The old-school video games in the arcade have become obsolete, and the popularity of online video gaming is skyrocketing by the day. Thanks to the advent of technology, kids can now play online video games. They can even live stream their games and talk to friends or strangers in the gaming chat rooms.
If you find that alarming as a parent, you are not alone! Many parents seek the FamilyTime parental control app for android so they can manage their kids’ game play and ensure their online safety. While online gaming is fun, it poses many dangers for young kids. Let’s look at what are gaming chat rooms and why they are dangerous, especially for kids.
Gaming Chat Rooms – What Are They?
Most of us are familiar with social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc. So, we know what chat features are and which platforms support Direct Messages (DMs), e.g., Instagram, Snapchat, etc. The thing is that many online gaming platforms and apps also have built-in DM features that allow kids to chat with friends and strangers instantly.
Many kids with social anxiety use gaming chat rooms to improve their social skills. Why? Because it is easier to open up and have a pleasant conversation with people through online chat rooms where you don’t feel the spotlight on yourself. That said, gaming chat rooms aren’t entirely safe for kids due to many reasons.
Types of Gaming Chat Rooms
Let’s look at the various chat rooms associated with most gaming platforms nowadays.
Open and Private – In an Open gaming chat room, everyone can view your messages and participate in the conversation. On the other hand, a private chat room usually includes two people.
Voice and Video – The voice chat features are like the regular old calls. Gamers talk to each other, but there are no written messages or video footage. On the other end of the spectrum, the Video chat features allow people to see and talk to one another while gaming online in real-time. Kids can use it to record themselves while playing, plan a game strategy with fellow gamers, or post their gaming sessions online for the world to watch.
However, the conversations in gaming chat rooms typically do not remain private. Taking screenshots of messages is a piece of cake and making it public is no Himalayan task, which is why it is unsafe for kids. Therefore, kids’ gaming activities need parental oversight (i.e., with the help of the best parental control app Android.
Why are These Chat Rooms Dangerous for Kids?
Gaming chat rooms can be pretty dangerous for kids if they are allowed to use them unsupervised. Following are some of the many reasons (that explain) why parents need to watch over their kids’ gaming habits.
1- No Age Restrictions
Most gaming platforms do not place any gaming restrictions, and the ones that do rarely verify the gamer’s age. Therefore, anyone can begin playing any game they choose.
2- Exposure to Pornography and Other Inappropriate Content
Since most games do not verify a player’s age, kids may stumble across inappropriate games based on excessive violence, bloodshed, sexual simulations, gambling, etc., and get addicted to playing those games.
3- Cyberbullying
The gaming chat rooms associated with most games offer Open/Private chat features. That means your kids may get bullied online by others or hear inappropriate/profane language, which could potentially ruin their childhood.
4- Sexual Predators
There is no shortage of sexual predators, scammers, and cyber criminals on these platforms, and it can put kids in harm’s way. They might do something harmful like sexting, for instance.
5- Revealing Personal Info
Kids may reveal their personal information, such as their full name, date of birth, social security number, cell number, residential address, banking info, etc., in a chat room. Sharing this information could open up a whole pandora’s box of troubles for them. They could get targeted for identity theft or something worse.
6- Blurred lines between reality and virtual life
Lastly, excessive gaming habits and constantly talking about game strategies, avatars, game world, etc., could blur the lines between reality and the virtual world for kids. Playing online games for hours on end robs kids of experiencing the world outside. That leads us to the most critical question of the day. How can parents protect their kids from the dangers of gaming chat rooms? Let’s have a look.
How to Protect Kids from Such Threats?
Parents can take several precautionary measures to safeguard their kids against the threats of gaming chat rooms. For example, they can get help from the best parental control app Android to manage and monitor their gaming habits, establish some ground rules, and raise awareness in their kids against these threats.
Manage Your Kids’ Gaming Habits with FamilyTime
Using FamilyTime, one of the best parental control apps Android allows you to remotely manage your kids’ gaming habits in more ways than one. Parents can use the following features to conquer this challenging task.
App Blocker – Block whatever apps (i.e., games and social media) you deem unfit for your kids to use.
Screen Time Limit – Decide when, where, how much time your kids can spend interacting with their screens in a day.
Internet Filter – Block inappropriate websites (i.e., games, social media, explicit/adult content) easily with its internet filter.
Establish Gaming Rules
Establishing and enforcing gaming rules around the house would be a more effective strategy. Only allow games in a shared/open space where you can see what type of games they are playing. No games in the bedrooms is another rule that parents must consider to eliminate the chances of kids doing something inappropriate. Parents must do their homework and decide on what type of games their kids can or cannot play.
Raise Awareness
Before allowing kids to play multiplayer online games or use chat room features, parents must show real examples to their kids of what dangers lurk in the virtual world. It might help kids keep themselves safe online and not reveal their personal data on such platforms.
Parting Words for the Wise
There is no shame in using a parental app to safeguard kids’ lives. Since there are plenty of apps to choose from, parents often struggle to pick out the best parental control app Android. FamilyTime is an incredible and dynamic app that caters to the safety needs of not only young kids but also teenagers. It is super easy to use and quite affordable. Visit its website to explore the entirety of its features and see for yourself.
