Headteachers Move to Report Parents Allowing Children to Play 18-Rated Games

Headteachers Move to Report Parents Allowing Children to Play 18-Rated Games

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Richard Walker

Headteachers at Nantwich Education Partnership in the UK have threatened to report parents allowing their children to play 18-rated games to the police and social services. The headteachers' group comprises fourteen primary schools and two secondary schools in Cheshire.

Upon discovering that some of its pupils had been playing Call of Duty, Grand Theft Auto and Gears of War, the group sent letters to parents, stating that they'll be reported to the authorities for neglect. "If your child is allowed to have inappropriate access to any game or associated product that is designated 18+, we are advised to contact the police and children's social care as this is deemed neglectful," the letter reads.

"Accepting the huge concerns about these violent games and their effect on children, I think the schools are stepping outside the realm of what is probably acceptable," said Margaret Morrisset of Parents Outloud. "It will be construed by many parents as a threat and it is not helpful. If schools want to get the support of parents and gain their confidence, threatening them with social services will not help."

Games have carried clear PEGI ratings for years, with illustrations noting whether the game contains violence, bad language or references to sex or drugs. It's thought that some parents think that this denotes the skill level rather than the suitable age.

"We have PEGI age ratings and parental controls on all consoles to ensure games that are meant for more mature audiences are not played by children. Parents should use all the guidance and tools that are available, and make sure that they talk to their children about what they are playing, what content is suitable for them and what is not," CEO of industry trade body UKIE, Dr Jo Twist told Eurogamer. "The ratings and online information services like AskAboutGames.com are there to help them with these conversations."

UKIE Chairman Andy Payne, meanwhile, offered a more frank summation. "Any 18 rated game should not be played by anyone under 18," he said. "It's really as simple as that. Parents just need to enforce this with their children."

Comments
84
  • Good.
  • I may not want kids playing but Damn the schools need to mind their own business. That's the problem with the world now. People stepping into shit that's none of their business. Stay the fuck out of it school systems. It is none of your concern what games people play. Focus on education and maybe society wouldn't be filled with idiotic dumbasses
  • I"m kind of on board with this coz I'm fed up of hearing parents moaning about their kids playing violent video games and yet it's those same parents who bought them. My local Game store actually checks ID on anyone they suspect of being underage when purchasing such games and they make a point of reminding parents obviously buying said rated games for kids that they aren't age appropriate for their child. I even saw a 13 year old kid trying to convince his Mum to buy him Farcry 4 the other day and she looked on the back and said "I'm not sure, I mean it is an 18" and he came out with "Out that's only because when you heal yourself its a bit gory". In that case fortunately a random guy there stepped in a pointed out there was a lot more to it than that and it really wasn't appropriate for 13 year old to be play Farcry 4, which I would consider tame compared to some on the market. However, despite the sympathy I have for parents not always getting the full story on games and their ratings, ultimately the buck still stops with them for not making the effort. Plus you know...less twelve year olds shouting in my ear online....just saying...
  • I've been playing GTA games since I was 10. Apart from all those prostitutes I murdered and gang violence I instigated it's had no effect on me at all! Parents should permit children to enjoy age restricted content at their own discretion, but that consent should be informed and responsible. Some games do have overly mature themes for pre-teens.
  • I might come off as a stick in the mud, but I totally agree
  • Oh, they definitely shouldn't be allowed to talk online. I've muted hundreds of annoying pre-pubescents.
  • Good message, wrong delivery. Parents should pay more attention to the crap they buy their kids, but school systems have no right in the world to threaten parents with neglect upon hearing their kids play CoD. That is a breach of privacy and possibly manipulation of minors.
  • What's next? When are they going to start reporting parents with fat kids that eat nothing but candy and junk food? That is way more detrimental to a child's health than watching some pixels move on a TV screen.
  • I was eight and cut my teeth into Doom and Mortal Kombat in '93.Turned out fine. Teach your kids the difference between reality and fantasy. Hate to think I could be taken away from my home because I was shotguning demons and tearing the spine outta Kano(even though he deserved it).
  • Meh, I let my 11 year old play GTA once, not online, and he swiftly decided it was boring and went back to dicking about in Minecraft.
  • Although its probably not the way it should be done, parents need to be made aware that the PEGI rating is there for a reason. I'm not a parent myself, but i don't allow my nieces to play any game that isn't appropriate for them (they are 8 & 13), but they are fully aware what the likes of GTA and COD are, and often ask to see them (they end up playing Viva PiƱata instead, and are more than happy to do so). I guess with anything like this, it will divide opinion.
  • Lets look at a small issue such as gaming instead of looking at something important like teaching people common sense. Because you know video games are the devil and inappropriate for those under the age limit and we should focus on that instead of how to improve our teaching habits. We have our priorities and obviously the students grades aren't one of them. As far as I am concerned these are just old people with too much time on their hands looking to make everyone elses lives as miserable as theirs.
  • @2 While I slightly agree with you, the school system is there to prepare and teach these youths for adult life, and if they start to exhibit behavior linked to playing adult rated games or being in an online experience tailored for older individuals, then it is the responsibility of the school to investigate it. Even though it is a VERY BIG stretch, buying a child an adult rated game is slightly akin to buying them alcohol or cigarettes. Also, I think we can all agree that hearing 10 and 11 year old kids cursing like a pissed off 30 year old is a little unsettling.
  • i find this a tough call, iv always played games, and when i was younger my mother worked in a video store so i always had the latest movies to watch and i watched predator, terminator, robocop etc from a young age, iv also played most id say adult orientated games from a young age, even if you take something like commando on the spectrum as being adult.... but iv always been aware of what im playing ,and i had a pretty good upbringing, i knew right from wrong, i played with toy guns, i used to love pretending i was hicks from alien running around with my mates shooting imaginary aliens... iv also worked in a games store and sold many games to many people, the only game iv ever suggested against selling to a parent is manhunt, as i saw that game as nothing but mindless over the top violence... i really do think this is a part of the childs upbringing, if the parent is going to allow their child to grow into some antisocial asshole, swearing down the mic then fair play, stop them, but i think thats the whole issue, especially with the internet, kids lock themselves in their rooms, and play games and do nothing else, i cant remember the last time i saw kids playing out, whether it be hide n seek or with toy guns, or even riding a bike, at christmas its not toys anymore its the latest ipad or games console......... so i dont think its the games as much though i do believe there should be some sort of proof and age gate system to the online, as theres nothing more annoying yet funny about some 12 year old squawking little shite telling me what he going to do to my mother, but parents as a whole should limit these things and make kids more sociable, but on the opposite end, if they are playing games with their friends in their room , they aint out in a hoodie plotting to rob some poor little old lady.
  • So let's take this to its natural progression then. Do not allow kids under 18 to play online. If you are upset about kids playing a 18+ rated game your head will explode when you realize online is not rated and if it were it would be XXX rated. My girl is four years younger than my son and she is mature enough to watch vampire diaries and play Last of Us but I do not allow her online because she is too young. My son plays online but I restrict video content based on his maturity. It's called parenting guys. You should know who your kids interact with online. Schools should teach parents online safety and appropriate monitoring methods. Punishing parents for this small of a moral issue is outrageous in my opinion. Sorry if your sheltered kids have never heard a word of curse and if you don't have kids there is no place for you in this conversation.
  • The amount of people on here that are ok with government intrusion on private life is scary. I don't want to live in some nanny state with the government telling me what I can eat, smoke, watch, and what they think is appropriate for my kids. We really need one more thing added to the list of things a swat team can smash your door in for. By the way notice they haven't complained about R rated movies?
  • Good for them, if the parent's aren't going to be responsible than someone needs to be responsible for them. Children playing GTA and Call of Duty is NOT ok.
  • The sentence, "accepting the huge concerns about these violent games and their effect on children" is what I take issue with. There has never been a single study which shows that playing violent games has any effect on children. Not a one. Yes, there may be studies which show attention spans or hand/eye coordination are different with gamers, but the violence itself has no ill effects that we know of. Also, it isn't ILLEGAL for kids to play these games, so the authorities can't do a thing. The schools in my area (New York) have a heroin problem. Every month some kid ODs and dies. Students are dealing and being arrested in schools--and all this is happening in "nice" neighborhoods. If our school board dared to bat an eye over what games our kids are playing we'd have their heads on pikes for not addressing the real issues.
  • I think that if the child is going to play a 'mature' game then by all means provided the parents are aware of what's contained in the game and the child doesn't play it like they were locked in a basement all day. Most parents are push overs and anything for a quiet life but at what detriment? After hearing kids online I think we all could do with less of them. The ESRB do the rating for a reason and I argee that restrictions are there for a reason....Zombie sniper, sniper elite with the x-ray kill shot cams..etc I don't think the schools should get involved unless the child is falling behind on their studies..etc
  • my girlfriends a primary school teacher, 5 year olds. you guys would change your tune when a child recounts the weekend breaking the dogs neck, running people down, stabbing people or asking what torture is. a child has the right to a safe unbringing sheltered from the hell of this world. parents have a moral obligation to shield their parents but instead ignore it and instead use videogames to keep their kids quiet. half arsed parents. forgive the typos. phone
  • I much preferred the moral majority when they were picking on rap music. All jokes aside, the onus is on the parents to teach their children what is real, what is fake, what is right and what is wrong. I think the school system is overstepping their boundaries on this particular matter.
  • When I was a kid my parents wouldn't let me play M rated video games and even took away some T rated games. They were very strict and religious but I still managed to get my hands on games like Conkers Bad Fur Day I just had to keep them hidden. So I guess under these idiots I would have been taken away from my parents and put in a "good" home. You people that think this is a good idea need to start thinking about the consequences of all these needless laws and rules. Sending in child protective services and/or taking away the kids from their parents will do way more damage than the games. Also do you really want to live in a fascist state were the government controls every area of your life?
  • Seems like a catch 22. To a degree I think they are right. But depending how old the child is May be the real question. If said child can separate life from fantasy and knows this isn't real, then by all means knock yourself out. But then if your a child that takes this shit litillery, then you shouldn't be in public schools. Just my two cents.
  • Summed up in the quote - guidelines. There is no legal basis for this, and it can't be enforced. It's illegal to buy said games as children, not play them. As a parent of two, I don't let them play stuff I think is not suitable. However, driving around on grand theft auto etc, it's not neglect. They don't understand a lot of the references.
  • Hmm i disagree but... Making sure all those little kids cant play online yelling and cursing all the time would make my online gaming experience a little better
  • @ #4 And yet you never robbed a car?
  • These 12 year olds need to stop f*cking mum for a start.
  • @13 as I too may agree with you on alot of your points, I must bring up video media. Rated r movies are intended for 17+ but by no mean is it illegal. The same goes for video games. The rating system is the rating system hence the AO rating. Adults Only... these titles are for 18+ only and therefore create an illegal use for anyone under 18. Just because it pulls in a mature rating doesn't mean that the 13 year Olds can't play. It me rely forbids them from purchasing the title. But it is 100% legal for a parent to purchase it and approve there child to play. The biggest problem with all of this is merely the fact it is not and never will be the schools responsibility to dictate to anyone what occurs in their homes. They are paid to deliver a certain set of educational ciriculem. Their job is not to be paid to focus a child's recreational activities. That is my point. It's the parents responsibility and if y he schools didn't take it on themselves to attempt to believe they are bett er for a child then the child's parents then those representatives of the school system needs to find their selves a new job.
  • The basic message that parents need to be more aware and involved in their children's activities is a good message. The idea that no one under the age of 18 should ever play an 18+ game is moronic in its over simplification. Didn't we go through this with movie ratings? The parent needs to be aware of the content and judge whether their child is equipped to properly deal with the content. If the child isn't, the parent needs to equip that child.
  • What kind of a backwater police-state is the UK? Does your teacher-education program include lessons in censorship and mass-control? Fuck. off. Sad under-payed (rightfully so) cunts without any real fucking knowledge about anything want to dictate what PARENTS decide to allow their kids to play/watch. It is not their place to threaten families. Age ratings should be GUIDELINES and nothing else. Anything other than that is just bullshit. Honestly it seems North Korea is better than the UK, at least they don't have these pathetic pseudo-liberties that apparently can be taken away by overweight grannies with caffeine addiction.
  • He/She should be removed and sacked.
  • I got to play uncensored version of Soldier of Fortune when i was 10, had a lot of fun playing it, and the only thing my parents told me back then was: "Keep in mind that this is just a videogame". Too bad parents nowadays only want to do anything but be parents, they leave their kids to play iPad 24/7 and then wonder why their kids are not interested in socialising with them and of course blame videogames. Same goes for violence in videogames. Imagine how devilish videogames will become in the eyes of media loving, tv-zombified grannies when VR hits shelves...
  • I let my nine year old play gta, now before everyone jumps on me, the difference is he never uses the weapons or anything adult in it. I monitor his play. all he does is drive the cars around, fly the helicopters, etc. that's all. The thing is if someone apart from Lego made a decent kids game, maybe they wouldn't care so much for the FUN GAMES. (side not viva pinata, zoo tycoon, scream ride are good too)
  • Parents should be allowed to let there kids play whatever they want, on the other hand they should also forfit the right to complain against games being too violent or sexist when they have an age rating on them that mneans there children couldn't buy it
  • I'd find it interesting to know how many of these replies are written by sub 18 year olds. Teachers have a duty of care to their students, regardless of age, and they're not about to go interrogating kids about their recreational activities. This means that any report is out of concern by the way the child is acting, either emulating actions or talking about content in an unacceptable forum with other children. This is simply an extention to the current practise of noticing if a kid is being if the child is disaffected by actions around them or constantly late or overly tired, unkempt. Signs like this could indicate problems with the child's welfare (eg parents allowing the to play game/watch movies all hours of the night because they don't care/can't be bothered properly parenting) or in extreme cases straight up abuse. All of which, teachers are legally required to report suspicions to social services. Any responsible parent would know and appreciate this added level of protection as long as the power itself isn't abused.
  • #13 your post is everything that's wrong with the society today. No, its NEVER the schools responsibility to raise the kids and prepare them for adult life, its the PARENTS job..and no one elses. the schools job is to educate said kids, and nothing else. if an individual kid shows signs of violence or other due to playing violent games, the school should address that to the parents, and in worst case, report to social care, if the parents are not able to raise the kid in the right direction. but they should NOT threaten all parents and kids, as that's neither their job, or a necessary move. whats next, reporting someone to child care because they watch a harry potter movie pgi rated at 15, when they are 12 years old? some 12 year olds are not mature enough to play cod, and some 25 year olds aren't either. it should be up to the parents/guardians to decide, not the school.
  • If I wouldn't have been allowed to play higher than my age rated games growing up; my gaming experience would have been very shitty. I played a ton of explicit games and it didn't screw me up. I bought, myself in store, Dino Crisis and Resi 2 when I was around 8yrs old. Schools should mind their own business. Don't blame the majority for the minorities behaviour. Pretty sure that most people that commit crimes are socially fucked up anyway.
  • First things first, technically if the school reports parents for neglect due to games they can be investigated. Firstly by social services (they have the statutory responsibility) but depending on the severity and impact the police could be involved too (stems from Children's Act 1989). Realistically an allegation of neglect due to games would not result in anything happening, unless there were associated behaviours that were of concern. From me as a parent, responsible adult and having worked many years within the criminal justice and also social care fields, I think this is ridiculous. I started playing video games at 4. Granted there weren't many 'adult' games around 30 years ago but I still played. I watched plenty of 18 rated films with my parents from that age (I can still recall the first time I watched American Werewolf in London or Beverley Hills Cop). My parents always discussed films with me and I always knew what was right and wrong, real and fake. I did not grow up thinking I could use 'Fuck' after every word like Axel Foley or rip people to shreds because I saw a werewolf on the TV doing it. There were still huge issues around in the early 80s with violence and what not but there wasn't the sensationalism around linking that to other issues such as gaming or movies. There was the very unfortunate case in the 90s with Jamie Bulger and his murder was linked with Child's Play 3 - but that is the first I can recall of issues being linked to 'entertainment media' (the murderers of Jamie Bulger had a lot more going on than just watching Child's Play 3 however). Fast forward to now. I'm married, have three kids (11 year old girl, 9 year old boy and a 6 month old boy) and have a responsible job within the public sector. I didn't turn out to be a psychopath and haven't murdered numerous people over the years. In relation to my children. I allow them to watch films that are 18 rated and play video games that are 18 rated (my 6 month old hasn't quite grasped the controller yet but there is time yet!). We discuss things as a family and they understand right and wrong, as well as real and fake. They also appreciate they are trusted and given rights but they also know they have responsibilities. They also know their rights (of playing games, speaking to friends on Skype, etc) will be lost if they do anything they shouldn't. My son does play games online but knows that he does not use party chat or his headset in any game UNLESS it is only with me or his own friend group (and I'll check before hand). My 9 year old son helped me get the full 1000 in Dying Light but didn't think it was ok to brain someone with a monkey wrench. My daughter asks me to check apps for her before she uses them on her ipad and asks permission before she contacts her friends on ooVoo or whatever. They are not psychopaths in the making because of their association with 'adult' games. My kids and I also practice martial arts several times a week. We all compete in competitions regularly which as contact or points fighting (although it will be my daughters first competition in April). My children train to hit people and also do it for real several times a week. My son loves his continuous fighting and has fought both light and full contact numerous times (I can proudly say he hasn't lost yet, although perversely I do want him to lose at some point to put everything in perspective). Some of the fights my son has have been brutal, his last fight he knocked his opponent unconscious. My point here? It is fine for children to take part in contact sports where they are trained to hurt or disable someone, yet playing video games is an issue? Yeah right. Ultimately, it boils down to parenting and I dare bet that those 'children' or 'youths' who play violent video games that display some characteristics from the video games, actually have a number of other behaviours that they display which come from other sources. Parents are to blame for a lot of things, I agree. Discipline has slacked off significantly over the years. Overall, this is just sensationalism by the media and a school head teacher that wants some publicity. I need to check their Ofsted rating, wouldn't surprise me if they are already inadequate as a school or requiring improvement and are looking for an avenue to send the blame down.
  • Too many parents nowadays place too much responsibility for their kids on schools and government. They actually start raising their kids and there's outrage. I agree totally with this, not because of the kids themselves but more for an increasingly piss poor standard of parenting.
  • Here we go again. Only it's the UK and a whole group instead of a single shitty lawyer.
  • Good deal
  • Hmm, good thing I don't live in the UK. My 5-year-old and I were playing Resident Evil 5 together a few weeks ago... I don't know. With proper supervision (which, let's face it, most parents don't bother with when it comes to video games) "violent media" isn't that bad. If your kid is so dumb as to think doing things in video games translates into being able or allowed to do them in the real world...you have bigger issues.
  • I think that if the school truly wanted to help they would have reached out to the parents in a positive way. I'm not sure how they even find out about the kids playing these games, but a general letter to remind parents that there are resources available when purchasing games they aren't sure of. Perhaps a general 'we see more children playing adult rated games and wanted to reach out to educate parents on what these games involve' with links to websites that show what the ratings mean. Heck, even a sample of what is included in GTA 5 as an example. Beyond that the school overstepped their bounds in the threat.
  • @45 my daughters school sent out an information leaflet one time about the dangers of parking on zigzag lines/ other dangerous places. It didn't stop any of the idiots who did it. A few weeks later they sent out a letter saying that they would report any cars parked dangerously/illegally to the police. No one has parked in those places since. Reaching out in a positive way usually has no effect, giving consequences does.
  • My mind is boggled that people think this is a good thing! Why don't we just let the nanny-state tell us when we can go to the bathroom, or tell us when were allowed to eat a steak. This is a absurd. Teachers are there to educate children, not parent them. Ah who am I kidding? All leftist, liberal Marxists think that children belong to the state as soon as they're born anyway.
  • "Prepare your children for the path, not the path for your children". You can't cover your kids in bubble wrap forever. Violent games are out there and they're going to see them. I let my boys start playing Halo and Titanfall because they tried them at a birthday party. If my kids are going to play shooters, I want to be there with them to shape the context of the experience. For that, these zealots think I should be reported to social services? Idiots.
  • #46 its still normal courtesy to ask nicely first, before starting to threaten. So your daughters school did right in my book.
  • If studies showed any link to violence (which they don't), I would heavily oppose this. Teachers are hardly competent to make these decisions. Supporting government oversight of parents is pathetic. Why assume that others are incompetent? And, not to be mean, after Rotherham, I wouldn't trust any part of the UK government when it comes to kids.
  • I've always believed that hte kids who may or may not be influenced to kill based on violent media (games, movies, music, etc) have more substantial issues and the media they consume is simply an easy scapegoat that allows the parents and the teachers to absolve themselves of any fault. Each child is a different case, and a blanket action like this shows that people still don't understand the real problem That being said I do support putting more burden on the parents. A simple waiver that states "I understand the media I am purchasing is intended for a mature audience, and I assume responsibility for who views it." I know plenty of guys who have worked at stores that sell games or movies and ahve been yelled at by parents after refusing to sell something label "M" or "R" to a child, only to have the parent come back and demand a refund because of the content and declare "How dare you sell this to my child?"
  • Schools need to know there boundaries. Outside the gate they have no power. Reporting to social services? in the UK? now there's a laugh. My brothers ex was a known druggy and neglected her 4 kids with food, school and even talking to them. Still took about 4 years to get them kids off her.
  • They are overstepping their boundries here IMO. If a child is playing a GTA or a MK then certainly by all means report the issue but report it TO THE PARENT! not over their heads to services. Its not their place to decide its neglected parenting if a 14 year old is playing COD but it sure is hell opening a can of worms to assume this kid if playing the game because of mum and dad and NOT because of a whole other raft of reasons as well... such as how easy it is for kids to buy age certified games in retailers especially online ones as well as they could well have just borrowed the game from a pal at school or even an older sibling. Age restrictions are on games for a very good reason but this kind of micro managing every single thing a student does is laughable... it cant be done properly, the only ones who can do this are parents and they can only do so with the support and help of schools... not the fear of social services hanging over their heads. Political correctness has gone mad again - what is wrong with the world today?
  • They mean well, but like video nasties before them, video games are the new boogeyman to groups like this. Here is some food for thought though: Hollyoaks, 6:30pm every weeknight on channel 4 (straight after the Simpsons, so kids are surely watching) and recent storylines have included rape, gay rape, murder, transgender relationships, incest, teen pregnancies, drugs, domestic abuse (physical and verbal) and HIV all of which is intertwined with women (and men) having copius amounts of casual sex. Given the choice of letting my kids play Call of Duty or watching things like that I know what I'd rather pick.
  • If and when I ever have children, I'm making sure to take an active interest in whatever games they play as well as anything else they may do. Since it would be almost impossible to prevent them from doing everything I wouldn't want them to do (e.g. friends who have those games, etc.), I would at least want to be there to help shape the experience.
  • As a father of 5 this is one of the most stupidest things I have read about video games. Bad parent and the way the world is these days are the problem with kids nowadays not the video games they play.
  • Although I agree that parents should be more mindful of what they give to their children, some people seem to be ignoring the severity of what's being suggested here. For example let's imagine a Seventeen year old playing Tomb Raider and subsequently their parents get a visit from social services due to "neglect". Are you fucking kidding me? I mean FFS even some of the Kingdom Hearts games are rated PEGI 12. There is certainly no reason why a small child shouldn't play those.
  • Yes. Yes. YES! although this make me happy I feel a bit 2 sided on this as my parents let me have mature rated games when I was younger but we didn't have the influence of online arguments/abuse back then, hell I got manhunt when I was 14 and I turned out okay! Now where's my plastic bags...
  • @57 I think you're playing up the 'severity'. From what I can tell, the teachers aren't going to be interrogating students to vet their recreational activities. It seems to me that teachers will only report on any instances where it's obvious by actions done or spoken about by students which are inappropriate, potentially dangerous or disturbing to others which can be attributed to a game which is rated beyond their age. Social services definitely won't visit parents based on the evidence you suggested unless that student is also causing a disruption to his or other students education or consistently emulating dangerous actions from that game. Social services do not have the manpower to investigate a simple case of game playing under the rated age.
  • @57 isn't Rated M 17+ ? Where I live pretty much everything is rated lower. Like the movie Saw is only 16+ here instead of the usual 18+. 18+ is mostly only for porn.
  • What needs to happen is parents need to be told about age rating and why they exist, no more. The teacher in this case doesn't have the right to disrupt a happy house hold because of their personal view however. It's allot like the instances where parents have had child services forced onto them for being good parents, for letting their kids play outside, or things very close to just that. Playing violent video games is no where near remotely close to 'neglect', if that was the logic trail, my family would of been broken up when i first played Resident Evil or GTA3, the difference is, my parents taught me the difference between fantasy and reality and raised me very well, there is no better home I could of been raised in. Parents just need education in common sense, not punishing.
  • @59 Yes I do understand that. Just making a point of how taking an absolute view regarding age ratings, like that of the quote at the bottom of the article, does not work. There are plenty of circumstances where it is not inappropriate for a minor to play a game with a higher rating. @60 We have solid classifications in the UK, 3, 7, 12, 16, 18. Anything with graphic violence is usually 18.
  • Anything that keeps fucking 9 year olds off my team in Halo is great in my opinion.
  • Are the laws different in the UK then conz it seems like in every other country it's simply illegal to sell a game rated M/18+ to someone younger than that but it's simply a guideline for the parents so if they think the child can handle the game, they're free to give it to said child. If something like this happened here, the social service etc. would simply laugh at the people reporting these parents. By the way, are they reporting the parents who let minors watch movies rated M/18+ as well? :P
  • If parents aren't doing their job, then this becomes necessary. "But my 10 year old is mature enough to beat up hookers!" Shut up, no they fucking aren't. Your special snowflake is a sponge, soaking up everything around them. "But my perfect angel doesn't beat up hookers after playing GTA!" Cool, good news for hookers. Now prove your "angel" isn't more aggressive or anti-social or any other negative thing in any way because of games. Or movies. Or music. You can't. "I played Doom and Mortal Kombat when I was a kid and..." I did too. Thank you for insisting you're well adjusted, Dr Gamer, but you can't actually diagnose yourself. Mental and social issues are constantly rising, the population is being medicated at a young age for more and more issues. There are other factors, but pretending media including games can't be a factor because you like them is absurd. Teachers and schools are there to teach and care for children for extended periods of time. If they have to get tough to keep children safe, so be it. Here in America the worst part of our mentality is leaving everything to a parents discretion. A lot of parents are fucking terrible, and everyone pays the price for it.
  • This is absolutely unconstitutional. This is a direct assault on their freedoms of speech and privacy. Who the fuck do these school systems think they are? This is completely out of line and they should be forced to remove this dumbness policy. Violent video games affect mentally unstable individuals, not your average child.
  • I don't care for them playing it but I would like there accounts to be the right age as if your underage you cant talk to others that is how it should be shouldn't have to hear kids playing gta5 they can play just be muted as part of the rules
  • Teachers are barely educated, and belittle children at every step of the way, they do not deserve the right to police what their pupils do outside of school time. in short, fuck those money grubbing cunt waffles.
  • @66..no its not unconstitutional at all. i doubt you know whats in your constitution. lol..#66 and #68 are under age gamers i bet. this is reporting parents for not doing their job as parents. if they were to get fined or punished..then it will help to get parents back to acting like parents again. parents dont seem to give a damn about parenting their kids anymore and leave it to the schools. schools are for educating children and they are NOT babysitters. their job is not to parent children, its to teach them math and history..not social skills or whats right or wrong. thats the parents duty as parents. this is good and yes it is the schools business when they have to deal with these kids like 7-8 hours a day and 5 days a week. im tired of spoiled brat children who have parents that do not want to parent them. this wont totally stop parents from being idiots because stupid people tend to reproduce..and reproduce alot. but it will help with the problem. any parent who just lets a 6 year old play gta all day is a horrible parent. we all have to follow rules in society and so should parents. wether they want to or not.
  • Playing 18 rated games are bad but schools teaching 8yearolds about anal sex is fine tho. Great logic right. Once again this is the state trying to take over as mummy & daddy. Remenber your children belong to the state
  • I played Mortal Kombat when I was 13. Took my parents some convincing. But they supervised me. Didn't think it was an appropriate game when I tore someone's head off with the spine still attached. My argument was, am I likely to do that in real life? No. And to this day I have never done that. Separate fantasy and reality, and you will be fine.
  • i agree that parents should not allow kids under 18 to play 18+ games but i do not think it is the schools place to try and tell the parents how to raise their children. the schools jobs it to teach the children not try and control the children or the parents.
  • #66 please explain how this is a "direct assault on the parents/kids freedom of speech"? I see americans using those words in every single debate, without them knowing the actual meaning.
  • @73 very good point.
  • If you or your kid can't tell the difference between reality and a game, you have bigger issues...
  • @69 I know exactly what's in my constitution so don't try to educate me on that. Also, its none of the school's business at all what the parents are allowing their kids to play. I have been playing M rated games since I was 11 and guess what? I'm a straight A student and I don't get in trouble hardly ever. If you lend me a bag for six hours a day while you're at work, every day, for a week, does this give me the right to look through your bag and report anything that shouldn't be in there to the authorities? Hell the fuck no, and I hope you'll realize that. Also, if you're going to try to school me, at least use the right "its/it's" in your sentences.
  • Free speech applies to speaking out against your government and nothing else. If i walked up to you and called you any number of insults, under the guise of "free speech", you would still knock me out...
  • A lot of polarised arguments here, and I suspect many of those saying to let kids do what they want are from under 18's. Yes the law is that certain games cannot be sold to children of under age X, and yes that law is often ignored. I also appreciate that many if not most of us here saw films and/or played games aimed at far older age groups than that of our ages at the times and turned out well. Likewise many here are monitoring and sensibly guiding their children in what they can/cannot play and what is/isn't acceptable. However too many parents nowadays do NOT do this, they have an 'out of sight, out of mind' attitude. After all, it is far easier to hand over the disk and have them out from under your feet than to spend time with them and say no and deal with a tempter-tantrum - but is that good parenting? Even in some of the cases of supervised gameplay, you have to wonder what the hell makes some parents think certain games are suitable for children of far lower age groups. An ideal example given by an earlier poster (#44) was them playing Resident Evil with a 5 year old! WTF? Really, you think that's fine? A teenager, well that's not so bad - but a 5yr old? The violence and nightmare material is not avoidable in those games, no matter what you might like to tell yourself. Nor is it directly comparable to the highly pixelated days of Mortal Kombat on the SNES - this is 2015 when games look better than 90's film CGI. This move by the teachers realistically isn't about stopping kids from doing x/y/z but about helping kids have a good childhood. A primary school kid (aged 11 or less, for those unfamiliar with the UK system) shouldn't be playing Resident Evil, CoD, GTA etc and I realise that the world is a rough place we should be acting to minimise childrens exposure to adult material exposure. They have plenty of time for that when they're older. Kids may have played cowboys and Indians, Soldiers etc since long before computers, but they weren't doing it in an environment where they are rewarded for brutal acts. And that's what many violent games do, they reward brutal acts through the gameplay. This isn't to say that adult games are always harmful, but there are lots of suitable games for kids, and it's easier than ever for parents who put even a little effort in to physically stop their kids consoles from playing age-inappropriate games. Pre-teens need guidance and supervision, this is a key part of parenting. We want them to grow up, but we don't need to expose them to the nasty sides of life until they're at least into their mid teens and more able to deal with it.
  • Im a parent who loves gaming and i play gta and COD. My daughter who is 7 also enjoys gaming she likes car games mostly. I agree that games should have age ratings but i dont think teachers should be questioning children as to the games they play at home. As for responsible parenting I have to admit I do let my daughter play GTA V. But Before I get roasted, here are my rules for her playing. 1. No online. 2. No sound. 3. No playing without me sat beside her. TBH she only drives the cars around and she even tries to stop at traffic lights. But i would rather her be playing where I can see her than letting her roam the streets until a stupid hour (which near us is becoming more of a problem). Ask these kids what they have been doing and report them if they admit to being naughty which they won't because like most of their parents they know how to play the system. Tricking young kids into grassing their parents up is not the way forward.
  • I like how many people agree with this move because they hate playing with kids online. I hate getting squawked at too, but that's what we have mute buttons for. It's more than a little ridiculous this group is looking to contact police or social services for something that isn't illegal. We should be making fun of Headteachers, not enabling them. They're the equivalent of a fat, entitled idiot dialing 9-1-1 because McDonald's got their meal order wrong.
  • This is ridiculous. Are the Headteachers monitoring if these kids get to see rated R movies? Are they monitoring what movies and shows the kids watch on Netflix or other streaming media? PEGI and movie rating guidelines are to allow a person to make a personal judgment decision about what they want to expose their child to. They are not there so that some pushy bureaucrat can decide if you are doing a good enough job as a parent or not. I live in WV, USA (I realize this is a UK based situation) and babies are sent home with parents that readily admit to using hardcore illicit drugs. My wife and I are both nurses and see things that you cannot even imagine. To think I could potentially lose my child due to letting them play video games rated above their age (hypothetically speaking since I actually don't let them), while my neighbor gets to keep their preterm infant who was born addicted to heroine, is atrocious and bass ackwards as it gets.
  • I've been playing gta and crap like that since I was 8. My parents knew I was smart enough not to go around murdering people with a baseball bat so they let me play. This was back when we actually gave credit to kids for being able to think for themselves and not be coddled by society. parents should use their better judgement and yeah maybe if your kid has a propensity for violence don't let it play in case it thinks it's ok to run over prostitutes.
  • Well I was performing Fatalitites when I was 6, and look at me now. Not a menace to society, now how did that happen surely it wasn't because Video Games corrupted my way of thinking.
  • Oh Dear! There's obviously a lot of people who don't have children. Teachers would be teaching if half the kids were'nt reinacting the shit they were pissing around online the night before. Problem is there are too many young parents now who simply don't give a shite. Christ, i could write a friggin book on this subject, but whats the point, for every ten intelligent parents who understand there will be a hundred dumbasses who will argue the shit without any real concern for their childs welfare.
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