AIBU to think that 14 (y10) is too young for Call of Duty?

[tigerdriverII]

According to DS "everyone " plays it. Do they? AIBU to say that if you're 14 you don't get to play 18 games?

This makes me feel so glad I'm old and my children are grown. Doesn't anyone else worry about the effect of these games on children's minds?Mindchange by Susan Greenfield is very interesting on this. And I do know this isn't the point of the thread, and I wouldn't have posted it, except that all but one of the posts have more or less said 'meh, they'll do it it anyway/they did it and they're ok'. Why are there guidelines of 18???

Also, the psychological damage doesn't have to show externally in obvious ways.

Lucy, as long as the child comes from s secure and loving background then no I don't worry

Family is a much stronger influence than some pixelated characters on a screen, IMO.

Hate cod, but they all play it! Dh buys the games and says that it would be more damaging to isolate ds from his friends, they are 10

They do all parents. Most parents are tucking clueless

We don't have any of that violent crap in this house. Oldest DS is nearly 15.

Fucking

Bloody prudish autocorrect.

If you're OK letting a 14 year old watch 18 rated films or TV, then you should be OK letting them play 18 rated games. I'd you're not, then you shouldn't.

Games do tend to be rated harsher than film, however, so some of the time the depiction of violence won't be as bad - for example, Star Wars Battlefront is a 16, but the violence is of the same level as the films that are PG/12a (possibly less, no hands getting chopped off or fat aliens being choked!). Content also varies a lot - CoD is pretty much just shooting (enemies in a war) and explosions, whereas GTA features shooting (anyone you fancy), explosion, drug running, stealing, prostitution, etc.

There's also the online element too - some FPS players are pretty foul in voice chat, plus (not scare mongering) you have no idea who's on the other end: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-30193056

I'm a huge gamer (who has watched a fair few films and played games underage), but I'd be reluctant to let a 14 year old play 18 rated stuff unsupervised, especially online.

"My now 10 yo DS has been playing COD since he was around 6. He also now plays some more controversial games too. He knows they are games and suffers no ill effects from playing them.

My now 17yo brother was not allowed to play these games when he was younger, this is because after playing them his behaviour and attitude was aggressive.

If my son was being affected negatively in any way he'd not be allowed to play them at all. Each child is different and I'm pretty sure my DS would get bullied if he was the only one in his class that was only allowed to play minecraft and lego games"

Jesus fucking Christ. Can you not read? Do you think there's a joke outfit that deem these games fit for certain age groups??? They're for people like you who clearly need guidance in what presents a fucking risk to young eyes.

I have to do mapping work on my laptop, involving hours of concentration on the screen. When I go to bed, my mind is full of mapping (I.e it doesn't go away when I leave the screen and I am convinced my brain is still processing that way well after I stop). So, what does absolute concentration for hours, on killing and wounding people do to a child's brain?
I think it must damage them. Even if the damage isn't displayed in obvious ways. Even if I'm wrong, I would still avoid it until I was sure I was wrong. It's too great a risk.
I think issues of peer pressure are minor compared to this

Wow! I started an almost identical thread about this a few months ago but my DS is 10. Almost everyone was saying I was BU as it was 18 for a reason! Seems to be ok on this thread though

I didn't let him have it by the way, he's 11 next month - still no

fret you need to relax

I played games when I was younger and I don't seem to be violent or disturbed. I'm a functioning law abiding member of society.

And I love my mum

All the DC at school were sent home with a letter a few months ago stating that if it comes to the teachers attention that the DC are playing games that are 12+ it would be considered neglectful and parents would be reported to social services.

Just FYI. Don't know if that would be very school or just selected schools.....

My DC are in primary school.

My (almost) 14 year old plays COD - and yes, all of his friends do.

They are all sensible boys and are all old enough to know the difference between reality and a video game. None of them have behavioural problems or a violent streak.

When I went into GAME to buy COD, I had son with me. The store assistants automatically assumed the game was for him (even though I paid for it) and had a conversation with him about aspects of gameplay - so I would say, it's quite commonly expected that younger teen lads play it.

I think that as a parent, the choice is yours - you know your son well enough as to make a decision on whether he is mature enough to play COD.

if it comes to the teachers attention that the DC are playing games that are 12+ it would be considered neglectful and parents would be reported to social services.

Having worked in social services I can tell you no one would give a shiny shit about this unless it was in the context of many other things which were concerning.

FRET Oh get a grip

That's what I thought sheepers but I've never had any dealings with ss so couldn't be sure.

ems137

It's an 18 and you let a 6 year old play it. This is pretty grotesque. Why do you think it's an 18?

The Academy of Pediatrics says “More than one thousand scientific studies and reviews conclude that significant exposure to media violence increases the risk of aggressive behavior in certain children, desensitizes them to violence and makes them believe that the world is a ‘meaner and scarier’ place than it is.” If children begin to think that this type of violence is normal behavior these thoughts are often said to be difficult to change later on in life.

However, studies also show that video games with violent content are linked to more aggressive behavior in teens. This is a concern because most of the popular video games contain violence.

Part of the increase in aggressive behavior is linked to the amount of time children are allowed to play video games—and daily media use by children is increasing significantly.

A 2010 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that youth age 8 to 18 devote seven-and-a-half hours a day to entertainment media. Less than half of the kids surveyed said their parents have rules about the shows and games they can watch or play.

In interactive video games, players are encouraged to identify with and role play their favorite characters. Players move up in game levels as their character masters skill and wins. In a video game about stock cars, winning may mean winning the race. But in many of the popular games, players move up levels by winning fights or battles. Players directly benefit from engaging in acts of violence.

Gentile & Anderson (2003) state that playing video games may increase aggressive behavior because violent acts are continually repeated throughout the video game. This method of repetition has long been considered an effective teaching method in reinforcing learning patterns.

Research has also found that, controlling for prior aggression, children who played more violent video games during the beginning of the school year showed more aggression than other children later in the school year. (Pediatrics, Nov. 2008)

There were conditions and limitations imposed at 6 years old, he only played 1 vs 1 with my DH, never online with other people. So, IMO, it wasn't really any different to him playing lego games online where they go around killing the characters!!

Not that I have to explain myself to you, or anyone else. I know my child better than anyone else. And it's not just myself that allows this as the overwhelming majority of his male class mates have also been allowed to play these games for several years. I know this for a fact because they all now play online together in a group

My DS played it from 13, but he is in cadets so he is learning to shoot real weapons - a bit of video carnage is fine. His friends all play it too. He mostly has FIFA on now though.

No you don't have to explain yourself. There's precious little you could say that wouldn't sound frankly odd and irresponsible about allowing this anyway.

Gosh you really have got a stick up your bum haven't you

I agree with Fret. My 13 yo is getting an Xbox for Christmas, but is completely clear that he will not be getting COD or GTA. Yes, he has friends that play, and is full of all the reasons why he should be allowed them, but as a responsible parent, I long ago stopped being swayed by the "all my friends insert desirable activity" line. Fortunately he's more interested in Fifa 17 anyway. The game certificates are there for a reason.