Protecting children from things adult and improper. Where should the boundaries be?

[4channel]

Protecting children from things adult and improper. Where should the boundaries be?

Today children are exposed to things that 20 years ago were unheard of. As time creeps on we see more and more things that challenge belief. In film and on television, extremely violent imagery is such an accepted and major part of entertainment that some cannot enjoy a film or program unless it is violent.

In what passes for music, the lyrics are more explicit and sexually laden than they ever were. A great deal of the video clips that appear on television would be considered pornography once upon a time. Other forms of music such as some rap have lyrics about killing people, guns and putting down women in the worst possible way.

Something that would be laughed off as impossible years ago, children before they can even walk properly are now exposed to adult entertainers such as drag queens as part of some supposed education or enlightenment program. Some of these drag queens have names of male and female genitalia. Some have names that relate to sexual scents and arousal. Some even have gone as far as doing stripping routines, twerking, teaching twerking, and  other blatant sexually suggestive behaviour. They are even reading childrens stories that are an alternative to the male and female relationships or the birth genders..

Children are playing violent video games which are much more graphic and interactive than what they were in the past. Many are not interested in a video game unless it is violent. They can play for hours and hours on these games, either connected to their own source or a source that is online. Some of the games are so violent that some adults are sickened to the degree that they refuse to even talk about it. Others that do find it almost impossible to comprehend.

* Where should the boundaries be set or where should they have been set?

* What effect is this having on children today?

* How will things be in ten or twenty years time?

[katistrophik]

It does come down to parental control to a degree Yes, as 4chan states though, kid's go to friends, as you state springy - kid's have ipad for school (yes it is now a requirement in BM school, not just home schooling)

They have so much access to the internet / and thereby to any internet content/games/movies etc. HeII, you can go on the internet now via your TV, so many ways.

And parental controls will lock kid's out, but they are so easy to circumvent, I forgot my password once, I got around it so easily it was laughable.

And to those that think we oldies don't need to worry about kid's coz ours are grown (I have no grandie's) and to those who think not having kid's means you can't be concerned by this should remember that if your kid was in trouble you wouldn't care who helped them out, parent or not.

The community as a whole should be concerned about the ease with which content can be seen by young people.

JMO

[domino-710]

Just a question - I have never even held a game controller - let alone played a ' game '.

DD has had Nintendo & several of the Playstations - the games were expensive - but were chosen - age appropriate.

How do some of these kids even get these games.

Even - online - are they ' free ' to play.

[katistrophik]

Some are, Fortnite is absolutely huge, but not one that would concern me.

There are others and some are available with links or codes to a game/gaming platform so they can join in with a number of users'.

The older games like COD and GTA the actual hardcopy games sell 2nd hand for about $30, not much if a kid is getting pocket money. And there is always the older siblings and friends.

[katistrophik]

I used to play that with the kids when they were little, one hour at night after homework and chores were done,  I loved Mario 64, now those are games

[imastawka]

Youngest grandson used to play GTA under supervision.

He didn't know there were weapons and you could kill people - he just loved driving the cars.

But he did mange to go into a building and get himself a lap dance before we noticed  hahahahaha

[countessalmirena]

I loved playing the old classic adventure games by Sierra - Space Quest, Gold Rush, King's Quest, Police Quest, Quest for Glory, Gabriel Knight (which I think was ported to iPad, or at least one of the several GK games), and Monkey Island...

I have also played Leisuresuit Larry, which is seedy. I didn't realise how seedy until I had started playing. It's more to male tastes than to mine. That is not a game I'd be happy to see kids playing. To this day it makes me think "erk", even though there were some funny quips in the game.

I have played a few other games that are best played with someone else. A friend in Singapore consistently outplayed me in these, but my valid excuse is that Australian internet lagged way behind internet in Singapore at the time. (It probably still does. Oh, Australia!) They weren't games to my taste; they were hack-and-slash RPGs like Diablo - oh, and Baldur's Gate. I gained nothing by playing them apart from spending a bit of time with a friend who was very patient with the constant game freezes.

Re iPads or tablets for children... Interactive apps can support learning, but there isn't sufficient data to discount negative effects. Being interactive with one's child in learning also supports learning, and seems to me a better approach. Is the problem more that parents are simply not spending sufficient quality time with their children, including time for learning as well as play? So much can be learned with active participation between child and parent, reinforcing and expanding vocabulary, demonstrating mathematics, problem-solving, gaining not only skills but learning to respect and value those skills.

[imastawka]

*manage

I might point out that he was 5 and thought she was just a pretty lady dancing  

[countessalmirena]

As he grew older, was he confused by ballet, wondering why the pretty ladies didn't dance in the same way?

[imastawka]

No Countess.   To him all dancing is the same.

He's 14 now