Over half of parents let their children play 18+ rated games
Sampling over 2000 parents from across the UK, the survey reveals the stark difference in parental perceptions of games compared to other media. 86% of parents admitted they do not pay attention to age restrictions on games, compared to just 23% who stated they don’t follow similar guidelines for films. Indeed, just eighteen percent of parents said they would let a ten-to-fourteen year-old child watch an 18-rated movie.
The survey sampled parents of children aged between five and sixteen, 53% of whom were boys, and 47% were girls. Roughly three quarters (73%) of the respondents were mothers.
“What’s interesting is that the majority of parents follow film age ratings, but when it comes to video games they maybe aren’t as strict. It’s important to remember how impressionable children are; if they see behaviour or language in a video game or movie, they may mimic it.”
