im tired of people blaming video games and the internet for their kids problems

okay, so ive seen alot of people blaming video games(such as jack tohmpson(i think thats his name) verbally assaulting grand theft auto) and the internet for their kids problems.
no. it is not video games fault. nor the internets fault.
it is the parents fault.
it is not the gaming industrys job to control what kids are, and arent exposed to.
it is not the retailers job either.
the gaming industries job is to make games, test them, submit them to the rating industry(esrb for america, not sure what other countries use to rate games) then get them out for gamers to play.
the retailers job is to sell them games and put them into gamers hands.
now here is where the parents job comes in, which is usually neglected. regulating what your child does and doesnt get exposed to. if you dont want your kid to see a hooker get gunned down. dont buy them grand theft auto. dont let them go to their friends house to play it. talk to them "we dont want you playing those kinds of games". lay down rules. if they dont respect these rules. punish them. ground them.
if you look in the bottom corners of most video game covers, you will see a letter. the main ones you will prolly see are: E for Everyone. E10 for Everyone ages 10 and up. T for Teen. and M for Mature.
these are put there not to be pretty. but for parents to regulate what their child plays. if your child is under 18, and they want you to buy them a game rated M. you have the right as a parent to say no. and you dont have to worry about them buying it without your permission, becuase its illegal for retailers to sell M rated games to minors. and if your worried about a friends parent buying it for them. keep an eye on your child. go through their games when they're not around. its your right as a parent to know what your kids are up to.
pay attention to what your kid plays, if theyre playing something you dont want them to play, you also have the right to take it away from them.
if your child asks you to buy a game, and your not sure if they should be exposed to its content, or if your not sure of the games content. google it. do research. if you dont like what you see, say no, tell them "pick another games thats rated E or T(depending on their age obviously)"
did you know that video game concoles also come with parental controls? where you can regulate what the system can play? create a password only you know, set a level that you think is appropriate for your kids. that way, they cant be exposed to anything too violent.
the power is litterally in YOUR hands parents.


and onto the internet. its the same thing. not the internets fault your kids being exposed to emo and crap like that, its yours. if you dont like it. set up child blocks on the computer(yes computers have those too! ) set up rules. "you cant go on this, you cant go on that". if your child protests, tell them its for your own good, its for your protection.
if they decide to disrespect your rules. take away their computer. put a password on the family computer.


its your right and power as a parent to regulate what your children do, watch, and see. and it is also your job. you may not get paid for it. but it can be the difference between having a child grow up to be a lawyer. and a child growing up to be a meth addicted homeless person fighting with a rabid dog for an empty cheeto bag.



now im not saying be an all out nazi. give your kids SOME freedom. dont shelter them. respect them. they have to see the world sometime. let them grow gradually. teach them. that is also your job.
like a mother lion, let them explore, teach them how to do things, just dont let them wander too far from the den.
talk to them about things. explain to them the difference between real life, and fiction. set down guidelines at an early age.



back to the main point at hand. its the video game companies corrupting your child's mind. its you for allowing them to play those video games in the first place.
its not the internet filling your kids minds with images of boobs and this and that. its you for not setting up child blocks and guidelines.
im not saying every parent who doesnt do things like the ones ive mentioned is a bad parent. just misguided. theres more you can do with your parental power then you know.

[edit on 11-5-2010 by wartooth420]

Yes i would have to agree with you 100% on this topic parents now adays ( not all parents btw just some) dont give a dang about their kids at all or the activities they do and also dont talk to the kid enough yet either ..


Everything you just said is exactly how i feel about this and parents need to start doing their research now while they can and start actually parenting their kids and most of all be their parent .


It also pisses me off when lawyers or parents blame the video game companies for the kids mis behaviour and then complain these games are too violent and gory , I mean come on people wake the heck up its not the video games fault that your kid is acting out its your fault start parenting them ..