33% of children play games not suitable for their age

According to a recent survey conducted by Kaspersky in collaboration with the UAE Cyber Security Council, more than a third of parents surveyed (33%) across the UAE believe that their children play inappropriate games for their age. Based on the survey, boys are more prone to such behaviour than girls – 50% and 43% of children, respectively, have violated age guidelines when playing games on their computers.

It’s possible that parents tend to exaggerate the problem of violating age restrictions in computer games, or children are not always aware of these restrictions. According to the children, only 30% confessed that they had ever played games unsuitable for their age. Girls are more obedient to age restrictions of video games, with 78% having never played inappropriate games, while for boys, it is 64%.

Playing computer games is a common way for youngsters to spend their free time (91%). Half of them use smartphone for gaming (52%), the second place is taken by computer (40%). Based on parents’ estimates, 41% of children play videogames every day.

“Parents often worry that their children spend too much time playing computer games. Of course, it is important to ensure that the child follows a routine, gets enough sleep, takes a break from the screen, and is physically active, however parents should not blame computer games for everything”, comments Seifallah Jedidi, Head of Consumer Channel for the META at Kaspersky. “Parents should take a proactive position in this area, be interested in the latest products offered by the video game industry, and, of course, understand their children’s gaming preferences and pay attention to the age limits marking. It’s worth  mentioning that today, there is a wide variety of games on offer, many of which include educational materials, and so we recommend not to prohibit this type of leisure, but rather to seek a compromise.”

To keep children safe online, Kaspersky recommends that parents:

  • Pursue interest in what games your children play. Ideally, you should try those games yourself. This will help build more trust in your family relationships and help you to understand what your child is interested in.
  • If you notice that your child plays a lot, try to analyze the reasons for this and also answer the question of whether they have an alternative that they like, ask what they would like to do besides gaming and try to engage them with another interesting hobby.
  • Be informed about current cyber threats and talk to your children about the risks they may face online; teach them how to resist online threats and recognize the tricks of scammers.
  • Use a parental control program on your child’s device, for example, Kaspersky Safe Kids. It will allow you to control the applications downloaded on the device or set a schedule for when these applications can be used.

 

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