From the article: Check the Rating!
Got a teen who plays video games or is into online gaming? It is common form of entertainment for teens, many of which would play these games day and night if allowed. If this is true for your teen, read the tips from other parents on how they handle video games and online gaming in their home with their teens – and share your advice as well. Share Your Advice
Handling video games
- We limit video games during the week. Right now due to grades being lower than acceptable and lower than they are capable in one class for each of my 2 sons. There are no video games during the week. We also turn off the internet during the week at 9:30pm to prevent any distractions to home work & lack of potential sleep. Our boys cannot be trusted to monitor their usage of electronics at this time, so we set limits for them & we also have the boys read 30 min. a night! It's a whole new world...
- —Guest garnishing
Review All Games
- I do believe that the “M” ratings vary from game to game and it is the parents responsibility to decide if a certain game is appropriate for their children under 17. I review all games before I let my son play them as I think all responsible parents should. With anything I think that there should be balance and moderation. If the ESRB rates a game Mature, they do it for a reason and it’s up to us parents to decide whats best for our children. What I think is best may not be the same as someone else here. Oh, and BTW, We also make our son READ for 30 minutes a day. We are such mean parents!
- —Guest Tom
Children Can Not Be Sheltered
- [In our house] we do not sensor all violence, language, or nudity. Because we like to teach consequences of the choices that you make and how they are right or wrong for each individual person. We do however sensor, sexual content, drug use, and disrespect of authority. We have a strict list of games on our do not play list for our children and all games are reviewed and played by my husband and his brother before being aloud on okay list if the rating is teen or higher and anything rated AO is not allowed in the house at all.
- —Guest Trisha
