As a parent, there are dangers of online gaming that you should know about. What may seem like an innocent way to get your kids to have fun and pass time actually has something sinister to it. But it’s important that you know how you can let your child enjoy playing video games without it becoming detrimental to his overall health.
Without a doubt, playing games online can be therapeutic. It can lighten depression, improve multitasking, increase vision, reduce stress, and also improve one’s decision-making skills. But if you are not careful, you could also be setting your child up to become addicted to online games. If you don’t control his need to play games, you may face problems such as obesity, increased aggression or violent behaviors, and encounter poor grades.
This is why it’s important to put a balance on things. You need to be aware of the games that your child is playing. This way, you know whether or not a game is safe for your child to play on his own.
What is Online Gaming?
Online gaming refers to any video game that involves online interaction with another player. In the past, video games needed to be classified whether they are online or not. But nowadays, most games come with online interaction, which means the distinction is no longer needed.
But there is a difference in the level of interaction involved in such games. At the same time, it also depends on how much information gets shared in the game, and the number of people players interact with.
While there are online gaming dangers, it’s important to note that these games bring some advantages too. Here are some of the ways online games can be beneficial to kids:
- Develops early learning skills in younger children
- Improves brain speed, memory, and concentration
- Improves multitasking skills
- Develops skills for future careers
- Opens opportunities for players to understand other cultures and perspectives
- Improves social interaction
- Promotes teamwork and builds self-confidence
- Gives a fun way to stay active
- Develop compassionate habits
- Improves a child’s imagination
Online gaming may be a form of entertainment for kids. But with a parent’s support and guidance, it can be a useful tool for children.
The Dangers of Online Gaming for Kids
After going through the many benefits of online games for kids, it’s important that we address the risks involved too. Here are some of the risks that your child may face when you let him play such games:
- There are dangers of online gaming with strangers. Since these games typically allow users to chat with each other, your child may be talking to someone who has ill intentions.
- People aren’t honest with who they say they are online. Children may give out personal information to strangers.
- With so many people online, your child may be exposed to mature content and offensive language.
These dangers are real. But it’s important that you teach your child how to address such dangers and what to do about them.
Another thing you have to be careful of is online gaming addiction. Your child may become addicted to their favorite video game that can ruin his character. At the same time, your child may become aggressive when you prohibit or limit the number of hours you allow him to play his favorite games.
This is why it is important for you to guide your child with a favorable screen time limit. In doing this, you can help your child develop a healthy boundary, so they will not be doomed to fail.
Online Gaming Safety Tips for Kids
As a parent, it’s important that you teach your child the importance of online safety. Just because they are playing a game doesn’t mean they will not be susceptible to these dangers.
Here are some of our tips on how you can teach your child to stay safe while playing his favorite internet games:
- Get involved. Find out what type of game your child is playing and make sure it is appropriate for his age.
- Communicate. See to it that you talk to your child about who they are playing with and what type of information they share with them.
- Bond with your child. Use this opportunity to bond with your child. Play games together and do it in shared family spaces instead of allowing him to play in his own bedroom.
- Be open. Let your child understand the financial costs involved in a game and give him a budget on how much he can spend for his games online.
- Be compassionate. Teach your child what he should do if someone bullies him online. At the same time, teach your child how it’s wrong to bully other people too.
- Have a limit. Set a limit on how long your child can play these games in one day. Put up parental settings with your child.
- Setup accounts. Make sure you also have access to the email address of your child, so you can keep track of the settings of the game he is playing.
Set Up Parental Controls With Highster Mobile
Fortunately, you can set up parental controls on your child’s device. Thanks to tools such as Highster Mobile, you can let your child enjoy playing games while monitoring his online activity.
Highster Mobile has parental controls for online games and various consoles. With these tools in place, you can set up these controls to keep your child safe while playing his favorite games:
- Chat sensor. You can block out profanities in the game chat.
- Age verification. Users will need to enter their age when they open a game. If they are below 18 years old, the game will send an email to his parents asking for permission to use free chat and even change his username.
- Gaming options. The tool can provide gaming options to limit who your child is playing with. This way, you can encourage your child to play with his friends instead of strangers.
- Report players. The tool also allows you to report cheaters and other toxic players in the game.
Having a tool like Highster Mobile can be a big breath of fresh air for parents. You can trust that your child will continue to be protected while he is playing his favorite online game. To know the different games with parental controls from Highster Mobile, visit this page.