Video Games and Children: What is appropriate today? Kyle Taylor, Instructional Technology Coordinator Anne Terwilliger, School Counselor January 8, 2019

What we hear from parents/kids: Concern from parents Violence Screen time Addiction Lots of talk from kids (ALL grade levels) FORTNITE (Teen) Minecraft (Everyone 10+) Sports Games (Madden, FIFA19, NBA2K19, NHL18) (Everyone) Warcraft (Teen) Clash of Clans PUBG (Teen) Animal Jam Pokemon Go Call of Duty/GTA (Mature 17+) Halo (Mature 17+) Roblox (Everyone 10+) Overwatch (Teen) WWE2K19 (Teen) Spiderman PS4 (Teen) H1Z1 (Teen

What we see/hear at school: Gaming is a BIG part of popular culture (“cool”) Clothing Dances (floss, Loser dance, disco) References (“noob”) Celebrations (taunting) Need/Want for screen time Prefer shorts videos over read alouds Tend toward iPad when it’s an option (even if it’s using it as eReader) True digital natives

What do you see/hear at home?

What we know: Not all video games are created equal We ALL have the ability to evaluate video games Video We are in charge of our households/devices Parenting in the age of the age of the internet/gaming is NOT that different than what we already know/do

What can/should we do? Know what your kids are playing and who they are playing with Common Sense Media: www.commonsensemedia.org Play with them and EVALUATE the games Put gaming consoles/computers/laptops in common areas Monitor/assess screen time iOS Screen Time Feature https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx Set clear limits/expectations/consequences From the AAP: For children ages 6 and older, place consistent limits on the time spent using media, and the types of media, and make sure media does not take the place of adequate sleep, physical activity and other behaviors essential to health... ...Designate media-free times together, such as dinner or driving, as well as media-free locations at home, such as bedrooms. ...Have ongoing communication about online citizenship and safety, including treating others with respect online and offline. (AAP)

A phone is not just phone... It can be many things, but one of them we are seeing more and more is the phone as a video game console. Games that were previously limited to platforms like PC’s, Playstations and X-Box’s are now available for Android and iPhones. It needs the same level of moderation and adult involvement as a desktop computer in a child’s pocket.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li15MYnsqgk Search Term: Parents play fortnight with children for the first time The video was too large to post within this presentation.

Resources Family Media Plan and Media Time Calculator: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx iOS Screen Time Feature Common Sense Media: www.commonsensemedia.org 2019 BBC Article on Screen time: https://www.bbc.com/news/health-46749232 Fortnite Article: https://www.theringer.com/2018/12/19/18147505/fortnite-epic-cultural-impact-super-mario-bros-minecraft-pokemon-go Play with your kids video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=li15MYnsqgk

Resources Common Sense Media Article on Fortnite: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/as-fortnite-blows-up-parents-need-to-up-their-game Parental Control App https://www.qustodio.com/en/ No Fornite February #nofortnitefebruary Article on Internet Gaming Disorder: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201407/internet-gaming-disorder-in-dsm-5