Gaming is a great way for children to relax and stay entertained during the school holidays but it’s important to agree the rules that will keep them safe whilst gaming. These could include things like which games are safe to play, who they can play with, where they can use their devices at home or how long they are allowed to play for. For example, you might decide that they can play in the main family rooms at the weekends with their school friends but are not allowed to play online in their bedrooms. It can help to write down any new rules together as a family so you can come back to them later.
For many children gaming is a way they can stay connected with their friends however while playing games with other people is a sociable way to be online, it is important to check regularly who your child is talking to, what they are saying and what is being said to them. Lots of gaming platforms have chat functions that let you talk to people you don’t know but for younger children the chat features can be disabled or restricted but generally it is better to only allow them to chat with school friends or people that they know in the real world.