Are Your Kids Safe From Predators When Gaming Online?

Spending time online is a common part of being a kid these days, and we can’t remind parents enough of how important it is for you to get serious about talking to your kids about what they do online. In 2007, the Department of Justice reported that nearly 30,000 registered sex offenders were found using MySpace, and while major efforts have been made to crack down on these threats, parents and kids need to stay on guard while online. An increasingly popular outlet for kids and teens is interactive gaming. In the last few years the gaming experience has exploded online, allowing participants to interact with an unlimited number of players from anywhere in the world. This includes being able to chat with friends and other players who they meet online. Of course, this another place a predator can find your kid.

Parents need to monitor what their kids are doing online, and pay attention to your kids’ gaming habits, particularly if they are playing interactive games. Common Sense Media offers some expert guidelines to help make sure your kids stay safe while still having fun:

• Learn about what games your kids are playing and what the games’ ESRB ratings are.
• Set time limits for game play before kids go online.
• Enforce privacy rules. Your kids should never give out email addresses when they sign in for a game, and never give their password to anyone else. Make sure that no personal details, including identifying names, phone numbers, schools, or addresses are transmitted to strangers during game play.
• Double check your kids’ gametag and screen names; they may have multiple usernames.
• Observe your kids playing to know who they are playing with, and monitor their chats and messages. Tell your kids to mute or block unwanted messages, and tell them to report anything that makes them uncomfortable.
• Don’t let younger kids use voice chat.

Make sure your kids know that they can come to you and talk about anything that makes them uncomfortable, without worrying about you getting angry with them. Online gaming can be a lot of fun for kids and teens, but as with all online activities, you should always stay aware of privacy and safety issues.

Check out WiredSafety for more information on how to avoid online predators, wherever they may be lurking, and see many more tips right here at the AMW Safety Center.

There’s something for everyone to help with Internet safety at Sprint’s new 4NetSafety Website.