According to a group of 16 schools in Cheshire, one might lose their child or go to jail if one's child plays CoD, GTA or others.
Here is one link to the Guardian article. They will file for neglect if parents allow their kids to play games that are rated suitable for 18+ only. This is a bit over the top in my opinion. I know parents who play such games with their kids or allow them to play. I never saw any strange, aggressive or "over-sexual" behavior in any of them. Not to mention the studies that seem to show that games have no negative influence on kids. What's your opinion on that? Has a school the right to do such things? Are parents neglecting their children that often or commonly to justify such things?
The school has no right to do that. That's absurd. It's not like kids think it's real. They can differentiate.
It's the same with movies like SAW. Kids watch them all the time so why haven't they done the same with that?
I agree. Kids aren't as stupid as many grown-ups (think they) are. To cite one of my shirts: "Computer games don't affect kids. I mean, if Pacman affected us as kids, we'd all be running around in darkened rooms, munching magic pills and listening to repetitive electronic music"
If I was sure that social services or the police would simply file the complaint under "meh" rather than acting on it, it would be fine. But I fear that there would actually be consequences for the parents and kids.
The problem is, that people still seem to fear what they don't understand but at the same time are so ignorant that they don't even attempt to learn more about a subject. It feels, we're going back to the dark ages. Ban everything! This magic will not stand! Rights? What rights? You are a mere peasant!
after it was discovered that some children had been playing or watching games that contain unsuitable levels of violence and sexual content.
I'm sorry, but, the fact it's described as them "discovering" really goes to show how much these people are into the gaming industry. Crikey. And they're threatening to take action on other probably more knowledgeable people's judgement on it? lol.
The heads wrote that playing such games or accessing certain social media sites such as Facebook and WhatsApp could lead to “early sexualised behaviour” and leave children “vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation or extreme violence”.
Blatantly sounds like they're trying to protect kids from something they don't understand. The freaking kids are the next goddamn generation, you're not helping anyone by denying them exposure to technology. It's only going to become more prominent aspect of their lives later along the line, and surely it'd be better for them to learn under the safety of their parent's supervision, rather than just hiding it and throwing them out into the big open world when they're 18 and letting them all work it out then?
Mary Hennessy Jones, the head who drafted the letter, told the Sunday Times:
“We are trying to help parents to keep their children as safe as possible in this digital era. It is so easy for children to end up in the wrong place and parents find it helpful to have very clear guidelines.”
Now it just sounds more control-freakish. You're their head teacher not their parent.
Parents’ groups said reporting families for allowing children to play unsuitable computer games was a step too far.
And it looks like the parents agree with me there too.