Dr. Tanya Byron is recommending a complete overhaul of the UK's game ratings system, suggesting the ratings should be more like those for movies.
The UK's Prime Minister asked Byron to conduct an independent review of the risks created by children's exposure to videogames and the internet. Her report, Safer Children in a Digital World (aka the Byron Review), was published yesterday and outlined initiatives for the government, schools and parents to help children successfully navigate the digital waters.
"I believe we need to move from a discussion about the media 'causing' harm to one which focuses on children and young people, what they bring to technology and how we can use our understanding of how they develop to empower them to manage risks and make the digital world safer," she wrote.
To help parents cross the "digital divide" -- a gulf created when parents feel ill-equipped to help their tech-savvy children, or even understand the dangers they face -- Byron suggests it would be wise to rate videogames in much the same way that movies are rated. She proposes:
- Reforming the classification system for rating video games with one set of symbols on the front of all boxes which are the same as those for film.
- Lowering the statutory requirement to classify video games to 12+, so that it is the same as film classification and easier for parents to understand.
- Clear and consistent guidance for industry on how games should be advertised.
- Challenging industry to provide sustained and high profile efforts to increase parent’s understanding of age ratings and improved parental controls.
A new ratings system isn't enough, however. "We also need to recognise that there is no single solution to the problem of children and young people playing games that might not be appropriate for them," says Byron.
To that end, she also recommends better in-store information, a more consistent approach to the sale of games, better parental controls on gaming consoles, and a united effort between ad agencies and game companies to ensure age-appropriate marketing.
The Byron Review tends to take a common sense approach to the issue of keeping children safe from digital harm. Trying to keep children from encountering potentially harmful material is pointless, Byron says, because no matter how many safeguards you put in place, children will find a way to circumvent them.
Using the analogy of a public swimming pool, Byron explains that although there are many elements in play to keep children safe, including lifeguards, warning signs, doors, locks and alarms, kids will still take risks by jumping into water that's too deep for them or climbing walls. "Therefore we also teach them to swim," she writes.
Photo: BHPR
Byron Review [Department for Children, Schools and Families]
