Xbox has released a gaming guide aimed at helping parents who will be giving their children consoles at Christmas.
The 'Gaming 101 for parents' has been pulled together to help adults who may not be as savvy when it comes to what their children could potentially be doing on their consoles, and the internet, during the upcoming summer holidays.
It also launched a guide to ensure parents take an active approach to handling security and online safety for their children when they're online gaming.
In May, the company launched an Xbox gaming safety toolkit, which was developed in conjunction with local organisations Netsafe, the Te Mana Whakaatu Classification Office and the Interactive Gaming and Entertainment Association (IGEA).
That 35-page guide offered advice to parents about how best to keep their children safe online and the kinds of conversations to have from the early age of five years old through to the teenage years. It also provided information to parents about the best apps and parental controls settings to use on the Xbox range of devices.
The latest guide has been collated with information already on the Xbox Family hub online and timed to be ahead of the Christmas rush.
Chief among the information is a plea to parents to "be involved and co-create boundaries with your child" while they're gaming.
The booklet also actively encouraged parents to discuss the importance of privacy and good cyber habits, including strong passwords and how to report abuse from other online players. The guide pleaded with parents to be open with gamers of all ages, saying by avoiding judgement, "they would feel comfortable coming to you when they need support".
Earlier this year, results from Microsoft's annual Global Online Safety Survey found there was a difference between the risk children are experiencing and what their parents thought was happening.
Eighty percent of teens in the Asia Pacific region (APAC) reported experiencing an online safety risk but only 64 percent of parents thought teens had this type of experience. That’s a 16 percent gap when it comes to types of harm and risks.
Globally, the gap is about 12 percent.
In September, the New Zealand Plays 2023 study showed 79 percent of Tāngata Aotearoa/New Zealanders now regularly play video games.
It also found a whopping 94 percent of households now have a gaming device and 93 percent of parents play to connect with their children.
