The Game Rated Above Your Child’s Age

Two games with the same age rating can be very different, so check why it got its number and watch it being played before you decide.

A two-minute read, three things to try, for ages 7 to 13.

Where to start

Look up the content descriptors to see why the game got its number.
Watch it being played for twenty minutes before you decide.
Check the chat settings separately, because the rating doesn’t cover them.
Check the chat separately. The NSPCC points out that age ratings don’t include communication features, so a game with a low rating may still let children talk to people they don’t know. Gaming controls can limit chat, or allow it only with friends you’ve approved.

The rest of the tip, and why it works, is in the library.

Sources

UK Safer Internet Centre, online gaming advice for parents and carers; NSPCC, keeping children safe in online games; Video Standards Council, the PEGI ratings; Place2Be, Supporting healthy gaming habits (Parenting Smart)

It goes with

Your Child’s Online World. For parents who have seen something on their child’s phone that they can’t unsee.
Screen Time. For parents who have lost the argument about screen hours, and suspect it was never quite the right argument to have.

The first chapter you open here is free to read in full.

Free on this subject

Gaming. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.
Online safety. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.

The rest of the library

The Parent Book is a library written by therapists: chapters on the situations parents bring to our therapy rooms most often, quick tips for tonight, things to do together, and every sheet to print. One subscription opens all of it, from the day you join.

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If you need help right now

If you or your child is in immediate danger: 999 · Go to your nearest A&E · 24/7.
If either you or your child is in a mental health crisis: NHS 111 · England, Scotland and Wales: call 111 and choose the mental-health option. Northern Ireland: call Lifeline on 0808 808 8000 · 24/7.
If your child is under 19 and needs to talk to someone themselves: Childline · 0800 1111 · 24/7 · www.childline.org.uk.
If you are worried that a child is being harmed or is at risk: NSPCC Helpline · 0808 800 5000 · Mon-Fri 10am-4pm by phone; email 11am-4pm, seven days a week. An email sent when the service is closed is not received. · email help@nspcc.org.uk · www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/our-services/nspcc-helpline · If the NSPCC service is closed and the concern cannot wait, call the police on 101. You can also contact the child’s local out-of-hours children’s social care, social work or social services team. If a child is in immediate danger, call 999.
If you would prefer to text rather than speak: Shout · Text SHOUT to 85258 · 24/7 · giveusashout.org.
If you or someone you are worried about needs someone to talk to: Samaritans · 116 123 · 24/7 · www.samaritans.org.

If you need help right now

Published by Kensington Square Therapy. Company No. 16707111. Written by therapists registered with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS). This page is not therapy, and not a substitute for professional support. The full library is at theparentbook.com.