Parents urged to monitor online gaming

WITH school holidays in full swing, police are calling on parents and guardians to keep a close eye on their children's activities, especially online gaming.

Gaming online is an increasingly popular activity for children. It's a way for them to play with friends without having to be face-to-face.

While this can serve as entertainment, education and character development - and might appear to be private - it can also open the door to scammers, cyberbullies and sexual predators.

Games may have age restrictions and may contain violence and inappropriate content, so police have urged parents to remind their children that some gaming friends are still strangers in the real world.

Personal information should never be shared and privacy settings need to be activated on all online games at all times.

Tips for keeping them safe:

1. Know the risks

Understand the potential dangers your children face as they play games online.

People might befriend your children by trying to earn their trust.

Scammers and predators may pretend to be children themselves, share tips on how to win, or give gifts like points or virtual goods.

Some gamers play to bully, taunt and harass others with bad language, cheating or inappropriate attacks.

Good downloads may carry bad content; when children download games from non-reputable sites through links, they may also download offensive content, spam or malicious software.

2. Take advantage of technology

Most popular games come equipped with parental controls.

Websites generally devote a section to parents and provide assistance with setting up controls.

Almost every game has a chat filter option available. Go to the options or settings of the game and look for these filters; more than likely a 'profanity filter' will be available, so make sure it is enabled.

Learn how to enable these controls and explain to your children what they are for – for example, they are not set up to spy on them, but to keep them safe.

Report any improper or suspicious content or behaviour. Ask your children to ignore or block any players that have shown hostility, pressured your child for information, or have sent or requested explicit or inappropriate materials.

Immediately report any serious threats or harassment to the local police.

3. Explore the games alongside your children

Even if they act annoyed, it’s crucial to become involved.

Sit with your children while they play or join in the game. You may find it’s a fun activity you can do together while you’re keeping them out of harm’s way.

You’ll be able to monitor their interactions with others and guide a potentially harmful situation.

Check the ratings of games your children want to play.

4. Talk to your children

Above all, always keep the lines of communication between you and your children open.

Celebrate their accomplishments, talk about what they did, and listen for clues about dangerous situations they may have encountered while playing.