Cyber Safety

How gaming could take your child's future to the next level

As parents, we may equate gaming with mindless, repetitive, passive screen-time. In fact, today’s most popular games really challenge kids to develop vital life skills.

Can your child’s gaming habit equip her to handle real-life challenges - and maybe even help her achieve career goals? You might want to keep the answer to yourself for a few years. But there’s good evidence that the answer is YES.

And there are a few interesting reasons why. First, because games - like life - are all about problem-solving. Second, because playing games can actually boost creativity and teamwork. Third, because in the future, the way our kids will connect on the job will very much resemble an online game. (Think: the dawning of the metaverse.)

In last week’s blog, we talked about the concept of self-efficacy - the belief in one’s ability to succeed. Defined by Stanford University psychologist Albert Bandura back in the 70s, it is now believed to be the foundational mindset for a range of positive traits. Grit. Resilience. Perseverance.

And guess what? It’s also a mindset that gaming helps to develop.

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In fact, that’s been one of the major findings of video game research over the past decade. More importantly, the self-efficacy that kids acquire through gaming - as communicators, strategists, and problem-solvers - is transferable.

In other words, it’s a habit of mind that will persist offline as well, in a variety of real-life contexts.

Teamwork is another skillset that online, interactive gaming has been shown to enhance. These days, the most popular games involve working collaboratively with a team. 

Many of the games kids love best are actually testing their ability to think through solutions, and create workarounds to clear obstacles. 

It’s this feature that makes games like Fortnite incredibly gratifying - the social dimension of the game is as central to the experience as the competitive one. To be good at it, kids need to learn to communicate under pressure, while performing tasks that help the whole team get ahead.

And let’s not forget logical thinking and strategising. Many of the games kids love best are actually testing their ability to think through solutions, and create workarounds to clear obstacles. 

Proof? The American Psychological Association has identified the five traits most closely associated with career success: volunteering, putting in extra effort, cooperating, following rules and endorsing organisational goals.

Surprise! These are the very same traits that champion gamers attribute to their success.

The confidence and skills gaming can instill in our kids can carry over to academic achievement and career success … within limits.

Those limits are the boundaries parents set around their children’s gaming habits. Kids who are unhealthily fixated on gaming - who meltdown when it’s time to study, play outside, eat dinner, or do anything else except Fortnite or League of Legends or PUGB or fill-in-the-blank - are definitely not honing a skillset but developing an unhealthy dependence. 

Reference: https://www.familyzone.com/anz/families/blog/how-gaming-could-take-your-childs-future-next-level 

Cyber Safety Hub

We are delighted to introduce you to a new resource made available to you through our partnership with Family Zone - our new school Cyber Safety Hub. 

As you may already be aware, our partnership provides your family with access to the Family Zone tools to use at home with your children if you wish. The purpose of the Cyber Safety Hub is to complement those tools with practical guidance and information to further support you in engaging with your children in their digital development. These tools and resources also allow the school and parent body to work together on creating a holistic approach to guiding each student's online journey. 

About the Parent Cyber Safety Hub 

The Cyber Safety Hub includes resources to help your family better understand the different Family Zone tools available to you and how to use them, plus access to regular cyber safety events to help you stay informed about the latest digital trends. 

Also, the Cyber Safety Hub provides expert advice from leading cyber experts, ySafe, on the most pertinent issues and frequently asked questions around platforms like TikTok, Fortnite, Instagram, and more. There are app reviews with age and safety recommendations, along with a range of guides to help ensure healthy boundaries around screen-time & gaming, plus step-by-step instructions for using parental controls and filtering out inappropriate content. 

We are very excited to be able to offer you this level of expertise and support. We look forward to working closely with you as we develop the cyber safety conversation within our school community.