By Patrick Noaker
Child Protection News Blog
December 7, 2011
http://childprotectionnews.com/
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This week police in Florida arrested a level 3 sex offender on child pornography charges and found that he may have used Xbox Live to make contact with children. This is not the first time that Xbox Live has been reported to be the new “playground” for sexual predators. See Child Pornography Hid Behind Xbox Live “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2” – Forbes Magazine 11/4/11; Xbox Gaming System Used By Disney Employee to Solicit Child Porn – ChildProtectionNews.com 9/2/10. These stories always send a shiver down my spine.
Kids love Xbox Live. Xbox Live is more of a place than a video game. Using Xbox Live, a user can choose a video game and play in that game setting against kids from around the world in real time with graphics and sound so real that it feels as though they are actually there. During the game, kids can speak with each other and act as a team in the game. It is unbelievable. Many parents feel a tension between the safety of their child and allowing their child to enjoy such a fun experience. With a little effort, parents can improve their child’s safety while still allowing their child to play in the Xbox Live world. Just as we would not ban children from going down slides or climbing on monkey bars because child predators are known to visit playgrounds to locate possible victims, we do not have to take that approach with Xbox Live.
Some of the same rules that apply to your neighborhood playground apply to the Xbox playground. For example, parents supervise their children on the neighborhood playground to insure that the child is not playing on equipment designed for older children and that the child is not interacting with kids or adults who might pose a danger. The same is true in the Xbox playground. Xbox has parental controls that allow parents to control the ratings and content of games that are played on the Xbox console. (See specifics below) In addition, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recommends keeping the Xbox console in a common area of the home so that you can supervise its use.
The Center also recommends playing games with younger children and use opportunities to teach your child safe gaming and internet use. Teach your child to immediately report to you if someone interacts with them in a way that makes him or her uncomfortable or invites him or her to meet outside of the game. Xbox has a mechanism to immediately report this behavior so that the offender’s account can be suspended. Make sure that your child never discloses his or her real name, age or other identifying information such as email addresses, cell phone numbers or home addresses. Never send photographs through the Xbox file sharing function or using their cell phone and to report to you when anyone requests a photograph or video chat. Following these simple rules, can make a big difference in keeping your kids safe on Xbox Live.
Another playground rule that has application in the Xbox playgound is limiting the amount and times of day that your child plays the Live games. Just as you would not allow your child to go to the neighborhood playground at 11:00 p.m. at night, you should not allow your child to go to the Xbox Live playground at that time either. Xbox parental controls have controls that limit the time of day that the Xbox console can be used. (See below.) Xbox also has parental controls that limit use to a certain number of hours per day or week and the ability to limit access to the Xbox Live function. Take the time to set these parental controls and have the peace of mind that your child will not put his or her safety at risk.
Using the Xbox parental controls and following these simple guidelines will provide ways for your kids to enjoy what is great about Xbox Live while at the same time protecting them from some of the dangers.
About the author: Patrick Noaker is an attorney with the law firm of Jeff Anderson & Associates who handles cases involving child sexual abuse, exploitation and pornography.
If you are interested in setting the parental controls on your Xbox console, here are the instructions from the Xbox website:
How do I turn on parental controls? Parental controls are divided into two groups: console controls and online safety and privacy. Console controls are located in the Family Settings or Family Center area on your console (depending on your Xbox LIVE membership type).
Turn on console controls
1. On your console, go to My Xbox, and then select Family Center or Family Settings (depending on your Xbox LIVE membership type). Tip Not seeing Family Center or Family Settings? You might be using an older version of the console software. See Update your Xbox 360 console software for information on how to update your console software.
2. Select Console Safety.
3. Select On to turn on Console Safety.
4. Enter a 4-button pass code using your controller.
5. Select Save and Exit. Once Console Safety is turned on, you can explore the individual parental controls such as Ratings and Content.
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