How to Keep Your Kids Safe While Online Gaming with Ron Kerbs 🎥

Video games have become one of the most popular forms of entertainment for kids and teens. But just because young gamers are physically safe in the comfort of your home, that does not mean that online gaming is risk-free. Chat rooms open up your kids to conversations with strangers from around the globe.

Kids spend more of their time than ever online gaming, but how can parents alleviate the potential dangers that come with it? We asked Ron Kerbs, CEO and Founder of Kidas, what he recommends for parents to keep their kids safe online. 

Kerbs stresses the importance of not only knowing what games your kids are playing, but also understanding how those games operate. Does the game have a chat feature? Could strangers use the chat to connect with your child? What sort of imagery is the game exposing your child to? By having a clear understanding of how these games work, as well as knowing how your kids use them, parents can set themselves up for success when creating boundaries for usage. 

Here’s some ways to keep your online gamer safe:

1. Be informed about the games your kids are playing
• By being familiar with the games your child is playing, parents will be able to make more reasonable decisions about their child’s gaming habits. In addition to asking your child about how they work, parents can also do more online research to hear about specific games from another adult’s perspective and learn what to look out for.
2. Consider activities that your child shouldn’t do offline or online
• Outside, inside, offline, and online activities should hold the same expectations. For example, talking to strangers, bullying, and staying up past bedtime should all be activities that children avoid on-and-offline.
3. Set parental controls and boundaries
• Kids do better with boundaries when they know what to expect. For example, you may want to set parental controls (most games have those features) on your child’s console or PC. Many platforms have parental guides on how to set parental controls, including PlayStation, Epic Games, and Xbox One, to name a few. Parents can set time limits, turn off the chat, limit mature content, and block purchases. Via the Aura Family Plan, parents can use parental controls to filter content and block sites, set screen time limits and scheduling, pause the internet, and receive online history and usage reports. Aura also offers Safe Gaming (Online Predator Alerts) features, including in-game voice and text monitoring, predator, scam, and cyberbullying alerts, and weekly gaming activity reports. 
4. Keep the lines of communication open
• Maintain open conversations with your  child about their  gaming experience. Creating a safe, judgment-free zone will make it easier for your kid to open up 

Continuing to have open conversations with your kids about online gaming will help you get a clearer picture of their hobbies and interests, allowing you to more closely connect with them and monitor their safety.

Here’s what expert Ron Kerbs has to say: