Get Safe Online has revealed today in a new study that more than a third (37%) of British parents feel like they don't have any control over their children playing video games online, with more than half (51%) worried about their kid's safety when it comes to online gaming.
With the school holidays now here, a significant number of youngsters will be picking up their tablets, phones and consoles to embark on a six week marathon of playing online.
Surveying 2,000 parents with children aged between 5 and 18 years of age, almost a quarter (24%) of respondents said that they were unaware of the online security risks for their children when it comes to online gaming, whether that's in regards to the youngsters playing within a virtual world or with their friends.
Perhaps even more shockingly is the fact that nearly two in ten (16%) of parents know their children have been bullied or abused when playing online.
With over nine in ten (91%) of the parents saying their kids do play games online, the most popular device to play on is tablets, with 62% saying that their kids use the device to play, followed closely by mobile phones (47%).
Just over a third (34%) say that they know their children have spoken to someone they don't know when gaming online, with a quarter (25%) knowing that their kids have disclosed personal information whilst going up against other players.
These startling statistics may just be the tip of the iceberg. CEO of Get Safe Online, Tony Neate says:
"In most cases, online gaming is fun, social and harm-free. We need to be realistic that kids are naturally going to want to play games with their friends, but parents are right to be showing some concern about a world they are perhaps not familiar with themselves. The risks range from downloading a computer virus, to bullying and even being targeted by an older predator with more sinister motives.
"There are minimal restrictions when it comes to online gaming, meaning anyone with access to a gaming account from anywhere in the world can potentially make contact with other players using that game. Parents need to be swtiched on and have an open and honest conversation with their children, making sure they are mature enough to game online in the first place, and are aware of the threats and right gaming practices from the off. Young people should be on their guard against random friend requests and make sure they don't share any private information which could put them at risk."
Senior Security Researcher at Kaspersky Lab, David Emm adds:
"Although parents will frequently warn their children from an early age about 'stranger danger', this is generally directed at interactions in the physical world, with their key concern being that they don't talk to strangers they encounter on the streets. But we now live in a connected world where strangers are commonly encountered online, so this kind of sound advice needs to be delivered in a digital context too.
"While it can be hard to enforce such advice and encourage safe online behaviour, fortunately, there are tools that can help. Parental control software can help establish and enforce the framework for what's acceptable online and which websites can be accessed. It can even be set to control how much time children can spend playing online games. One of the great things about parental control software is that it can normally be configured and customised, allowing parents to create different profiles to suit individual children at varying levels of maturity."
Get Safe Online offer the following top tips for safe online gaming:
- Have an open and honest conversation with your kids about their online gaming and the risks involved
- Tell your kids never to reveal private information like their real name, email address, home address, family members or financial details
- Explain that not everybody is who they seem ro claim to be, and their motives may be suspicious
- Tell them not to respond to bullying or other abuse, and to tell you straight away if they are experiencing this
- Join in with your kids gaming from time to time. This will give you an idea of the games they're playing and who they connect with
- Set and monitor limits for the amount of daily or weekly time your kids spend online gaming
- Check age ratings of games to ensure your kids aren't accessing inappropriate content
- Never give your child your payment card details as extras can be very costly