Online Games and Video Game Consoles

What are the risks?

Content:

  • When playing online games or using video game consoles with access to the Internet, children may be exposed to:
    • Sexually explicit, obscene, and inappropriate comments when chatting; or
    • Sexually explicit or obscene avatars created by other users.
  • "Mods" (user-generated modifications available online for various games) may pose a risk due to the nature of the "mod" or the possibility of downloading a virus or malware.

Conduct:

  • While players can talk to each other in games played through video game consoles with online capability, no history of the conversations can be saved within the video game consoles.

Contact:

  • Relationships can be quickly established through the chat component of online games and video game consoles with access to the Internet, and caution should be taken, as children can easily be manipulated.
  • Sexual offenders may target online games that have chat rooms including interactive web games, computer and console games. They may use 3D animated characters, referred to as avatars, to engage children in online conversations.