Online Games and Video Game Consoles

What are the risks?

Content:

  • Adolescents may access and play online games which contain sexually explicit material and/or violent content.
  • In playing online games or playing video games through a console with access to the Internet, adolescents may be exposed to the following:
  • Sexually explicit, obscene, and inappropriate comments when chatting;
  • Sexually explicit or obscene avatars created by other users; or
  • May be directed to website links outside of the game including false login pages, sexually explicit material and/or violent content.
  • '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:

  • Adolescents may provide private email addresses, Instant Messaging (IM) contact information, phone numbers, physical addresses, and/or other personal contact information to other individuals playing the game.
  • An adolescent may engage in private conversations and share private information, unaware of the lasting consequences. Once material is sent online, control over what happens with the material is lost, and subsequent exposure can be devastating.
  • While players can talk to each other through video games played through consoles with online capability, no history of conversations can be saved.

Contact:

  • Relationships can be quickly established through the chat option in online games and video games played through consoles, and caution should be taken, as adolescents can easily be manipulated.
  • Sexual offenders may target online games that have chat rooms including interactive web games, computer and console games.
  • Sexual offenders may use three dimensional animated characters, referred to as avatars, to engage adolescents in online conversations.
  • Individuals may offer a variety of 'gifts' in exchange for information, images, videos, or other files.
  • Individuals seeking to exploit adolescents may use threats to increase compliance that could result in the adolescent sending a naked image of her/himself and/or an image of her/himself involved in a sexual act.
  • Boundaries are quickly crossed online. Individuals looking to victimize adolescents quickly turn conversations sexual, asking personal questions about puberty and development. This can lead to online exploitation.