Rethink on Game Rating System Suggested

Last year, the UK government woke up to acknowledge the ill-effects of the Internet and video games on children. To follow up on the same, in September 2007, Britain's Prime Minister Gordon Brown assigned the country's famous clinical psychologist Tanya Byron to come up with a report that highlights the situation, and recommend solutions.

And she has. Byron yesterday published a 227-page report titled "Safer Children in a Digital World" wherein she emphasizes that supporting children's safety online and reducing access to adult video games are issues of the utmost importance. She accentuates on methods she insists be unanimously adopted in order to save the childhood of several children.

Regarding the safety of children while they're online, Byron essentially talks of creating a new "UK Council for Child Internet Safety" that would incorporate intensive government support. She also talks about "Challenging the industry" to take greater responsibility for the products they develop. She recommends support be given by the industry to families of youngsters, as also equip them with parental control software and safe-search features. She makes ambitious recommendations like establishing transparent and independently-monitored codes of practice in areas such as user-generated content, along with better regulation of online advertising. She writes about educating children and parents about e-safety, and recommends public information and awareness campaigns on child Internet safety across Government and industry; so that people know the norms once established.

As far as video game reform goes, Byron accentuates on redefining the classification system for rating games; she suggests proving ratings to each game title, similar to the system followed by motion pictures. Also, she proposes lowering the statutory requirement to classify video games to 12+, and that guidance should be offered to industry on how games should be advertised. Lastly, she advocates challenging the relevant industry to provide sustained and high-profile efforts to increase parents' understanding of age ratings and improved parental controls.

The proposal is significant though initiated in the UK as it voices a global concern of parents across the world. Digitalization has grabbed children by their horns, and lured them to stay indoors and concentrate on a virtual world which when they take a break from, leaves them inexperienced when it comes to the natural ways of a real world. Withdrawal, violence, obesity, and other health concerns are just the tip of the iceberg. Even if a few of these proposals are made the norm, especially regarding efforts by the digital industry, there's hope for the betterment of the Internet and video game-addicted children.

[Thanks: http://www.techtree.com]