Most parents allow their children to play 18 video games
Most parents allow their children to play 18 video games
This survey was conducted on more than 2,000 parents in the UK, with only 23% of respondents stating that they didn’t follow age restrictions on films, showcasing a disparity between the effectiveness of age ratings for both video games and feature films.Â
A clear example of this is with games like Grand Theft Auto V and Fortnite, with Grand Theft Auto V being a harsher example. When a child’s friends are playing the next big game, it is easy for parents to give in, allowing their children to feel more included. Most of us will know of a child under 12 who plays Fortnite, which has a PEGI rating of 12 in Europe and many of our young readers will remember asking their parents to buy the latest game in the 18 Grand Theft Auto series, be it Vice City of GTA V, the newest addition to the series.Â
Childcare.co.uk noted that 43% of parents found that their children expressed negative behaviour since playing games that are aimed at adults, with 22% of respondents said that their children now “understand and use negative or offensive language” since playing games that are too young for.Â
Richers Conway, the founder of childcare.co.uk, said the following.Â
  It’s difficult in this day and age to govern what your child is exposed to, because if your 10-year-old has friends who are playing Fortnite, which is rated 12, you want them to be included in the fun. However, it’s always worth looking into the game to see if it’s suitable rather than leaving them to their own devices.
What’s interesting is that the majority of parents follow film age ratings, but when it comes to video games they maybe aren’t as strict. It’s important to remember how impressionable children are; if they see behaviour or language in a video game or movie, they may mimic it.
Since the release of Fortnite: Battle Royale, gaming has once again been placed into the spotlight thanks to negative headlines from the mainstream media, using the impact of gaming on some young children to sell their messages. What should also be remembered is that many of these articles wouldn’t exist if parents prevented their children from playing games that are above their child’s age rating.Â
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