Specialists' News
CYBER SAFETY - For Our Young Gamers
Our experience is that many parents and carers feel overwhelmed when it comes to their child’s online activities, with many devices available and many different safety options across game platforms– it can be hard to know exactly what to do to keep your child safe.
Market research commissioned by the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), indicates that just three per cent of parents and carers listed online grooming as a concern. More than half did not know what they could do to keep children safe from online child sexual exploitation. This statistic is alarming!
Many people think that apps, games and sites specifically aimed at children are ‘safer’, which is not necessarily the case. Apps, games and sites that are marketed towards children may still have interactive online functions. Having an understanding of the features of devices, apps and games your children are using, particularly whether there is an internet connection and the ability to connect with other users, is important for keeping them safe. Many reports to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation start with an offender targeting children during an online game.
XBox - What You Need To Know
Some popular games on this device for younger gamers include: Fortnite, Minecraft and Roblox
Xbox has direct messaging features, voice chat with other players during multiplayer games, web browser capabilities as well as access to online streaming apps.
As with any direct messaging online interactivity, there is the risk of inappropriate contact and online grooming. Young people who are playing multiplayer games could be playing with people they don’t know, and could be a lot older than they are.
Children and young people should be aware of the information they are sharing with others while chatting in-game. When signing up for games, young people may be asked to create a profile and username. Choose profiles or usernames that don’t give away information including your child’s name, age or location.
PLAYSTATION - What You Need To Know
PlayStation is a popular gaming console made by Sony. Some popular games on this device for younger gamers include: Fortnite, Roblox and Spider-Man
PlayStation has a complementary smartphone app to interact with friends online, including direct message and voice chat, as well as sharing images/videos/ attachments. The PS5 controller has a built-in microphone to allow for voice chat when playing multiplayer games. As with any direct messaging or online interactivity, there is the risk of inappropriate contact and online grooming.
NINTENDO SWITCH - What You Need To Know
Nintendo Switch is a gaming console created by Nintendo. It can be used as a home gaming console and is easily portable. Some popular games on this device for younger gamers include: Animal Crossing: New Horizon, Mario Kart, Minecraft, Pokémon and Super Mario Odyssey
Nintendo offers an online subscription service called Nintendo Switch Online. It includes online multiplayer, cloud saving, voice chat via the smartphone app. There are some games on the Nintendo Switch that offer voice chat functionally. Nintendo Switch does not have a built in microphone so users will need headphones with a built in microphone to enable this feature. Nintendo Switch has limited web browser capabilities, which are limited to certain functions such as opening hyperlinks.
Restricting access to certain games, communication with other users and restricting the ability of posting screenshots to social network services would be a great use of parent control on this device to keep your children safe whilst playing games online.
Many gamers use separate apps to communicate with other players. These apps can run in the background or on separate devices (such as phones) and allow your child to use voice and video chat, even if you have enabled parental controls on the game itself. For this reason, it is important you know what apps your children use and how they use them when looking to secure your child’s device.
I hope this information helps you understand the importance of cyber safety in all we do online - even playing popular online games!
Regards,
Mr Con - eLearning Leader