Easton Royal Academy

Parent guide: Keeping your children safe

online

The 4 C’s

Content: Games, Apps, Video, Audio

Contact: Text, Email, Audio Chat, Video Chat

Conduct: Language, Aggression, Bullying, Photo

Commercialism: Ads, In-Game/In-App, Age appropriate?

Gam

ing

It is often through games that children first start to use technology. According to Ofcom, 41% of children aged between 8 – 15 have a games console in their bedroom.

Handheld Games: Normally wireless internet access…Nintendo DSi, 3DS, Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) and the PS Vita.

Consoles: PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii and WiiU.

Work with your TV and usually use home internet connection. The main manufacturers (Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft) include parental

Gaming: content, contact, conduct, commercialismContent: Games have an age rating and can contain violent or sexually explicit

material. Through consoles, children can access the wider internet, film & TV clips.

Contact: While gaming, you can communicate via text, audio or video chat with people all over the world. This could mean your child is exposed to offensive or aggressive language or bullying (known in online gaming as ‘griefing’). Unsupervised contact of this kind can also make children vulnerable to grooming and people with a sexual interest in children.

Conduct: Children can get into trouble over their own conduct online and some children are not aware of the consequences of their actions and ‘digital footprint’.

Commercialism: In-game advertising, virtual money, in-game purchasing.