Legal Niches

Aussie Parents Lag in Parental Control Knowledge

By pete_gallagher

A survey of parents commissioned by Australia's Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) found that a staggering number of those polled were not aware of parental control options built in to today's videogame consoles.

Over 500 parental units were polled, with just 26% percent indicating awareness of parental controls that could limit time played, while 49% were unaware of classification (rating) locks. 79% indicated a willingness to use parental controls in the future, while of the 21% who would not use the controls, 38% were not concerned about the length of time spent their kids plays games, 34% were unconcerned about the ratings of games their family played and 22% thought that their child would be able to simply override the parental lock.

Male poll respondents had a greater awareness of parental controls versus females, 66% to 40%. 54% indicated implementing parental locks could reduce arguments in the household over time spent gaming.

IGEA CEO Ron Curry added, 'Up to 88 per cent of Australian homes* have at least one device for playing video and computer games and we are urging parents to be aware of the settings that can help families ensure healthy gaming habits.'

Full post as published by GamePolitics.com on December 07, 2009 (boomark / email).