We tend to believe that our children remain unequivocally safe at home, whether playing catch in the yard or zoned-out in their own world, playing video games quietly upstairs. Yet this may be changing. Video game consoles such as Xbox, Wii, and PlayStation now all have Internet access that enables a gamer to connect with other players through chat rooms or text and video messages. Games such as Halo and Grand Theft Auto have become community games where users can log-on via the console and chat with other users or message each other for tips. And not only teenagers use these features; even kids elementary school aged and younger have used the chat capabilities on games rated too mature for them to play. Yet, even knowing this, I still found a recent USA Today article shocking. The article outlined the newest version of a parent’s worst nightmare: child predators using this new form of Internet access to prey on children.

My son, Brooks, loves to play video games (after doing his homework, of course!). Like many kids his age, he runs upstairs to the TV after school or in the evenings and plays his games alone until his time is up. I knew that he could use the game to connect with his friends so they could play with each other, but the idea that sexual predators could contact him through an Xbox or Wii never crossed my mind. Not to mention that, while setting the parental controls may seem like an easy fix, it turns out that kids and teens are getting smarter about cracking the codes and getting around the settings. To teens, these games are simply a way to compete with friends and even make new ones; I would bet most don’t know this has become yet another way predators can lie about their ages and make contact with kids. Still, parental controls can help, especially when it comes to younger children. Systems such as Xbox allow parents to set up a password and check the content and contacts made through the console, a great compromise for worried parents and game-obsessed children.

This serves as one more example of the importance of parents making themselves aware of how their children are using technology. But how many more roadblocks do moms have to set up to protect our kids from unwanted predators? I’m sure more reasons will present themselves as technology advances and our kids continue longing for the latest gadgets. What we as moms have to realize is that seemingly innocent entertainment has risks we need to be aware of. The child predators may think outside the box, but I’m right there with them.

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