Cyber Safety

Many of our students play online games and are often not aware of the risks involved. The website https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/gaming has some great information around esafety and gaming, which is shown below. The website is a fantastic resource for parents with information about risks, advice for parents and information on how to talk to your children. 

Gaming 

Online games can be great fun for your child, but make sure you can help them manage the risks.

Many games can improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as help build social skills through online interactivity with other players. But it is also important to understand what might go wrong and could have a negative impact on your child.   we ask parents to be aware of the risks and to help students to manage them.

How common is it?

81% of children aged 8 to 17 have played an online game

64% have played a multiplayer online game with others

52% have played with people they did not know

17% have experienced bullying or abuse while playing a network game with others

34% have made an in-game purchase and this rose to 45% when they played a network game with others

Find out more in eSafety Research,State of Play — Youth and Online Gaming in Australia

How to create a safer gaming environment for your child

Prepare

• Locate the computer or games console in an open area of your home, or if your child is playing on their handheld device, get them to do it in the family room.
• Install current security software on all devices to protect against viruses, malware and other online threats. 
• Activate parental controls and safety features on the device or in the app or browser. These controls can help restrict access to certain content and limit spending on in-game and in-app purchases. See our advice on parental controls.

Build good habits

• Help your child to protect their privacy online — get them to use a screen name that does not reveal their real name. 
• Teach your child not to click on links provided by strangers, like ‘cheat’ programs to help with game play, which might expose their device to viruses or malware.
• Agree on strategies to help them to switch off, like a timer that signals game time is nearly over, with consequences for not switching off.

Stay involved

• Talk regularly with your child about their gaming interests and who they play with online. Help them understand the risks.
• Play alongside your child to get a better sense of how they are handling their personal information and who
  they are communicating with.
• Monitor the time your child spends online and keep a look out for any changes in their activity, school or social behaviours.
• Encourage your child to tell you if they experience anything that worries them or makes them uncomfortable. 

Be aware of what they are playing

Games vary in their level of violent or sexual content, and may contain themes, language and images that are unsuitable for your child. 

• You can check the age guidelines and classification for an individual game on its website or product packaging, or from the Australian Classification Board’s public database.
• The Australian Classification Board also has useful information on violent video games to help parents and their children decide what video games are appropriate for them.
• Useful information about games ratings can also be obtained from the Pan European Game Information (PEGI) and the US Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB).
• Review sites can also be a good source of information about age appropriate content – check out Children and Media Australia, Kiwi Families (NZ), Common Sense Media (US), and Ask About Games (UK).

eSafety can help remove material that is, or is likely to be, refused classification under the National Classification Scheme. This includes material that shows or encourages the sexual abuse or exploitation of children, terrorist acts, or other types of violent crimes or extreme violence – including murder, attempted murder, rape, torture, violent kidnapping and suicide.

eSafety can also direct online services to age-restrict access to content that is inappropriate for children, including high impact violence and nudity. Learn more about how eSafety helps to regulate illegal and restricted online content.

Empower your child

• Wherever possible, help them make wise decisions for themselves, rather than tell them what to do. 
• Try to provide them with strategies for dealing with negative online experiences that will build their confidence and resilience.
  Our online gaming advice for young people may be a good starting point.