KEEP CHILDREN SAFE DURING ONLINE GAMING

1. Take an active interest in the games your children are playing.

2. Ask who they play with online, who they talk to, what they talk about and the language being used. Gaming sites often have ways of reporting abusive chat and excluding anti-social players. Make sure your child knows how to do this.

3. For young children, change settings on tablets or smartphones to “airplane” mode. They can play offline without making accidental purchases or connecting with someone that they don’t know.

4. Make sure you and your family agree what games can be played and that children understand why some games aren’t allowed. Use PEGI ratings and app store ratings to ensure your children are playing appropriate games.

5. Gaming can be addictive, so agree boundaries and how long they’re allowed to play for, and with whom they are allowed to play online. Remind them people may hide behind fake profiles and not be who they say they are.

6. Remind your children not to share personal information or add their gaming friends to their other social networks.