Parents expose children to video-game violence by ignoring ratings

PARENTS are exposing their children to violence in video games because they fail to take age ratings seriously and allow children to play titles designed for over-18s, a survey has revealed.

More than half of parents allow their children access to adult games, according to the poll of more than 2,000 mothers and fathers.

In comparison, just 18 per cent said they would let children between 10 and 14 watch a film with an 18 certificate.

The survey, conducted by the Childcare.co.uk website, found that four out of five parents admitted that they did not follow age restrictions on video games, while a quarter said they did not follow age restrictions on films.

Richard Conway, founder of Childcare.co.uk, said: “It’s difficult in this day and age to govern what your child is exposed to.

“If your 10-year-old has friends who are playing Fortnite, which is rated 12, you want them to be included in the fun. However, it’s always worth looking into the game to see if it’s suitable, rather than leaving them to their own devices.”

Nearly half of parents reported a negative change in their child’s behaviour since they started playing games aimed at adults.

Mr Conway added: “What’s interesting is that the majority of parents follow film age ratings, but when it comes to video games, they maybe aren’t as strict.

“It’s important to remember how impressionable children are. If they see behaviour or language in a video game or movie, they may mimic it.”

A study published earlier this year found that addictive video games may change children’s brains in the same way as drugs and alcohol.

The “reward” system in the brains of heavy users of social media and video games displays the same changes in function and structure as those of alcoholics or drug addicts.

A series of studies by California State University found the impulsive part of the brain, known as the amygdalastriatal system, was not only more sensitive but also smaller in excessive users so that it processed the stimuli of social media or games faster.