Online Safety: Top tips for setting boundaries around gaming (6.10.23)

Welcome to our weekly online safety bulletin! Each week of the school term, we will provide useful tips, facts and guides on how to stay safe online. 

This week's theme is: Setting boundaries around gaming

Behind video-sharing platforms (like YouTube) and streaming TV shows and movies, gaming is the third most popular online activity for children in the UK. In fact, according to recent data from Ofcom, an overwhelming 89% of children aged 3 to 17 play video games. Of those, more than one in five (22%) talk to other players online who they don’t know outside the game. 

The risk of contact from strangers is just one of the reasons that many parents are concerned about their child’s gaming: increased screen time, inappropriate content and in-game spending also figure among the most frequent fears. Agreeing on some rules around your child’s gaming activities can certainly help, and this guide has some useful tips for establishing these boundaries.

32 setting boundaries around gaming.pdf

Useful links:

Internet Matters - This website has lots of practical advice and information, including detailed guides on how to set up parental controls on a range of devices. 

Childnet - Help, advice and resources for parents and carers 

Parent Zone - Digital advice, activities and ideas for parents and families

NSPCC - Online Safety advice, guides and news. 

 

Visit our Online Safety page for more information.

Missed an update? Head over to our Online Safety Tip of the Week archive.