Head teachers in Cheshire have warned parents they will report them to the authorities if they allow their children to play computer games rated for over-18s.
The letter was sent by the Nantwich Education Partnership group to parents from 16 schools in the county.
The heads claim games such as Grand Theft Auto and Call of Duty contain unsuitable levels of violence.
They warn parents they could be reported for neglect in some cases.
The heads state that playing such games or accessing certain social media sites can increase early sexualised behaviour in youngsters and leave them vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation.
37 comments
The heads state that playing such games or accessing certain social media sites can increase early sexualised behaviour in youngsters and leave them vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation.
Maybe if they play Bible Black, but then, most 14-year-olds don't have enough patience to go through all the trouble of actually getting Bible Black. And let me tell you, it's a lot of trouble. I should know, I personally went through that.
EDIT:
@Goomy pls
Yes, actually. If parents themselves won't bother inspecting what their children are playing, then obviously someone else has to.
The problem is that many adults assume that if it's a game, it's made for kids. Thus grown-up content shouldn't be in a computer game, as it is for kids.
The same reasoning gets applies to comics, cartoons, sci-fi/fantasy, etc.
While I support what they're trying to do in principal, I am concerned that they may go too far...
there seems to be a bit of a social panic going on right now in the UK regarding this practice of "grooming." The suggestion seems to be that, by preventing any sort of exposure to to any sort of of sexuality, kids won't be sexually exploited. Now let's all take a moment and consider how really stupid that it.
There were sexual predators long before there was GTA.
Reminds me of when parents would buy M rated games for their kids and then come back in a week to bitch at my dad for selling the games.
Even when he would point out M label and warn them when it was obvious they were buying it for a kid.
"I can buy whatever I damn well please! Just ring me up!"
I can understand the teachers in this situation since it's hard to force an ignorant parent to realize they're making a mistake. But again, this could get pushed too far.
Oh yes. Because nothing triggered my early onset of puberty (because goodness knows every previous generation of humanity experienced it at no earlier than 18) like landing headshots on Nazis.
Seriously. How the fuck do these idiots with IQs lower than their shoe sizes keep landing jobs in education?
@anothga:
Indeed. If there's anything we need more of, it's strangers making decisions on our behalf regarding ourselves or our children based on their personal beliefs and enforcing them via the law. This site is nothing if not a testament to that.
Oh yes, that'll put a stop to child molestation! I wonder what they blamed instead of people, especially those with influence, in the Middle Ages?
"Thou shoudst not allow thy child to participate in swordplay. It heateth the blood, and couldst cause a boner."
Also, what Sangfroid said.
Not fundie, just the nanny state continuing its idiocy.
Jack Thompson should take up shop in the UK, by the looks of it.
A child or an adult hould always be well groomed. There are excuses but an effort hould be made. ;-)
If those ratings are advisory I would say its up to the parents to decide. I would wonder about parents who allow access to porn internet sites for kids.
Thank goodness. I was really concerned that as their mother, I might actually be incapable of making responsible decisions for my children.
It's good to know that in my ultimate incompetence, there are people who are willing to babysit me and monitor what I expose my children to.
I feel so much more capable and at peace now. Thank you.
~Miss Kitty, Village of Stepford
Even though it would still be going too far, it wouldn't be quite as bad if they were only reporting on things the kids brought to school, but the term "allowed to play", as in, even in their own homes, is really scary. This is just one step away from the teachers reporting to authorities if the kids are allowed to read books not written for children or watch tv and movies the teachers don't approve of.
I don't really see how this isn't fundie - it's not that far removed from what Christian fundies in the past have tried to do.
...Also, nanny state? Really? Someone actually said that in the comments? Wow.
I'm with Goomy. It was all fine (these games have age ratings for a reason) until the last paragraph (which is complete bullshit).
@ Sangfroid:
Got it in one. "Grooming" is so ill-defined that it can cover virtually anything and leads to neglectful sex education.
@ Nomen:
We have brief periods without social panics but then the Beeb and the Daily Heil start new ones.
(anothga)
"Maybe if they play Bible Black, but then, most 14-year-olds don't have enough patience to go through all the trouble of actually getting Bible Black."
Wait, there's a game based on that title? I've got the first installment of the hentai series (and there are very few things more painful to hear than the English-language dub of that), but didn't know it had any spin-offs.
(SpukiKitty)
"Is there a spy that looks in people's windows to see if little Billy's playing GTA or not."
Since the UK has more CCTV surveillance than anyplace else in the world (or perhaps it's just London that has that dubious distinction?), I'd be surprised if that turned out not to be the case.
...Okay, so apparently, whoever's voting on the fundie index think that it's not fundie to dictate to parents what they can allow their children to play, even if it's from a bullshit reason like "can leave them vulnerable to grooming for sexual exploitation."
Nope, apparently, preventing kids from absolutely playing 18+ games is so important that it excuses this behavior.
That's disappointing.
It's a good idea for parents to know what kids do with their free time and take an interest in their hobbies but this just plain retarded. Yeah the M rating exists for a reason but it's not neglect or abuse to let your kids play GTA or Dark Souls.
It's at the absolute worst irresponsible and that's in the case where parents don't even bother checking the rating. Otherwise it is a judgment call.
I've personally never understood the rating system that much and honestly never payed much attention to it even when I was younger. FFX is rated Teen for stuff including 'sexual themes'. I've completed the game and the only thing that I could find that possibly could connect to that is a couple kissing scenes. Not really what I think kids need to be protected from. Skyrim is rated M but any sane teenager knows the difference between a world where you are killing dragons and the real world.
Heck I even played the old Wolfenstein 3D for Windows 3.1 when I was really young (~6 I think). Mind you I wasn't really good at it even on the "Daddy can I play?" difficulty level and I preferred watching my dad play it because of that. The pixellated blood never bothered me and even though I didn't understand the concept of Nazis I did get that they were the bad guys and that the main character was trying to escape. Honestly I think the thing that bothered me the most was having to kill the attack dogs but even then I understood that it was necessary as they were attacking you.
It leaves kids open to exploitation?
I think they teach kids how to beat the living shit out of any sexual perverts that come after them. Call of Duty and GTA have taught me about 50 ways to kill an attacker.
But still, cod needs a lancer. Dayum. A chainsaw on a gun. Why did no one think of that shit before?
".....unsuitable levels of violence. "
So of course he goes on about sexualization of minors* due to video games.
*Something something DJS.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
To post a comment, you'll need to Sign in or Register . Making an account also allows you to claim credit for submitting quotes, and to vote on quotes and comments. You don't even need to give us your email address.