The Growing Up Online revealed that 35% of South African children spend one to three times a week playing computer games for a couple of hours. Picture: File
The Growing Up Online survey recently reported that 24% of South African children admitted that they play age inappropriate computer games.
The survey sampled 10 000 people consisting of parent-child pairs across the Middle East, Türkiye and Africa (META) regions between 2023 and 2024.
These shocking revelations come after 18% of South African parents believed that their children play age-inappropriate games.
Based on the wider survey, boys are more prone to playing age-inappropriate games compared to girls.
Hence, the survey found that 50% of boys have violated age guidelines when playing computer games, unlike 43% of girls.
The survey said the SA girl child is more obedient to age restrictions of video games, compared to the boy child.
Seventy percent of girls have never played age-inappropriate games, while the boys accounted for 59%.
While children may be unaware of age restrictions in computer games, 35% of SA children spend one to three times a week playing computer games for a couple of hours.
Another 24% of children spend one to two hours per day playing computer games.
A vast majority of parents in SA (83%) agreed that some video games may provoke aggression and make their children violent.
However, a lesser figure of children (37%) said they had felt depressed or angry after playing a game.
While these concerning statistics may worry parents, they should refrain from attributing children’s behaviour to computer games and digital evolution.
Head of Consumer Channel for META at Kaspersky, Seifallah Jedidi, said parents should instead be cautious of their children’s access to age-inappropriate computer games.
Jedidi encouraged parents to rather take an interest in their children’s favourite computer games.
This will help them navigate the age-appropriate games and build a trusting relationship with their children.
“Parents should take a proactive position in this area, be interested in the latest products offered by the video game industry, and understand their children’s gaming preferences and pay attention to the age limits marking,” said Jedidi.
He said parents can either opt for educational games, or find alternative hobbies that their children would be interested in.
“It is worth mentioning that today there is a wide variety of games on offer, many of which include educational materials. We recommend not to prohibit this type of leisure, but rather to seek a compromise.
“If you notice that your child plays a lot, try to understand the reasons for this and also answer the question of whether they have an alternative that they like. Ask what they would like to do besides gaming and try to engage them with another interesting hobby,” he said.
Jedidi also urged parents to be tech-savvy in order to protect their children’s online activities.
“Be informed about current cyberthreats. Talk to your children about the risks they may face online; and teach them how to resist online threats and recognise the tricks of scammers,” said Jedidi.
The Star
hope.mafu@inl.co.za
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