Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To say something to school about Five Nights At Freddies

68 replies

Skittykitty · 09/06/2017 07:07

DS is 7yo. At school yesterday he had computer time, he said the boy he was paired with was googling Five Nights At Freddies and viewing jumpscare? images. DS told me about it as I've told him if he ever sees anything online that upset/worries/confuses him he should tell a grown up. He says he tried to tell a teacher at school but this boy wouldn't let him past.

I asked what was Googled and then searched the same terms. I got pictures of a yellow bear, in some of them he has range and red eyes. I also got images of some sort of clown type puppet with a cracked mask, a pigtailed doll in the same style of drawing and some still images from the Puppetmaster 4 film. DS confirmed this is what they were looking at. I didn't know what this game was so I looked it up and asked some gamer friends. It is definitely not something DS would be allowed to play or watch videos of at this age.

AIBU to speak to his teacher about it today? His internet use at home is supervised and content is restricted, I'd have thought school would have similar rules in place considering I had to sign a contract promising that DS would use the school internet responsibly Hmm I've had a long night of him in and out of my bed wittering on about this fucking bear so I'm pissed off about it!

OP posts:
Original poster
Skittykitty · 09/06/2017 07:08

Range = fangs

OP posts:
VinIsGroot · 09/06/2017 07:11

I would speak to school. My DS watched this as everyone was talking about it school. He's the youngest in his year and also has ASD do quite immature. He has been petrified ever since !

NatashaRomanov · 09/06/2017 07:13

Do speak to the school. If they don't know about it, they can't stop it.

bumbleymummy · 09/06/2017 07:16

YANBU, I would (and did).

Ekphrasis · 09/06/2017 07:17

Oh god it's awful. Adults won't play it it's so grim. As a teacher, we reported to the head as a concern. I can't remember what happened, I think they contacted parents. I think the child had only heard of it and seen characters and it was an older sibling who was playing it.

I'd try to let the teacher know and suggest they find out about it and decide what to do. Grand theft auto is one thing; this is gore.

Ekphrasis · 09/06/2017 07:18

To clarify, child was taking about it and had googled in class but had clearly been viewing a lot at home.

ZefStar · 09/06/2017 07:19

It's scary in that it makes you jump but it's not like a horror film or anything.
Definitely mention it to the school though, it's not appropriate for school time

ZefStar · 09/06/2017 07:20

Maybe I'm missing something, it doesn't seem too bad to me?

gamerwidow · 09/06/2017 07:21

Speak to the school they should have search filters in place to stop upsetting content. They also need to have a talk with the other child about acceptable behaviour, it's not OK for him to stop him talking to the teacher.
That being said most of the Five Nights at Freddie's stuff kids can access via safe search is pretty harmless. My DD(7) doesn't play the games but she loves the songs and accompanying videos on you tube.
You never know what kids are going to find upsetting my DD was worried for days after watching a Katy Perry pop video where her boyfriend died in a car crash and there was arguably no explicit content there.

scaevola · 09/06/2017 07:22

FNAF has no official age rating (quite a lot of digital-only releases don't)

You might like to show this review to the school

www.commonsensemedia.org/app-reviews/five-nights-at-freddys

CommonSenseMedia is a well respected site, which IME tends to give age recommendations a bit lower than PEGI ratings (when they apply). And it put this firmly as suitable for secondary school age.

So yes, the school needs to be aware that this material was accessed and that it has upset your DS and he cannot 'unsee' it, and ask

a) that he not be paired with that pupil again
b) for the school reviews and improves its procedures so that pupils cannot access (moderately notorious) age-inappropriate material from school computers.

Original poster
Skittykitty · 09/06/2017 07:24

These are some of the images he saw, really not appropriate at all.

To say something to school about Five Nights At Freddies
To say something to school about Five Nights At Freddies
To say something to school about Five Nights At Freddies
OP posts:
Original poster
Skittykitty · 09/06/2017 07:24

Images didn't work...

OP posts:
Original poster
Skittykitty · 09/06/2017 07:25

Oh wait, they did.

Thank you for the link scaevola, I'm going to copy it down to pass on to them.

OP posts:
gamerwidow · 09/06/2017 07:25

It's always better to err on the side of caution but my 7 year old really likes those pictures.

Branleuse · 09/06/2017 07:27

my son and also a few of his friends have gone through the FNAF stage. They terrify themselves, have nightmares for a while, tgen get really into it, then it passes.

Original poster
Skittykitty · 09/06/2017 07:28

Grin gamer my 3yo is particularly bloodthirsty and would probably love them too if I showed him! Kids are weird.

OP posts:
NotTheDuchessOfCambridge · 09/06/2017 07:31

I don't get it, ok they are a little bit scary but not overly so. They should be supervised at computer time though, god knows what really inappropriate things they'll see.

NotTheDuchessOfCambridge · 09/06/2017 07:33

My 6 year old loves the images btw, he does love a scary movie though and when the scary clowns were about he couldn't wait to see one!

BWatchWatcher · 09/06/2017 07:34

It's a horror game. You are trapped in a restaurant with animatronic animals who are trying to kill you. The animals are actually brought to life by the spirits of murdered children.

Seriously what is wrong with people who show this stuff to 7 year olds?

The1andonlyFrusso · 09/06/2017 07:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CountryCaterpillar · 09/06/2017 07:37

I wouldn't be showing those images to my 7 (now 8) year old!!!!! Gosh it shows how parenting differs doesn't it.

My child was 7 earlier in the year when 5 nights at Freddie became a thing I the playground and I certainly mentioned it!

hellokittymania · 09/06/2017 07:40

I don't like this and I'm an adult. I really don't like horror movies or scary books or anything though. I get really bad nightmares and have insomnia anyway, so I try and avoid things Like this

AnnieAnoniMouse · 09/06/2017 07:44

I don't have a problem with the images, or them not being filtered out on the school computer. I don't think they're any different to the 'baddies' in Scooby Doo.

The game sounds a bit much though.

I think it's a bit OTT to complain to the school if it's only the images.

Lweji · 09/06/2017 07:44

It really depends. My 10 year old DS used to play it, and I never thought it was particularly gory.

I don't think I'd allow it at 7, as younger children can get easily upset.

TiredMumToTwo · 09/06/2017 07:47

My son & I played it together when he was about 8 as kids at school were talking about it. He had nightmares for weeks afterwards, wouldn't let any child of mine play it.