purchases that unlock new outfits actually gambling because there important that parents understand
and dances. is no monetary value of the items this, educate children, and ensure
won outside the game. However, appropriate passwords are set on
In-app purchases and loot boxes
it can be immensely costly if not any stored credit card details!
offer an in-game item of varying controlled. If it was considered
value to the player. This can appear Some countries, such as Belgium,
gambling it could not be marketed to
similar to gambling as there is luck children. have outlawed the use of loot boxes
involved as to which item the player in games because they are seen
will get. Also, some games like Children, who want more in-game as gambling aimed at children.
‘Rocket League’ have historically currency to purchase loot boxes, are There is no consensus more widely
presented these items in a “fruit sometimes targeted by unofficial available, though. In the UK and US,
machine” style, spin to win. third-party apps offering this in games are now labelled as having

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