Top 4 Online Gaming Checkpoints Every Parent should Look

Online Gaming is a part and parcel of every child’s life. Though it is said that online gaming has its own benefits such as sharp memory for children, the dark side of this domain is still unknown to several parents. In this blog, we are going to introduce with the top 4 online gaming checkpoints that can help you in understanding whether online gaming is safe for your child or not.

Too much screen time leading to Addiction

Majority of the online games are designed in a way that the player can play one round after the other, leading to a excessive time being spent online. Furthermore, regular habit of playing online games can make children addictive to it which is certainly not good for their physical and mental growth.

Suggestion– A parental control software can be of good use to track and limit the time spent by your child on the internet. You can even block inappropriate websites.

Chatting with unknown online gamers

These days several online games are multi-player, which means kids can play games together with other online gamers. Some online games provide the chat feature through which kids can interact with others which brings a serious security concern. Such chatting can lead to issues like usage of abusive language, sharing personal information with imposters, and even cyberbullying.

Suggestion – Parents can block the chatting feature using the settings option in the game, if provided. However, the best way is talking to your child about the potential risks associated with chatting over the internet.

Inappropriate purchasing

Online games tempt children to purchase weapons, clothing, machinery, and other accessories for their online game characters. Such purchasing can be done via virtual currency such as credit/debit cards, etc. This could become a big trouble for parents as children can make online transactions without taking permission, which sometimes result in huge financial loss.

Suggestion- children do not realize the value of money and the risks associated with insecure online transactions. Therefore, parents need to set a limit for gaming purchases or block their usage on credit/debit cards.

More Stress

Since gaming is a competitive sport, it can sometimes lead to increased level of stress and anxiety among children. Losing the game becomes a matter of self pride for them which ultimately puts them under the mental pressure of winning the game.

Suggestion–  Spend time with your child and counsel him to indulge in other activities such as outdoor games. Get to know what interests him besides online gaming, and encourage him to come up with creative ideas in his field of interest.