Government advisory to Parents & institutions towards safer online games indulging by eligible children
Children all over the world are found to be glued to their mobiles & tablets, indulging in Online games like PUBG, Battleroyales, etc., getting them to be more online than being in the physical reality.
Parents globally are worried about this condition of children who spend a more significant part of the day with their online games, and this situation has been enhanced by the pandemic period lockdown.
The children were given online school classes on their mobiles as they could not step outside their residences due to the Covid-19 viral breakout and keeping one safe at their residences as per Government passed regulations.
Parents who would confront their children to stop online games would get a curt reply that they were in the middle of an urgent session in the game & were not interested in going out physically or socializing with friends even in the post-pandemic period.
As per a report issued by the Indian Ministry of Education, dependency of a child on the phone & tablets was enhanced during the pandemic period due to confinement in their residences, and using the instruments for online education has made them habitual of the online system.
The report further adds that children’s behaviour can lead to a condition termed as ” Gaming Disorder.”
The Indian Government has reprimanded online gaming companies, not to compell children who indulge in online gaming for in-app purchases used by the children to reach the next level of the games being played.
The government advisory to parents & educational institutions states the children should be guided to avoid in-app purchases, using OTP-based payment methods as per Reserve Bank of India’s guidelines with the help of an adult, avoid using credit or debit cards while getting registered on the online apps for subscriptions.
Parents should speak to their children who indulge in online games to place an upper limit on any expenditure involved as per transactions conducted in the gaming apps.
The child should be educated about the features of the online games, which compelled the child’s desire to play more which obviously leads to more expenditures occurring by the child & revenue gained by the app.
The children should be made to understand the bad effects of gambling being inculcated in the children themselves by the online gaming apps, also the consequences which might be faced by them online or in the real world physically.