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in-app purchases as part of the face-to-face interactions. Your kids behaviours. In the Psychological
4
rating system. are humans. We survived for millions Bulletin, a study undertaken by
of years without technology and our psychologists about online games,
Freemium games bodies are designed to move. especially the violent type, like
Fortnite and Grand Theft Auto, were
Some online games use the Changes in your child’s shown to have a massive effect on a
2
"freemium" model , which means behaviour child or adolescent’s behaviour.
they give you some content for free,
however they require you to pay to Keep a close eye on how the
access other portions of the game. game may be affecting your child
A player might use real money to buy in a negative way. Remember, the 1. https://www.internetmatters.org/
a virtual sword or piece of armour, games can be violent, are often resources/online-gaming-advice/
or rack up credit card charges to highly addictive. Warning signs of 2. https://www.kaspersky.co.uk/
gain gold or experience for his or a problem are increased agitation resource-center/threats/top-7-online-
her characters. In most cases, when play time is restricted, gaming-dangers-facing-kids
these games require a credit card becoming more sedentary and 3. https://www.globalratings.com/how-
to sign up and start playing, and it’s less interested in outdoor play, iarc-works.aspx
automatically charged if users decide increased isolation, aggression and 4. Violent video game effects on
to purchase new items or services. depression. aggression, empathy, and pro-social
behaviour in eastern and western
Seek professional help if your child
Never give out your card number countries: a meta-analytic review -
for any freemium games. Even if exhibits the last three of these Anderson, Shibuya et al. March 2010
your child is playing more traditional
subscription-based games, it’s a
good idea to regularly check your
credit card bills to make sure you’re
not being charged for purchases you
didn’t agree to make. If you allow
your children to use your smartphone
or tablet, you should seriously
consider switching off “in-app
updates,” to prevent your children
from racking up huge bills for in-app
purchases without even realising it.
Don’t ignore what your child
is doing Controlling what your child sees and hears
81% of children play games online. There is a push to make gaming a
Keep up with new gaming functions
introduced by the game as they family affair - being with your child as they game helps them to develop
often change and can put your child good gaming habits and to ask for support when they need it most.
at risk. For instance, a new game #Pledge2Game
feature was added to Fortnite Battle Consider playing the game your child has downloaded so you can see what
Royale allowing users to connect it entails and research the game on parenting sites to hear about the pros
with strangers through both text and and cons. Set time limits for your child - gaming can be addictive, so set
voice chat. The NSPCC, a British boundaries for when and how long your child can play.
children’s charity, reported in 2018
that 1 in 4 youths aged 11- 18 have Determine if your child is mature enough for voice chat: if not, turn it off. Be
been contacted on Fortnite by aware your child may hear profanity or other unwanted language via voice
someone they don’t know. Gaming chat features. Do you know who your child is playing against online? Limit
developers like Microsoft and the players your child can play with to parent-approved players, basically
Epic often have features on their those children you and your child know personally. (Note: your child cannot
websites whereby a parent can detect a disguised predator. Predators groom many children at a time
receive updated changes to gaming and are patient with gathering details on the child and accessing their
functions. You need to keep your eye vulnerability for grooming.)
on what your child is doing.
Consider limiting access to web browsing, which is unrestricted Internet
Talking to your child about coming access and opens up all of the good and bad on the Internet. Consider
to you if anyone bullies them or asks disallowing webcam use while gaming - instead, consider using an avatar,
them for inappropriate pictures can especially for under-14 gamers. Consider disallowing voice-masking
be really empowering for them. technology - this is how predators often disguise their real identity. As a
Most importantly, balance screen parent, be aware that there are numerous blogs, YouTube videos etc that
time with live play, outdoor time and show children how to disable parental controls!!

www.MiddleEast-Business.com 7 year, Issue 26, Mar - May 2020
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