Assistant Principal's Report
Online Gaming
Online games can be great fun for your child, but make sure you can help them manage the risks.
From time to time we have had conversations with students in our primary grades about ways that they connect outside of school with their friends.We often hear them tell us about play dates that are arranged with school friends via their parents. Arranging play dates is a great way for children to develop friendships outside of school.
More recently, we have been hearing about connections that have been made via the internet through gaming and messenger apps.
Many games can improve your child’s coordination, problem-solving and multi-tasking skills, as well as help build social skills through online interactivity with other players, but it is also important to understand what might go wrong and have a negative impact on your child.
The following are some tips for parents from the Australian Government e-safety commissioner website that we would like to share with you if your child is playing online games such as Roblox and connecting with their friends through apps online.
Look out for signs such as:
- less interest in social activities like meeting friends or playing sport
- not doing so well at school
- tiredness, sleep disturbance, headaches or eye strain
- changes in eating patterns
- reduced personal hygiene
- obsession with particular websites or games
- anger when being asked to take a break from online activity, or appearing anxious or irritable when away from the computer
- becoming withdrawn from friends and family
You can check the age guidelines and classification for an individual game on its website or product packaging, or from the Australian Classification Board’s public database.