It has been estimated that 90 percent of children over the age of two, in high income countries like the U.S., play some form of video game. Hence, it has become more important than ever to protect a child while they play games online.
Safety advice for online activities like playing video games includes keeping personal information a secret and never sharing personal information with other players (such as real name, home address, age, gender, or pictures).
Marin Cristian-Ovidiu, the CEO of the Internet-based game offering platform OnlineGames.io has discussed with Digital Journal how to keep a child safe from online bullies.
Hide Your Child’s Personal Details
Cristian-Ovidiu recommends that a child should create a nickname and use an avatar that has no connection to them, rather than displaying their real name and photograph. They should also never have any of their basic details (date of birth, school/college name, mobile number, and address) attached to their account, and they should never discuss them online.
Show Them How To Spot Unsafe Adults
Warn your child that adults can masquerade as children, Cristian-Ovidiu warns, such as to obtain sexual pictures or arrange secret meet-ups.
Cristian-Ovidiu states: “Also warn your child about behaviours known as trolling and ‘griefing’, where people deliberately play badly or do things that make games worse for their teams. Let them know that these people are out to provoke a reaction and the best thing they can do is ignore them.”
Furthermore, he advises that cybercriminals often use in-game chats to perform their scams (e.g. offering fake loot boxes and downloads). Some try to get kids to give up their ‘skins’ (in-game cosmetic items) or in-app purchases by offering money. In some games, you can turn off the chat function to avoid these messages.
Create A Family Agreement
Discuss safety issues openly with your child and encourage them to make an agreement with you about things they will and will not do, advises Cristian-Ovidiu. This should cover points like how much screen time they’re allowed and an agreement to only play age-appropriate games. Encourage your child to tell you if there are issues but monitor their games and conversations.
Block Them From Accessing Inappropriate Content
Cristian-Ovidiu recommends: 2You can adjust each game’s privacy settings so you have more control over your child’s access. You can also update console settings to set age restrictions, manage online interactions, filter content, and control online purchases. This will prevent your child from being able to download games that feature adult content.”
Have A Gameplan For Dealing With Nasty Players
Cristian-Ovidiu also suggests explaining to a child the steps of what they should do if someone becomes abusive or behaves suspiciously.
