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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be fed up of parents letting their 10/11 year olds play 16 & 18 certificate video games?

65 replies

Audilover · 23/11/2013 22:37

DS1 is 10 and threw a paddy tonight because we won't let him play Xbox games that have 16 and/or 18 certificates.
He has always said that his friends are allowed to play them but we've always taken that with a pinch of salt.
He has Xbox live so he can play with his friends all of whom are around the same age as him. Out of the 15 online friends that he has, at least 7 of them are online playing Call Of Duty or other 18 certificate games.
We are as strict on video games as we are on DVD's but we feel we are fighting a losing battle as so and so's parents let them play them.
Our 17 yr old DD is allowed to play 18 certificates as she will be 18 in 3 months time but she certainly wasn't allowed to play them at 10 years.

OP posts:
PottyLotty · 23/11/2013 22:42

Im also very strict on what my children watch/play however my DD's friend has been playing COD for the past few years and she's only in year 4 Sad.

Its such a sad thing, childhood just seems to be thrown away these days. Im just not happy about my children looking at things with an age rating on them, theyre rated for a reason and its not to spoil the fun of a 10 year old.

Original poster
Audilover · 23/11/2013 22:47

The annoying thing is that I'm friends with the parents of the children that DS1 is friends with online and they are normally so sensible. For some reason when it comes to video games all sense seems to go out of the window.

OP posts:
agnesf · 23/11/2013 23:05

I add my sympathies. Have the same battles with DS & am also amazed at other parents who are teachers, childminders etc letting their kids play these games. It drives me mad when people say - well there isn't much blood - duh!

After a lot of battles DS has pretty much given up asking and seems to have found a way to stay sociable with friends without playing the games. He can get them all to play minecraft and FIFA with him and now he's getting more in to online stuff like making a web page and posting on You Tube (which needs to be supervised).

friday16 · 24/11/2013 08:05

DS1 is 10 and threw a paddy tonight because we won't let him play Xbox games that have 16 and/or 18 certificates.

Simple answer: don't have an XBox. Easy.

fuzzpig · 24/11/2013 08:07

Yanbu

FredFredGeorge · 24/11/2013 08:45

MYOB

ChippyMinton · 24/11/2013 08:55

I've thrown my senses out of the window..so shoot me Wink

DS1 & 2 (12 & 11) assure me that 'it's not real, mum, so you don't have to worry about us being emotionally scarred for life.'

Altinkum · 24/11/2013 08:55

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

intitgrand · 24/11/2013 09:00

yabu they have made a different decision to you . Just because someone takes a different point oe they to you doesn t make then wrong and you right

intitgrand · 24/11/2013 09:01

point of view that should have said

anewyear · 24/11/2013 09:03

Im a Childminder,
I have the parents permission for the children I mind to play on my xbox.
I only have age appropriate games for them toplay. If they bring a game from home and its not age appropriate it doesnt get played..
My house, My rules.. simple

EdithWeston · 24/11/2013 09:07

The others are certainly not "all playing them" and there are a lot of parents trying very hard to keep it that way.

You need to find out why the game has the rating, and as much as possible about the content itself. Also, have a look to see what quality the graphics are, and what kill shots look like; also what the story is in terms of what 'role' your DC would adopt and what soars of choices are the most rewarding within the game.

If your DC won't talk to you about their gaming, then it is time to worry about it big style.

BY the way, any gamers who light on this thread: what do you know about Saints Row III (not IV)? I have a 13 yo mithering about it.

Pogosticks · 24/11/2013 09:09

DH and I have never seen eye to eye on game and DVD ratings. He is much more lax/relaxed? than me.

Drives me mad tbh. DC know that I will say no to stuff that he will say yes to.

ILoveFrogs · 24/11/2013 09:12

I picked my DS up from my auntie who was babysitting him, walked into the family room and he was sitting playing call of duty, he's 4! I really don't know in what kind of fucked up world that an adult would find it acceptable for a 4 year old to play that game! It wasn't the first time apparently and she was rolling her eyes as though I was being the unreasonable one when I went mental, the scary bit is she jokingly scalded him when he let it out the bag it wasn't the first time, telling him it was 'supposed to be a secret from mummy', the annoying thing is I have to use her from time to time. She says she doesn't let him play it anymore but he still goes on about 'shooting zombies'.

I will probably be a bit relaxed about these games when he is 15/16 but a 4 year old shouldn't know what a bloody ps3 or zombies are!

Nerfmother · 24/11/2013 09:14

Same here. Can't believe I am actually thinking of getting call of duty2 for an 11 year old just so he fits in. Have had to ask nicely (and trying not to imply anything) that ds doesn't play GTA at friends houses etc. having seen this the other day I am trying to be resolute
I agree op, it would be so much easier. I think people give in because it's easier than saying no. I don't but into the 'I do loads of research and I'm really careful about bit' argument because in real life that doesn't happen - the parents but the games the day they come out.

Seff · 24/11/2013 09:19

I remember playing CoD once and hearing a mum coming on the headset and shouting at people for swearing while they were playing with her child...

The actual campaign modes have as much bad language as you'll hear online.

Back to the OP, personally I think it depends on the child. Maybe not for a 4 year old though!!

I can't decide whether CoD is worse than GTA though.

JCDenton · 24/11/2013 10:45

BY the way, any gamers who light on this thread: what do you know about Saints Row III (not IV)? I have a 13 yo mithering about it.

I played them both and really enjoyed them, they're incredibly violent and over the top, including drugs and sexual content but it's not played seriously as in GTA, it's so silly it's impossible to take seriously and it certainly doesn't take itself seriously. Whether you think your 13 year old is mature enough to see that is up to you, I'd err on the side of caution.

Look it up on Common Sense Media, it's a great site that rates games on various criteria for age appropriateness and explains the content. I also like that they enjoy the games themselves instead of concentrating on the content. So for GTA they'd say that it's great but absolutely not for kids.

KungFuBustle · 24/11/2013 12:04

Meh, DS has been plying Halo since he was 7. It's a 15. He's 10 now. Also plays Skyrim, WoW, Crackdown and Fable.

No CoD ( cos it's shit and effectively each new version is a map pack at new game cost ). I'll decide what my child can have as can you. If I was going to offer advise on what you buy I'd suggest a Wii not Xbox given the game type you're after.

CogsworthAndJerry · 24/11/2013 12:07

People who aren't gamers tend to think of games as being for children. So their logic goes that if it's a game, then it must be okay for children. Obviously you could ask how they could ignore that big '18' stamped on the box but then again some of these people who aren't gamers tend to think that games are rated for their difficulty, not their content.

I wouldn't call myself a gamer but there is no way I would let a 10-year-old play an 18 rated game.

YANBU.

ZombieMojaveWonderer · 24/11/2013 12:29

So none of you never watched an 18 film when you were under age?
I did, lots in fact because I have older brothers, although my parents didn't know Wink
I turned out perfectly fine....I think Blush

mewmeow · 24/11/2013 12:33

Yabu. Every child is different and it is their parents (who know them best) decision to choose which games they think will have an affect on them.
My dd is only 3 so it's not an issue yet, but when the time comes I will be making decisions on what she watches, not some people who don't know her who put generic ages on games/ videos.

BlondieTinsellyMinx · 24/11/2013 12:40

YANBU at all!

I had a seven year old tell me at school that he'd been playing CoD Shock with his older brothers.

A few months off being 18, probably fine depending on how much of a sensitive flower they are. But a year or more? Er, no!

CogsworthAndJerry · 24/11/2013 12:46

So none of you never watched an 18 film when you were under age?

I watched plenty of 18 rated films as a child. Like you, I turned out fine.

However watching 18 rated films and playing 18 rated games are very different IMO. When you watch a film you are only watching the characters, whereas with a game you're the one who is controlling what the characters are doing iyswim.

KungFuBustle · 24/11/2013 12:52

So how does that make the content worse?

Either protagonist is in random scenario and you watch, or you are the protagonist in the same scenario and you control. Scenario and content is the same whether the user has control. If protagonist needs to shoot zombies either in a film he will do so, or in game user attempts to make him do so.

MomentForLife · 24/11/2013 12:54

YANBU but there's nothing you can do about it I'm afraid. I know of a few under 10's that play these games, icluding a friends child.