Kids Love Playing Games
There is no denying that video games are one of the most captivating forms of entertainment. Children in particular love games because of how interactive and imaginative they can be. At times though, as an adult we may notice content in the games that are a little less imaginative and way too realistic to be appropriate. There are some tips to combat this however no solution is perfect. For best results you will want to review each game and it’s content manually.
What can We Do?
Here’s a list of things that can be done to make mobile gaming a little safer for your little ones.
App Store Restriction Tips
- Lock down the app store to only allow content appropriate for the age range you select in the settings of the mobile device.
- Prevent purchases or downloads without your password or approval
Mobile Game Selection Tips
- When possible, only download games without ads, or pay for the version without ads. The ads on the games are not usually of the best quality and can at times show unappropriate content or products. Additionally these ads can redirect your child to something other than the mobile game. In general mobile game ads are highly unpredictable and should be avoided at all costs for children.
- Check if games have a chat functionality and disable or restrict it if possible. Games with chat functionality allow conversation with pretty much anyone, this could prove to be dangerous or inappropriate for children.
- Read the reviews for each game prior to downloading and take note of anything from parental perspectives or quality perspectives. Usually suspiciously low quality games are using the game as a way to get a foot in the door to do other malicious things
Monitoring Tips
- For certain games that you may be unsure of, only allow children to play the games when in close proximity to you. This way you can monitor the content and ensure that the game is safe. You can set passwords for certain apps in the iPhone settings and this is likely possible for android devices too. This can help to ensure that the child cannot play without your permission first
- For games that you trust, you should still check up on them periodically to ensure that the content has not changed or ads have been introduced. These games are apps that will push updates from time to time, this means that the content can change over time so it’s a good idea to keep tabs on it.
Training for Kids
- Kids are smart. You should have a conversation with them and let them know about the risks and concerns that are out there regarding mobile games. Let them know that all games and ads do not have the best intentions and that you both need to ensure that the games are safe for them to use. By making the child feel included in the safety effort, they are more likely to alert you when they notice inappropriate or unordinary content.
Order of Importance
In my opinion the most important action to take is to have a conversation with your child to make them aware of the risks that exist. Understanding the “why” can help your child with identifying problematic or suspicious content. If your child is not yet at an age where conversation regarding this topic makes sense, then locking down the app store to only allow downloads and purchases approved by you is of utmost importance.