A report by EA and cybersecurity non-profit organisation Internet Matters last week said that in a survey of UK parents and guardians, 81 per cent said they were now more likely to talk to their children about online safety issues after seeing the campaign. The survey consisted of minor guardians between the ages of 8 and 16 who played the game.
EA and Internet Matters launched a campaign called "Play Together/Play Smart" last August, which revolves around a new website and aims to be a resource hub for parents and guardians. On the site, the two companies have acquired and published guidelines on how to set up family controls for various games and consoles, set screen time and in-game spending limits, and find age-appropriate games for kids.
Of the parents who have seen the Play Together/Play Smart event, 75% said they may have age controls set. Meanwhile, 55 percent of caregivers said they opened up parental controls after seeing the initiative's recommendations. Meanwhile, 81% of parents are now more likely to talk to their children about online safety when using a game console.
EA believes that parental controls, coupled with ongoing and open discussion within the family about playtime, spending, age-appropriate gaming, and online behavior, can help ensure that children have a positive impact and experience when playing video games, but the work is far from the goal. The EA team is very proud to say that their efforts have improved a simple awareness and understanding of the home game supervision system and have driven real behavior change through the Play Together/Play Smart campaign. EA promises to further help parents increase awareness of game monitoring.
