Topic: Parents need to do their jobs.

I get the point of the post, and I agree in part. I think that whatever industry need to provide the tools to ensure parents or whoever can make an informed decision and actually parent.

Things like Age Ratings, awareness that there is additional content that can be bought (e.g. loot boxes, purchasable content), that voice chat etc. is part of the game should be available for responsible parents. If parents that aren't knowledgable of games have these tools, no excuse in my mind.

@LuckyLand True, but that's part of the societal sickness. A certain standard is now an expectation. And for kids to be competitive for the ever higher minimum standards of everything they need to come from the most standard background with the most standard ammenities, and the most "normal" lifestyle (the greatest crime one can commit is to be raised in a less than average environment!) Back in my day (our day?) "Keeping up with the Jonses" was kind of a derogatory. People that wanted more needless luxury to match the status of others. But it's different now. Keeping up with the Jonses is now mandatory, lest one (or more importantly one's kid(s)) fall behind the average. No iPhone 8? You're behind! Everyone else learned new things they didn't! No HBO? The kids aren't clued into the pop culture everyone else is, and they become "different".... Other kids going on the trip to Paris? The kid that doesn't won't be as appealing to the universities! Keep up, keep up, upgrade or die! Real or imagined (usually a mix of both) that sustains the necessity to try to raise the family AND live the big lifestyle. Back in the day, you save money, buy things that last, live with few amenities, use the same item until it's so broken it can't be fixed, and teach kids values. I was raised that way. It made me into a well adjusted, individual with solid values....and wholly unfit for survival in the modern consumption-based keep-up with the Joneses, justify whatever benefits you, world. (As you can guess, no kids for me....I'd raise them to be pariahs lost in the past forever. )

The problem is that so-called parental controls are designed to fail.

First, there is a lack of consistency when it comes to how content gets rated. Movies are notorious for this... a good movie with a minor issue will get rated high, and a movie with lots of bad stuff in it will get rated low... it makes it impossible to trust a rating(which is the point of the rating), and means that every piece of content has to be previewed individually... people give up on that.

Second, if you use most TV based systems like an iPhone or Apple TV, or whatever, and have restrictions set up... then the moment something that comes up with a restriction and you want to allow it(like netflix or whatever), you have to enter your passcode. Usually your passcode is visible on the screen as you enter it, so you either have to tell all your kids to 'close their eyes with their hands covering their face', or your passcode is compromised the first time you use it. Here's another example of how broken these systems are: I have one of my kids' iPods set up only to work on a whitelist of websites. During the Christmas season they wanted to search some christmas carol lyrics, it comes up with the parental request to allow it. We find out weeks later that doing that allowed permanent unrestricted access to google.

Third, the media industries make restricted content 'aspirational'. Like, Rated M for Mature. It makes it seem like gore and boobs are for mature people, when that isn't the case at all.

A lot of parents are uninformed and ignorant, sure. But pointing to the parental controls as the solution doesn't help as those controls are designed to fail.

@NEStalgia let's just say that I was so sick of the smartphones that never lasted more than one single year while most of their functionalities were completely useless for me that this time I have bought a cheap toughphone instead. I felt so relieved when I got rid of that piece of junk and the phone I have now feel so reliable, concrete and more stable than a Switch after all the updates ( ).
I hate it so much evetytime I need to change some device. Many people like to change all their things at least once per year but for me is always something that makes me feel bad. It is not even about my personal values, I just don't like changes, they are stressful for me.

Video games are just one of the many things people use to blame for their kid's behaviour. If a parent doesn't fully understand gaming they will probably just go with what the media says, which is that games are dangerous and violent for children. Games won't give kids issues with violence and the kids that have had those issues will have had some underlying problem to trigger them. There have been generations that have survived with games before me so why should kids these days be different? If you wouldn't buy your child a book or movie that has a higher age rating than their age don't do it! And if you do don't be surprised if there are consequences.
...just do some research and have some common sense

But with all of that said I'm probably too young to be qualified for this conversation, I just get annoyed when people blame things that they don't understand as I've had to put up with it for years regarding games and movies.

Until I was 13, my parents would try out most movies and games before I was exposed to them, even then, they generally watched it with me if it contained anything questionable. I watched Aliens, Terminator 2, and Robocop when I was 4, but my parents were there to explain and discuss what was going on. As a teenager, they trusted my decisions as to what content to be exposed to and even then, would pop in to discuss what Halo or Starship Troopers was all about. My dad got lots of dirty looks taking my older brother and I to the South Park movie, but we knew the difference between entertainment and real life. What was appropriate to say or do in polite company. Parenting is king, not media to a child's development.
-30 years old, never been arrested.

I don't know what my parents would have done. When I was a child I was scared very easily so I did not want to see mature content because I never liked to be scared. Even now that I am 38 years old and enjoy some rated m stuff I avoid anything that I think could scare or disturb me because I don't like to feel bad or get scared so you can imagine how I behaved as a kid.
I remember one day back then I saw the intro of the game Gobliiins and it scared me and made me feel incredibly uncomfortable lol

@Kimyonaakuma
You know ?
Some peoples think Video gaming = Alien world. They think video gaming is something for Kids only or something that really Strange to think about (Otaku, Weirdo, Geek, Nerd, etc are they describe for video gamer ). Some parents still Too Naive with modern video gaming, think video games are just only for kids. When they realized there are rated 18 video games, they dismayed / still don't understand the negative impact by feed their kids with adultery things. That was their fault to NOT getting know about video gaming world, still with their Archaic mindset that Adult people are Shouldn't play video games because it will make them look childish & other peoples will laugh or look at them with Strange looking. They felt intimidated by their Archaic mindset that they created by themself.

@gcunit: I was and still am a bit of a stickler when it comes to ratings (though I think the rules can be bent for someone slightly underage if one feels that individual is responsible enough), so I felt a little guilty about the game and hadn't ever really played a rated M title before that point. Part of me wishes that I had just put the game in storage until I was older, but that would have been at least a couple of years. I generally find nothing wrong with M-rated games as long as they're played by their intended audience.

@NEStalgia: The need to have the "newest" thing also boggles my mind. If something functions perfectly fine with few to no issues, I see no point in replacing or upgrading it. I'm finally looking at replacing my current smartphone after 4 1/2 years (performance issues, plus an essentially dead platform), finally got a new laptop after 7 1/2 years last fall after the old one had major OS issues, and I still haven't upgraded from my original red 3DS.

@Anti-Matter Yeah that's a good point!
Where I live people seem to think that you play Nintendo games until you are 8 or 9 and then you play Call of Duty, GTA and other M rated games. They don't realise that there are a lot of games in the middle that they can let kids try out, but I think kids play mature games early to try and look cool.

I never really had problems with my parents and age ratings because I mainly played the Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Pokémon and Mario. I didn't have an interest in more mature games because I got scared really easily. When I was 11 I wanted to play Ōkami (It's rated 12+ in the UK) and that was my first time "breaking the rules" with age ratings. After the age of 13 or 14 I could buy whatever games I wanted for myself, but I don't really go into many mature games even today. I think Bayonetta is the rated 18 game that I've bought...

Parents just need to research and the media need to stop exaggerating

Interestingly enough, this is the exact same rationale that some people are using to try and get legislation passed so that they can sue gun manufacturers after there ha been a shooting.

For the record, i agree with you. It's an effing asinine way of thinking (and i say this as a lawyer, who would theoretically profit from such thing).

And i fully admit i am bringing up the topic of guns — even though this is on-topic — in a not so thinly veiled attempt to get this thread locked. Because, again ... this is a pointless discussion to have here.

@Heavyarms55 As a young parent with a baby boy, I agree totally with your argument. It's our responsibility as parents to know what're giving to our children. Unfortunately as many people have already mentioned here most parents don't really care what toys their children play with or activities they're participating into. In particular mostly they care about the perception the neighbors have of their kids activities. Video games in the West aren't yet accepted by the society as a good form of entertainment like is for example book reading or sports. Some parents will prefer if their children watch violent boxing on the TV than play Super Mario. Parents go buy tablets to their kids so they kids don't bother them. But this is wrong. In order kids to grow up happily they need to play together with their parents and share the same activities. Like @Anti-Matter suggest, people shouldn't get married and have children if they're not up to what will eventually follow. If they don't know how to get along with kids or even together then it's better to never get married and make a family to avoid creating a broken family. But because they're pressured by society they do otherwise.

@Kimyonaakuma On the other hand we shouldn't blame parents for everything. Low quality media know how to brainwash people, and especially close-minded or illiterate persons, telling them that video games are evil while boxing or other violent sport or even violent documentaries are socially accepted and indeed provide knowledge and insight.

@TheCurator
"But because they're pressured by society they do otherwise."
You know, i'm not afraid with society pressure about Marital status.
I still single in 33 years old, still live with my Mom & my siblings ( I am the oldest) and NEVER Consider about marriage.
Simple, i DON'T want endgaged by someone, i have No interest with Marriage whatsoever, i even Have Never Ever dated / has a girlfriend. I live my Teenhood as a Good student, getting along with my teachers than my classmates. Simply, i don't even like to be a Teenager with a lot of Negative Stigma such as A Rebel Teen / Romance too early / School gangs & Troublemaker / Slang & Ghetto languages instead of proper language. So, when my classmates did like usual High School Teenagers, i did the OPPOSITE from what they did.

Back to my status. I feel Free by being Single. I can go anywhere without waiting for someone, i can decide what i want without pressure from someone, i still can pursue my hobby as Gamer & Games Collector.
So, when many peoples asked about my Marital status, i tell the truth that i will Not getting married whatsoever. Many of them dismayed, like first time ever heard someone said like that. But i didn't mind. My choice must go on. I choose to live in Single forever as my will. Also, my family relatives such as my Auntie from my Father side, my Auntie from my Mother's elder sister are still Single in their age more than 60 years old. And fortunately, my family relatives are not a Pushover. They still getting along with others , Married or Not. My Mom was also knew if i choose to be Single forever and still supporting me, as long i'm happy with my life.

@TheCurator I wouldn't blame parents for everything, I only blame some of them for not thinking for themselves instead of trusting what the media says.
When I think about where this opinion against gaming has come from I can only think of three series that have got the blame. But that isn't a lot, however it's been taken out of proportion and some news outlets have made it out to be "all games are bad and make kids violent".

I know parents worry and want the best for their children, so they'll keep them away from gaming if they've heard about it making kids violent and growing up to be outcasts in a basement somewhere. However the stereotypes and general idea about gaming isn't true, and is a better way to let their children spend their time instead of using a phone/tablet as a babysitter, which is apparently socially acceptable.

@Kimyonaakuma Agree

@Anti-Matter Good for you then. Me I still pursue all of my hobbies while being married and parent too. But you seem to have a really understanding family.

Well now I'm telling you that a lot of people buy albums; on CD, vinyl, and even cassette.

what @the_shpydar is trying to tell you all is

@Kimyonaakuma I love videogames, but the worst problem here is not the bad biased opinion videogames get, but the fact that many parents are not aware enough of what they should do for their children and don't even care. The fact that they should understand what responsibilities they have towards their children but often they just don't understand it.
The fact that sometimes parents are not even able to properly takecare of their children.