As you already know, From the consoles (desktop or portable) it is also possible to connect to the Internet (to play online, chat, etc.), a world of possibilities that has made a qualitative leap since the time when our children connected only by means of the laptop (not very distant those years, even if it seems so); now the preventive vision of parents should be extended to any device that children access.
It's not about prohibiting, but rather about (as we always say), set content limits and schedules, thus avoiding problems that may be associated with the use in this case of consoles. Sometimes we have witnessed news that told us how a pedophile had accessed his victims through the console, with the consequent notice to users. But the best thing about these devices is that they can be a great resource for family entertainment and for sharing with friends. It comes from OSI Security, a very useful information for mothers and fathers to learn (if we do not know already) to configure security, or parental control on the PS3 or children's Wii.
In my opinion, this must be accompanied by a more or less direct supervision, and a family education aimed at transmitting to the children (for example) the explanation of 'why' they will not be given a game classified for older people ( always keep in mind the PEGI codes). Remember on the other hand that combining closeness and supervision, it is easier to exercise the second. For example, it is very good that parents play with their children, overcoming our reluctance, and it is a very healthy exercise, thanks to which children, in addition to not seeing us as 'grumpy people who always forbid', will be glad that we are interested in their hobbies
They must also know the risks (and their avoidance), which will help them gain autonomy
A game console has no secrets for children, even when it's the first time they have it in their hands, in a matter of seconds they discover the applications, learn to handle controls at the same time that we prepare the snack, and how not! quickly identify how to belong to online communities That is why parents should be the first to familiarize themselves with the new device, finding out (among other things) how to configure parental control.
My son is determined to think that we want to guarantee the security to spy on him, well I guess he knows our purposes, but he wants to gain independence at all costs (faster than we are willing to accept), and that's why virtually all of them at home The weeks we talked about these topics.
He is also concerned that his friends can play PEGI 18 games (the oldest is 13 years old), we are clear that the average level of maturity of the group is not compatible with certain content, but we can only act in our family environment, and continually remind you that in each house they have their rules and a priori we consider ours the most appropriate for this family.
So in my family It is a subject we have very present, because we are responsible for our children to have a healthy development. And now I leave you with the explanations to configure the parental control of Nintendo DS and 3DS (XL), Nintendo Wii and Wii U, Sony PlayStation (PS3, PS Vita, PSP, PC); and Microsoft Xbox (360 and Live).
