Games and sports are an important part of childhood encompassing entertainment, education and social activity. With the emergence of new technologies in this digital era and the engagement with video gaming, it has now become an area of debate and concern as how it is affecting the children. Although games can improve cognitive capabilities and bring fun, they have many negative aspects; like becoming addicted to games, wastage of time, having interactions with cybercriminals, or experiencing social and physical health problems. This article focuses on such impacts of video games on children, cybercrime issues related to it and ways to address these issues. We will also look into some of the case studies to further illustrate these concerns and explore the role of parents and governments to minimize the negative impacts of video games on Kids.

Impacts of Video Games on Kids

Games and Sports not only provide entertainment but is a critical component that it is essential for a child’s health and growth. Games can be of benefit by enhancing the players’ abilities to think and improve the skills through coordination. Video Games such as “Minecraft” and “Portal” are rather challenging in that they allow the players to develop critical thinking skills and thinking outside the box. Some video games like Fortnite and Among Us encourage players to work in group and share their ideas among themselves. Notifications on devices such as iPad can encourage kids to learn with the help of “ABCmouse” kind of games or help to learn about different culture or history with “AssAssin’s Creed” kind of games.

But when talking about video games, not all the effects are considered to be positive. This can cause gaming addiction, poor time management, speech problems, social disconnect, difficulty in handling real life problems, failure to perform well in studies and sevear health issues like developing poor body posture, obesity, weakness of eye site and many more. Video Games like ‘Grand Theft Auto’ and ‘PUBG’ contain violent content and research reveals that certain kids will develop aggressive behaviour as a result of playing such games.

Cyber Crime Issues in Gaming Industry

The video gaming industry has been on the forefront as far as cybercrimes are concerned and this poses huge risks to the children of all age groups. Another prevailing issue is the protection of children from becoming victims of sex offenders, who often operate through the internet. Some of the multiplayer games offer the predators an opportunity to interact with children for the purpose of manipulating them. For example, in 2018, a man from the United Kingdom was found guilty of employing ‘Fortnite’ to entice children into sharing their usernames so that he could buy virtual currency and subsequently commit severe crimes.

Cyber bullying is another common problem which refers to the act of threatening others over the internet. The anonymity of Internet makes it possible to harass and even bully someone during an online game. According to some studies, the children have reported to become victims of cyber bullying when engaged in game play at more than 70%. This type of bullying may cause the victim child significant psychological and emotional trauma and development of other mental health issues.

Data privacy is also an important issue. Many gaming platforms tend to take your personal details to create an account with them, that gives hackers full access to your details. Another risk is financial loss through unauthorized purchases like those made with the parent’s card. For instance, parents have complained of large transactions on their credit card resulting from purchases made by their children, while playing the games.

Case Study 1: Dua Zahra

Dua Zahra case is a significant event that took place in Pakistan. Dua Zehra Kazmi was a girl from Karachi She went missing from her home on April 16, 2022. She was later found married to a boy named Zaheer Ahmed in Okara, Punjab.

The case drew attention because Dua Zehra and Zaheer Ahmed had become friends through online game, specifically PUBG and Clash of Clans. After leaving her home in Karachi, she married Zaheer in Lahore. According to her Nikahnama the age of Dua Zahra was 16 year at the time of nikah while the age of groom was 21.

Her parents fought a long legal battle for her return, asserting her marriage to be child marriage. The High Court ruled that the case doesn’t warrant the charge of kidnapping and she’s free to decide her fate. However, her father challenged the Sindh High Court’s verdict in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

This case has sparked discussions about the negative impacts of online games and social media on kids and how kids can be manipulated by unknown individuals through videos game.

Case Study 2: The “Blue Whale” Challenge

The “Blue Whale” was an internet based game which was said to comprise of 50 challenges that would end with the participant committing suicide. Initially, the game started in Russia and with the passage of time it moved to other countries that led to several unfortunate events. This case brought awareness to the importance of closely observing the content found online and trying to prevent certain individuals from being exposed to such challenges.

Case study 3: Nintendo data breach

In 2020 Nintendo suffered a massive data leak that affected around 300000 users’ accounts. This breach included user accounts with personal information of users breached and this caused a discussion on the privacy of users’ data in gaming platforms. This incident also highlighted the need for appropriate security measures and underlined that gaming companies should consider data security as their priority.

The Role of Parents

The parents have the central role in controlling the effects of video games on their kids. This means that parents should be fully engaged in gaming activities that involve their children in order to prevent or counter risks that may be associated with the same.

• Setting Limits on Gaming Time: It is crucial for parents to set time limits and require children not to exceed that time playing video games. Limiting screen time and applying strict rules that limit the usage and taking breaks can also be of benefit.
• Monitoring and Supervising: Parents should keep checking the kind of games their children play and also should keep monitoring them on the internet to avoid any bad contact that they get. Some additional protection can be gained by using the parental control options available from gaming platforms.
• Educating Children: It is quite important to enlighten children on aspects such as risks associated with partnering with online gaming and issues of privacy. Educating them about appropriate and safe behaviour within the online gaming horizon and how to identify/avoid bad behaving individuals and reporting them can help them not to be so vulnerable.
• Updating Security Measures: Regular software updates of the games and devices to get the latest security patches can prevent cyber threats. Parents should also ensure that endpoint security software is installed on the gadgets tht will help them protect these devices.
• Engaging with Children: Show an interest in the games that kids are currently playing and playing with them as it can let you know the experiences they go through. This engagement also assists parents to better manage content and interactions within the platform.
• Encouraging Other Activities: Children should be offered other activities including physical games, sports activities, adopting some hobbies and participating in social events, in order to achieve balance in life.
• Providing Support: It is very important to listen to children and provide them assistance and directions on the issues that children come across while playing video games in order to ensure that the children’s game playing experience is positive.

The Role of Government

The government also has a responsibility in controlling problems arising from video games and cybercrime.

• Developing & Implementing Laws: Governments can develop and enforce appropriate laws that will ensure that the video game developing companies has implemented proper security and privacy measures.
• Promoting Awareness: Various campaigns can be launched to increase public awareness about the possible dangers of online video gaming. Such type of campaigns will be useful for parents, children and educators.
• Supporting Research: Providing funds and support for research on the effects of video games and cybercrime could help to understand the latest situation and the risks that the children are facing. This will help the government in devising appropriate solutions to solve the problem.

You Can Also Read: A Deep Analysis of Global IT Outage Y2K24

Conclusion

Influence of video games on children cannot be undermined as it has both advantages as well as disadvantage. The positive side is they may help in improving cognitive functions however, there are the problems like addiction, health issues, personality issues, exposure to cybercrime and isolation. To address these challenges, there is a need that parents, teachers, government and other stakeholders work together hand in hand.

Some possible measures are limiting the time and games played, overseeing the activities, sensitizing children and incorporating strong security measures. Parents are the key stakeholders who can regulate the gaming experiences of their children while governments can assist through laws, regulation, promoting awareness and funding research. Thus, together, we can create a safe and productive environment that can pose positive effects of video games while reducing the risks.

Related posts:

A Deep Analysis of Global IT Outage Y2K24