Online gaming and safety
The days of children playing hopscotch and throwing balls outside seem to be a thing of the past as we look at the overwhelming attraction of PlayStation and online gaming. Nowadays, children do not need to go to the arcade to play games with other children. They can play with them in the comfort of their own homes online. Distance and time are no longer a factor when it comes to gaming.
For children, online gaming is a virtual playground. Children can log into their favourite games, put on their headsets, turn on their webcams and instantly be immersed into a world of different realities with thousands of other gamers around the world.
“Online gaming devices are just like a computer and a lot of parents don’t realise that. There are messaging, chat and IM features. Using an Xbox, you can receive messages from any of the major platforms. Even if you’re in the game, somebody who has your game ID or screen name can send a text message to you and it will pop up on the screen and you can chat just like you do on a computer.”
— Chad Gallagher, Child Exploitation Squad, F
Know how to protect your child from online harassment and social predators
- Get an anti-virus for all devices
In order to protect your child from hackers and keep personal information on your computer safe you must make sure that you have an anti-virus on your machine. Also, ensure that other mobile and technological devices are up to date with security measures in order to prevent any threats. - Use strong passwords
It is important to use strong and difficult passwords in order to protect your child from hackers and/or social groomers. - Communicate
Speak with your children about the games they are playing and if any of the other players make them feel uncomfortable or speak about topics that they do not like. Let your child feel comfortable to open up and speak freely to you. - Report cyber bullies
Explain the effects of cyber bullying to your children and tell them to report it to you straight away if they fall victim to any bullying online. - Learn security measures
You need to learn how to block players that are harassing you or your child. Keep record of what the cyber bullies are doing and how their behaviour is affecting you. Once you have evidence, you can take it up further with the manager of the online game. - Protect your personal information and your identity
It is important to tell your child not to post any personal information about themselves online (e.g. – home address, birthday, favourite meeting places for lunch). This is what online predators use to find people. Always be alert. If your child does post personal information make sure that it is only visible to friends and family.
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