Letting Children Play Computer Games Could Lead Parents To Being Charged With Neglect Warn Teachers

Primary school headteachers have warned parents who allow their children to play video games such as Call Of Duty and Grand Theft Auto will be reported to police and social services for neglect.
The Nantwich Education Partnership, made up of 15 primary schools and one secondary academy, issued a letter after children reported playing or watching the adult-themed games.
The heads said the games could increase "early sexualised behaviours" and the advice was in line with local authority policy and concerns.
The letter, sent last month, said: "Several children have reported playing or watching adults play games which are inappropriate for their age and they have described the levels of violence and sexual content they have witnessed: Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Dogs Of War and other similar games are all inappropriate for children and they should not have access to them.
"If your child is allowed to have inappropriate access to any game or associated product that is designated 18-plus we are advised to contact the police and children's social care as it is neglectful.
Parents were also warned about allowing their youngsters to have accounts on social media sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp because it could make them vulnerable to sexual grooming.
The letter went on: "Access to these games or to some social media sites such as those above increases early sexualised behaviours (sometimes harmful) in children and leaves them vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation or extreme violence."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/03/29/call-of-duty_n_6963666.html?utm_hp_ref=ukhttp:



Except of course the claim to extreme violence is utter nonsense:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/longterm-us-study-finds-no-links-between-violent-video-games-and-youth-violence-9851613.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/longterm-us-study-finds-no-links-between-violent-video-games-and-youth-violence-9851613.html

Even though done out of wanting to protect children it is being done on false inaccurate information.   Should children being playing games under set age limits?
Of course not.
Social media I can understand the concerns with, but to claim video games leads to violence is based on a false premise. Is there a case leading to sexual behaviour, of that more studies need to be done, but the school should not be making unfounded claims in regards to a connection to violence.

Children under a certain age shouldn't be playing video games.
There's a Boy in my daughters nursery, he's three, he plays loads of xbox games. His language is dire, his behaviour is terrible and his social skills are pretty non-existent.

eddie wrote:Children under a certain age shouldn't be playing video games.
There's a Boy in my daughters nursery, he's three, he plays loads of xbox games. His language is dire, his behaviour is terrible and his social skills are pretty non-existent.

Totally agree, a neighbours lad aged 7 was happily telling my boy about the games he has like COD GTA 5 etc

Nems wrote:

eddie wrote:Children under a certain age shouldn't be playing video games.
There's a Boy in my daughters nursery, he's three, he plays loads of xbox games. His language is dire, his behaviour is terrible and his social skills are pretty non-existent.

Totally agree, a neighbours lad aged 7 was happily telling my boy about the games he has like COD GTA 5 etc

that's not video games that is bad parenting (those games are both clearly marked 15+ and GTA is famously 18+)
no different than letting little kids have adult rated movies
they have the rating on the package
if they are playing 15+ or 18+ games regularly then they should be reported just like a parent that let them watch adult films/TV regularly

@eddie
WTF is a 3 year old doing on Xbox? there are consoles for that age group (Wii and more pro-educational ones like 'leapfrog') and Xbox is NOT one of them.
Technology is just a tool, games are just media
it is no different than any other tools or media in that there are specifically designed children's ones Because the Adult version is not suitable.

veya_victaous wrote:

Nems wrote:

Totally agree, a neighbours lad aged 7 was happily telling my boy about the games he has like COD GTA 5 etc

that's not video games that is bad parenting (those games are both clearly marked 15+ and GTA is famously 18+)
no different than letting little kids have adult rated movies
they have the rating on the package
if they are playing 15+ or 18+ games regularly then they should be reported just like a parent that let them watch adult films/TV regularly  

@eddie
WTF is a 3 year old doing on Xbox? there are consoles for that age group (Wii and more pro-educational ones like 'leapfrog')  and Xbox is NOT one of them.
Technology is just a tool, games are just media
it is no different than any other tools or media in that there are specifically designed children's ones Because the Adult version is not suitable.

Although i agree with you.they are xbox games for 3y old`s and upwards.........not many but some ,i suspect its so the dads can claim its for the kids

And when you take in to account the Oxford University study that says Children who play computer or video games for up to an hour daily are the most sociable, happy and least hyperactive,


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/11008989/Playing-video-games-for-up-to-an-hour-a-day-is-good-for-children.html

you need to take these study`s and findings with a huge pinch of salt

I'm sure it so the dads can claim it's for the kids
the controller is too big for a 3 year old to even hold and I don't think there is any X-box exclusives for that age, as opposed to Wii and leapfrog with hundreds of titles specifically targeted at under 12s.

it is still a case of Bad parenting not looking into the products they are buying their kids, buying a 7 year old COD or GTA? that is just he same as buying them 18+ films.
Game or movie makes no difference if the content is inappropriate and clearly labelled as such Any parent that is just buying the kid the game when it clearly says 18+ needs to be reported to child services.

the Op in not about gaming in general, all the games it lists are 15+ or 18+ titles. the public and parents need to be more informed, it is up to the parent to keep track of the entertainment their child consumes and there is no excuse for letting a 3 year old play an 18+ title, it is the same as giving them a porn DVD and getting them to watch it unsupervised. it is not the game or the DVD that is a moron too stupid to be in charge of children.

veya_victaous wrote:I'm sure it so the dads can claim it's for the kids    
the controller is too big for a 3 year old to even hold and I don't think there is any X-box exclusives for that age, as opposed to Wii and leapfrog with hundreds of titles specifically targeted at under 12s.

it is still a case of Bad parenting not looking into the products they are buying their kids, buying a 7 year old COD or GTA? that is just he same as buying them 18+ films.
Game or movie makes no difference if the content is inappropriate and clearly labelled as such Any parent that is just buying the kid the game when it clearly says 18+ needs to be reported to child services.

the Op in not about gaming in general, all the games it lists are 15+ or 18+ titles. the public and parents need to be more informed, it is up to the parent to keep track of the entertainment their child consumes and there is no excuse for letting a 3 year old play an 18+ title, it is the same as giving them a porn DVD and getting them to watch it unsupervised. it is not the game or the DVD that is a moron too stupid to be in charge of children.

personaly i hate xbox`s and console`s in general when you spend at least 40 hours a week playing the same 3 games they get old real fast....well it did for me

I hear the PS network is improving adopting a lot of Steam like feature Will be interesting to see how console gamers handle early access betas (even steam has had plenty of issue with game devs not meeting the promises and there is a much clearer separation between game devs and Valve than game Devs and Play-station. Particularly to a console user that expects plug and play issueless gaming.

veya_victaous wrote:

I hear the PS network is improving adopting a lot of Steam like feature Will be interesting to see how console gamers handle early access betas (even steam has had plenty of issue with game devs not meeting the promises and there is a much clearer separation between game devs and Valve than game Devs and Play-station. Particularly to a console user that expects plug and play issueless gaming.

To be honest game developers  rarely have contact with the likes of play-station/Sony
developers mainly deal with the publishers in my case it was Rockstar

the only thing i remember getting from sony (other that pre releases PS3 consoles)for example was the TRC (technical requirement check-list) that set out certain things that had to be included in the programming .

it was the publishers that really dictated the game content

i remember it was 9/11 about a day after the planes crashed
the company got a call from Rockstar about the game in development (it had terrorists in it ) they told us we had to remove them .and change the story line as it was terrorists invading city's

veya_victaous wrote:

Nems wrote:

eddie wrote:Children under a certain age shouldn't be playing video games.
There's a Boy in my daughters nursery, he's three, he plays loads of xbox games. His language is dire, his behaviour is terrible and his social skills are pretty non-existent.

Totally agree, a neighbours lad aged 7 was happily telling my boy about the games he has like COD GTA 5 etc

that's not video games that is bad parenting (those games are both clearly marked 15+ and GTA is famously 18+)
no different than letting little kids have adult rated movies
they have the rating on the package
if they are playing 15+ or 18+ games regularly then they should be reported just like a parent that let them watch adult films/TV regularly  

@eddie
WTF is a 3 year old doing on Xbox? there are consoles for that age group (Wii and more pro-educational ones like 'leapfrog')  and Xbox is NOT one of them.
Technology is just a tool, games are just media
it is no different than any other tools or media in that there are specifically designed children's ones Because the Adult version is not suitable.

Well Veya, his mum claims that he's "really good at independent play"

korban dallas wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:

I hear the PS network is improving adopting a lot of Steam like feature Will be interesting to see how console gamers handle early access betas (even steam has had plenty of issue with game devs not meeting the promises and there is a much clearer separation between game devs and Valve than game Devs and Play-station. Particularly to a console user that expects plug and play issueless gaming.

To be honest game developers  rarely have contact with the likes of play-station/Sony
developers mainly deal with the publishers in my case it was Rockstar

the only thing i remember getting from sony (other that pre releases PS3 consoles)for example was the TRC (technical requirement check-list) that set out certain things that had to be included in the programming .

it was the publishers that really dictated the game content

i remember it was 9/11 about a day after the planes crashed
the company got a call from Rockstar about the game in development (it had terrorists in it ) they told us we had to remove them .and change the story line as it was terrorists invading city's

indie gaming has exploded on steam it has cut out a lot of the publishers, honestly the only 'triple A' series that i would buy now is total war so many games that a basically 2 or 3 year old 'triple A' quality (i.e PS3 era) half the price and Much more innovate story and/or game play. especially in the shooter action titles.

the 'greenlight' system essentially makes valve the 'publishers' that hand over their prerogative to steam users. it has produced some gold and some crap, buying early access titles is always a gamble because ultimately if not enough other people do too even if the Devs want to make everything they promised they may not be able to afford it. because of the nature of PC gamers generally they understand and accept this more than a 'plug and play' console gamer.

veya_victaous wrote:

korban dallas wrote:
To be honest game developers  rarely have contact with the likes of play-station/Sony
developers mainly deal with the publishers in my case it was Rockstar

the only thing i remember getting from sony (other that pre releases PS3 consoles)for example was the TRC (technical requirement check-list) that set out certain things that had to be included in the programming .

it was the publishers that really dictated the game content

i remember it was 9/11 about a day after the planes crashed
the company got a call from Rockstar about the game in development (it had terrorists in it ) they told us we had to remove them .and change the story line as it was terrorists invading city's

indie gaming has exploded on steam it has cut out a lot of the publishers, honestly the only 'triple A' series that i would buy now is total war so many games that a basically 2 or 3 year old 'triple A' quality (i.e PS3 era) half the price and Much more innovate story and/or game play. especially in the shooter action titles.

the 'greenlight' system essentially makes valve the 'publishers' that hand over their prerogative to steam users. it has produced some gold and some crap, buying early access titles is always a gamble because ultimately if not enough other people do too even if the Devs want to make everything they promised they may not be able to afford it. because of the nature of PC gamers generally they understand and accept this more than a 'plug and play' console gamer.

Funnily enough i have a ex friend who now lives in auz that runs a games company developing games ,
he started game development over in the uk where i worked ,he started a company when the one we worked for moved ,but the game he developed was pretty shit to be honest ,sad to say it was  my idea but badly executed which in the end suited me because he kind of stole it anyway

eddie wrote:

veya_victaous wrote:

Nems wrote:

eddie wrote:Children under a certain age shouldn't be playing video games.
There's a Boy in my daughters nursery, he's three, he plays loads of xbox games. His language is dire, his behaviour is terrible and his social skills are pretty non-existent.

Totally agree, a neighbours lad aged 7 was happily telling my boy about the games he has like COD GTA 5 etc

that's not video games that is bad parenting (those games are both clearly marked 15+ and GTA is famously 18+)
no different than letting little kids have adult rated movies
they have the rating on the package
if they are playing 15+ or 18+ games regularly then they should be reported just like a parent that let them watch adult films/TV regularly  

@eddie
WTF is a 3 year old doing on Xbox? there are consoles for that age group (Wii and more pro-educational ones like 'leapfrog')  and Xbox is NOT one of them.
Technology is just a tool, games are just media
it is no different than any other tools or media in that there are specifically designed children's ones Because the Adult version is not suitable.

Well Veya, his mum claims that he's "really good at independent play"

report her

HAHAHAHAHA I would but they wouldn't take me seriously Veya.

He's also quite a "volatile" (read "hits other children") little boy

His own mother has real problems getting him to nursery....

she sounds exactly like the parent that the Op is targeting.

I actually 100% support the OP because like you say, your not sure that you should report (like most people) her but really you probably should. From a developmental perspective what she is doing is no different than dumping a child in front of an 18+ movie and giving him a phone and bunch of strangers phone numbers and telling him to call away.
Completely inappropriate and if she was doing it with traditional media that general public is more familiar with then people would not hesitate to report her.

I generally agree with focusing on teachers to do the reporting too.

this is ridiculous, but obviously grounded in a bit of fact that children are not being supervised properly.

lets face it - some parents just use gaming as a form of babysitting.

@cass
I think the title and some of the article are misleading
it is specifically 18+ games and a lot of these rules already exist although it is generally applied to films, really all it is doing is reminding everyone that games have ratings, if you wouldn't sit them in front of Clockwork Orange Don't sit them in front of Grand Theft Auto.

Even if you force them to keep the radio (in game) on the classic station, an interest in Beethoven was not Alex's problem

"If your child is allowed to have inappropriate access to any game or associated product that is designated 18-plus we are advised to contact the police and children's social care as it is neglectful.

Cass wrote:this is ridiculous, but obviously grounded in a bit of fact that children are not being supervised properly.

lets face it - some parents just use gaming as a form of babysitting.

the problem stays the same just the technology changes ,i remember the same concerns over TV

I get it guys.....the same happens with DVDs and books in my library.....if parents object then I berg sweetly say that in that case they should come in and help their child choose items......its not my job nor is it to censor.

Cass wrote:I get it guys.....the same happens with DVDs and books in my library.....if parents object then I berg sweetly say that in that case they should come in and help their child choose items......its not my job nor is it to censor.

well that is different than here.

a librarian, particularly at a council or school library, would have a duty of care to prevent the child accessing material rated beyond their age. they would also in the case of a school librarian have a duty of care to report to the appropriate authorities any evidence of child abuse or neglect, this is standard for all employees of the eduction system.

the display of 18+ materials to minors is abuse and/or neglect

veya_victaous wrote:

Cass wrote:I get it guys.....the same happens with DVDs and books in my library.....if parents object then I berg sweetly say that in that case they should come in and help their child choose items......its not my job nor is it to censor.

well that is different than here.

a librarian, particularly at a council or school library, would have a duty of care to prevent the child accessing material rated beyond their age. they would also in the case of a school librarian have a duty of care to report to the appropriate authorities any evidence of child abuse or neglect, this is standard for all employees of the eduction system.

the display of 18+ materials to minors is abuse and/or neglect

school libraries are different from public libraries....they have duty of care we do not. it also depends from state to state. in some States public libraries are mandatory reporters. of course if I even suspected abuse I would report it right away.

so if display of materials 18+ is abuse do shops lock up all materials including books games magazines etc....?

yes they have restricted areas, back rooms or 'sealed sections'.
most of the time the cover is acceptable but it will be sealed closed and if they look like minors will have to show ID to get it.

it is getting a little bit silly now i will admit (even cigarettes have to be hidden)



other things include blades (anything but a safety razor basically) and spray paint


Ok maybe we have taken it too far  but still if it means we adults can get it while kids are protected, I am cool with it.

I have to admit it does seem a bit far fetched. what about big department stores and grocery stores? pharmacies with drugs?

grocery stores do it, they changed all their counters a few years ago when the law for cigarettes changed. they are also only allowed to sell cigarettes at a single counter.

department stores do too but none of our ones are quite as all encompassing as the US ones most simply don't sell those goods (cigarettes) or they are hard boxed covers that you have to take to the counter to be removed.

our pharmacies are different too they don't sell 18 plus stuff pretty much entirely prescription medicine and vitamin supplements.

we have bottle-o's and tobacconists which sell alcohol and cigarettes they are separate stores and would tell kids to leave.

keep in mind all tobacco products do look like this now

ok so you've made the case for cigarettes but what about games, books and magazines that are aimed at over 18s......then what do the shops do?