Video Games and Responsible Parenting – Gaming Consoles’ Parental Controls Are Your Friend
With the goal of making gaming consoles more age-appropriate for minors, all game console makers offer certain built-in features that help you restrict content your child can access. That way you can automatically restrict their access to inappropriate content and take care of something most parent overlook – online interactions.
Nintendo’s Wii and Wii U allow you to set a PIN code that has to be entered to experience content above a certain maturity rating. Sony and Microsoft allow you to create password-protected accounts with different parental settings on PlayStation and Xbox consoles. The playlist below shows the instructions on how to set up parental controls on each of the HD gaming consoles.
Microsoft’s Windows operating system for tablets and computers allows you to set the parental restrictions the similar way, and even share the account between computers and tablets. Unlike Playstation3 and 4, Xbox360 and Xbox one allow your kid to “grow up” with their account, and transform it (with all the games, achievements and settings) to the master console account once they grow up to need no more parental guidance while gaming. Microsoft has dedicated a whole portion of their website to the family safety, and that is the best starting point for a parent of a child growing up with the Windows ecosystem.
Xbox 360 (but not the newer Xbox One, nor the PS3 or PS4 at the time of writing this article) gives you the ability to set the “family timer” and limit not just the content, but also the time your young one spends playing games.
Don’t forget about the smartphones!
If your child has a smartphone, be sure to treat their handheld devices with the same care you give to a computer or a gaming console. There is Grand Theft Auto and Mortal Kombat for smartphones – meaning you can both run over police officers and smash open people’s heads with their own severed legs on your handheld. Make sure your thirteen-year-old kid is not given the same opportunity.
The most important thing? Following how the technology develops. There will always be new gaming platforms and new ways your child can be exposed to unsuitable content and interactions. Ten years ago almost no one had to worry about online interactions and today most of the games have a multi-player option. Those cringe-inducing Mortal Kombat moves from 1992? They look tame compared to today’s offering of violence. Make sure to follow the gaming trends and limit the content available to your child accordingly.
