GAMING

1. GAMING Information for Parents and Carers

2. A free, confidential and non-judgemental support service for all young people aged 18 and under who require help with their own or someone else’s alcohol, drug, gambling or gaming problems. Someone to talk to in confidence Support to reduce or stop your gambling or gaming Email and Facebook support Education, information and advice Face to face appointments that suit you Support to cut down or quit your alcohol or drug use Weekly drop in Cannabis use check-up Support if you are worried about someone else’s alcohol use, drug use, gambling or gaming Children impacted by drug and alcohol misuse are also offered support

3. INTRODUCTION TO GAMING Gaming is a popular past-time for many children and young people There are a variety of games aimed at various ages, e.g. mission-based adventures, animations and sports-themed Gaming is a fun way to spend time with friends and create opportunities to develop teamwork and problem solving The majority of games have adopted an interactive online element including: playing against other users, chatting or making purchases Online gaming allows interaction between friends but also gamers from around the world (during multi-player games and chatrooms)

4. HOW TO KNOW WHAT GAMES ARE AGE APPROPRIATE/SUITABLE FOR YOUR CHILD The Pan European Game Information (PEGI)

5. THE RISKS OF ONLINE GAMING ‘Playing online isn’t all fun and games: children are at risk from bullying, identity theft, credit card fraud and even sexual exploitation’ (Get Safe Online) PERSONAL INFORMATION CYBERBULLYING • Avoid any connections to real names, age, location, pets names etc when creating usernames and passwords • Never use the same password for more than one game/device • Don’t give out any personal details once logged in • Deliberately trying to make the game a less enjoyable experience • Unpleasant language/verbal abuse • Ruining other player’s gaming ‘worlds’ to prevent them from progressing in their game • Always report anything of this nature GROOMING HIDDEN FEES • Additional in-game purchases • Virtual currency earnt either through playing the game or by using cards/vouchers • Keep regular checks on cards • Alternatively, don’t link any cards, only use vouchers and gaming points • Games attract predators because they know young people play them • People aren’t always who they say they are • Allows a bond to be formed over mutual gaming which can lead to more personal friendships • Monitor games/chats closely

6. GAMING ADDICTION The International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) defines gaming addiction as:  “a pattern of gaming behaviour (“digital-gaming” or “video-gaming”) characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences”  CAUSES SIGNS OF A GAMING ADDICTION Psychology Withdrawal Impulse/Compulsion Social Aspect

7. WHAT GAMING ADDICTION COULD LEAD TO Avoid eating proper meals Avoid sleeping Hunger and diet-related issues Sleep disorders e.g. insomnia Academic problems Disrupts routine Occupational consequences Isolation Financial consequences Miss out on family events Miss out on outings with friends

8. THE HEALTH IMPACTS OF SCREEN TIME “There are no ‘safe’ amounts of screen time, and the amount of screen use that is right will vary from family to family” January 2019 Does screen use interfere with what your family want to do? Is screen time in your household controlled? This means BOTH the screen use of children, teenagers AND adults in the family This will obviously vary from family to family, but remember, for younger children, face-to-face social interaction is vital to the development of language and other skills, and screen-based interaction is not an effective substitute for this Are you able to control snacking during screen time? Does screen use interfere with sleep? It is recommended that screens are avoided for an hour before a planned sleep time It can be very easy to lose track if meals are eaten in front of screens!

9. WAYS TO REDUCE TIME SPENT GAMING Reduce how many systems you own Don’t stop cold turkey Prevents the need to play more than one game/game more frequently Might leave a large void in your life and cause gaming to continue Avoid MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) Are there other issues going on as well? Limit time spent gaming Limiting gaming time can limit risk of gaming addiction Games most likely to cause addiction A large amount of gaming may be caused by something else happening in your life Play in moderation Involve everyone in the family Set specific times and hours for gaming Increases family time and reduces isolation Encourage breaks Find other hobbies It’s unhealthy to sit in front of a screen for too long Other hobbies can keep you busy e.g drawing, sports etc

10. KEEPING DETAILS SAFE ONLINE 1. Check how much personal information is public on your social media e.g. birthday, hometown, pets names etc. Fraudsters can use this information to steal your identity/apply for bank accounts in your name 2. Don’t click on links or open attachments in emails/text messages that prompt you to enter information 3. Never share or hand over your PIN, codes, password or bank details with anyone who contacts you through text, email, phone or in person and don’t write them down 5. When password protecting your devices, use random words and include symbols, numbers and capital letters and regularly change them. Don’t use the same password for different platforms/devices 4. Call organisations directly from the number listed on their website to verify who is contacting you 7. Check that web addresses begin with ‘https’ and that there’s an unbroken padlock symbol in the browser address bar, especially when online shopping 6. Limit your online activity when using open public wi-fi connections e.g. when logging onto your email, online banking and online shopping 8. Install anti-virus software on your laptop and any other personal devices and keep this up-to-date

11. What is it? A game played online by 200 million players worldwide ‘A mass online brawl where 100 players leap out of a flying bus onto a small island and then fight each other until only one player is left’ Collect weapons and items around the island and resources to build structures to hide in The last survivor is the winner Should I be worried about violence? Why is it so popular? Free to unlock new items as they progress Popular dance move craze Free to play Always new items and costumes announced Very bright, cartoon-like graphs Can team up with friends and compete in teams Fun with a sense of humour Ridiculous costumes and items Although it is a multiplayer shooter game, it has a very bright, friendly, visual style and does not depict bloody violence What are the costs? Takes enjoyable game play from more mature games but places them in a non-threatening, non-realistic world Purchase a Premium Battle Pass to accessexclusive clothing and items Call of duty for kids! Pass costs £7.99 per season (lasts approx. 10 weeks)

12. 622011 498985 /gamcareisleofman Gamcareisleofman@iom.com www.motiv8.im