Threatening Recommendations

In the past week, your child played in a game where aggressive comments were made by both your child and other gamers your child was playing with. Here are some recommendations on how to handle the use of threats in gaming.

Tips for Conversation about Threatening Behavior

1. Explain to your child that you have learned that in the past week there was aggressive communication in the game.

2. Other gamers directed threatening comments against them but your child also used these types of comments against others.

3. Have a discussion to understand what was said, and what your child feels about it.

4. Explain to your child that you understand that in games, gamers use this type of communication to feel a sense of power over others, but threats to cause harm are violent, intimidating and inappropriate.

5. Teach them how they can have the upper hand without intimidating the other players. Try saying something like “Show me what you’ve got.”

6. Talk with your child about blocking and reporting the other players and assess whether this game (or group of gamers) is right for your child. This will depend on your child’s age and your values and preferences as a family.

7. If your child disagrees that their comments were threatening or problematic, consider letting them know that you’ll be coming into the space while they game more often so that you can hear their comments and decide for yourself. KIDAS has a high threshold, so if the software flagged it, it is likely aggressive language.

Recommendations written by Kidas Experts.