[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

If it's having a marked effect on their behaviour and language in school then yes it's justified, it's an extreme measure but not one I think was taken lightly.

Perhaps you should read the article properly.

Several children have reported playing or watching adults play games which are inappropriate for their age and they have described the levels of violence and sexual content they have witnessed: Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Dogs Of War and other similar games are all inappropriate for children and they should not have access to them," the letter said.

"If your child is allowed to have inappropriate access to any game or associated product that is designated 18-plus we are advised to contact the police and children's social care as it is neglectful.

It's got nothing to do with the kids' behavior, the school is literally threatening parents to comply or be reported on no grounds apart from their own self indulgent ignorance.

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

There may have been more to James murder,but,a certain video game played a part that is fact,as for their home lives ,they were no different than thousands of other children,the one came from a broken home,the ones father liked a drink,I know what kids see influences them,I've seen it with my own eyes.I can see nothing wrong with schools pointing out the dangers of some videos.

At best games can be a trigger but ANYTHING can be a trigger. Blaming games is just moronic. A smell or a colour or a certain sight could trigger a killer to kill. Do you just want to ban everything just in case and hope that the absence of a trigger isn't in itself a trigger?

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Perhaps you should read the article properly.



It's got nothing to do with the kids' behavior, the school is literally threatening parents to comply or be reported on no grounds apart from their own self indulgent ignorance.

I did read the article thankyou.


Again this action could've been a culmination of events 'they have described the levels of violence and sexual content they have witnessed'

why would this be raised in a primary school environment if the children had not been acting out or displaying behaviours which were seen as inappropriate, and questioned on it?

[Crimson Dynamo]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

Perhaps you should read the article properly.



It's got nothing to do with the kids' behavior, the school is literally threatening parents to comply or be reported on no grounds apart from their own self indulgent ignorance.

[Stu]

Schools themselves are largely to blame for spawning a violent, prejudiced troupe of pre teen non compos mentis lunatics. They are petri dishes of unchallenged bullying and impassive, imagination starved education modules and combined with the absence of any decent parents either to help steer the sails the whole affair becomes a ticking time bomb.

So in essence they should worry about what's going on in their own damn yards. Or actually take cues from developers like Rockstar who've managed to actually program some semblance of cultural narrative into their own particular output.

[JoshBB]

loony left being loonies again........... oh wait, it's not. because most of us agree that it's none of the schools business

[Tom4784]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

I did read the article thankyou.


Again this action could've been a culmination of events 'they have described the levels of violence and sexual content they have witnessed'

why would this be raised in a primary school environment if the children had not been acting out or displaying behaviours which were seen as inappropriate, and questioned on it?

So you're supporting this based on things that may not have happened? Nothing written in the letter suggests that the school's threats are a result of an increase of bad behavior. It's just the schools trying to control everything and you've fallen hook line and sinker for it based purely on an argument that was formed in your own imagination.

[AnnieK]

If the school believe that video games are having a detrimental effect on behaviour, they should advise parents of this but they cannot control what children do outside of school time IMO. Obviously, they have set protocols for behaviour issues which would then be followed if the behaviour did not improve. It seems crazy to think that parents would be reported just for the children claiming to have played these games....I claimed to have watched V (TV series) when I was in primary school because loads of kids said they watched it, truth was I wasn't allowed but it didn't stop me saying I watched it. Not quite sure how a school would prove a child was actually playing the game anyway....if it's in the house surely the parent could be the owner / player....

[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by JoshBB

Ummm... no.

Most games are over-rated (in terms of age) anyway. I agree with some games very sexual in nature not being suitable for children but it's up to the parents imo

This for me, good points.

[Northern Monkey]

I watched Robocop when i was about 9,Still not murdered anyone yet.
One film that did actually scare the **** out of me though was Nightmare on Elm Street.I would'nt recommend that to kids,I did'nt sleep properly after that for a good week.
My 3 year old has watched me play Battlefield and he loved it,All the tanks,planes and choppers etc and Call of Duty but he was bored by that.Leave it to parents.

[Northern Monkey]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Youtube video

Currently playing this.Unlocking the double barrel shotgun in mp is a bitch.

[Jessica.]

I don't think the school should have the power to do anything, but it's fair for them to advise it, when GTA V came out a letter was sent out at a local school asking parents not to let their children play it, it was very polite and I'm sure it didn't stop most people. My nephew who attends the school is 10 and he has played GTA, Bioshock and other games with guns/weapons/swearing etc.. and from my experience he is polite and knows the difference between fiction and reality, but unfortunately that's not the case for all children, he has said that some children in his class do act out unsavoury scenes from these games. So my point is, it really depends on whether the child is mature enough and if games effect them. The schools shouldn't have the power to do anything about it, because from my experience every situation is different.

[DemolitionRed]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

i played with toy guns as a child and read war comics, watched war movies and cowboy and indian films and so far I have not killed anyone

And my cousin, who was brought up with kid gloves and never allowed toy guns, action man figures or anything that could be deemed as violent, managed to get hold of an air rifle when he was 16 and took a pot shot at someone through his bedroom window. This resulted in armed police surrounding the house whilst my aunty was cooking the Sunday roast and a my cousin (little goodie two shoes) being unceremoniously dragged off to the police station.

[user104658]

Eldest daughter played the new tomb raider with me when she was 3. Sorrynotsorry.

[user104658]

5 year olds take on GTA (watching, not playing, her controller dexterity is frankly shameful...)

"What do you think this game is about? "
" You punch people then run away. "
" do you like the game? "
" yeah it's funny! Punch that one! "
" would you ever do that for real? "
" No daddy that's not nice it could hurt someone!! "
" You said it was funny... "
" Daddy! That's just a game! "


Just about sums the whole issue up for me really. Maybe don't let thick kids play games? Most kids are perfectly capable of making the distinction.

I'm not a fan of age ratings in general, I watched a lot of 15 and 18 rated films from around age 8... I despised kids films. Which ironically, I now quite like (both my daughters abandonned "How To Train Your Dragon" and I ended up watching it alone. Same with "Wreck It Ralph" ).

But my favourites included things like Terminator 2, Total Recall, Robocop, Rambo 1 and 2... You may be beginning to see the 80's action theme... Haha. But yes, anyway. Individuality. Age ratings are arbitrary and nonsensical. Parents shouldn't force their kids to grow up too soon, but nor should they shelter them and try to keep them childlike for as long as possible.

[Mystic Mock]

Well no it's just a Video Game, it's not like it's gonna turn them into a killer is it?

Anything like that happens then it's all down to the parents and the School imo for not teaching the child right from wrong.

[Mystic Mock]

Originally Posted by Kazanne

There may have been more to James murder,but,a certain video game played a part that is fact,as for their home lives ,they were no different than thousands of other children,the one came from a broken home,the ones father liked a drink,I know what kids see influences them,I've seen it with my own eyes.I can see nothing wrong with schools pointing out the dangers of some videos.

I bet that even if you asked them seriously on who messed them up they would say it was the parents.

Video Games can make you more immune to violence, but it does not make you a killer, otherwise when I played GTA at age 7 I would've become a killer by now.

[Marsh.]

A video game/horror movie may have inspired Bulger's killers in the some of the details of their crime but they would've committed that crime with or without that movie.

To quote Scream, "Movies don't create psychos, movies make psychos more creative".

If someone's going to commit such acts, they'll do so anyway. A movie or a video game can't and so far hasn't created any mentally unbalanced people from someone who was entirely normal beforehand.

[user104658]

There are precisely two things that can create a ****ed up person. Mental illness, and **** parents. Sometimes a combination of the two. It's hardly ever anything else, there can be other influences, places that messed up people draw inspiration from, but the source of them being messed up in the first place it's a safe bet will simply be down to one of those two things.

Only other realistic cause is severe trauma / post traumatic stress disorders but you could reasonably include those as a form of mental illness.

[Kyle]

Originally Posted by RichardG

If you remove the video games then it becomes the fault of that movie they watched or that tv show they love. Aggressive people existed before technology and aggressive people continue to exist today, now they just have an excuse!

Those kids who grew up in the Middle Ages learned to go crusading from playing Medieval Total War on the PC I tell you.

[Gstar]

18+ Scary movies and games were the main things I was interested in as a child so if that was the case my mum would be on death row or something

but no, it's none of the teachers business to report it

[empire]

schools are more interested in you dress code or taking money from your parents for taking you on holiday, and now this silly daft thing, but teachers are not interested in bullying or being tough on pupils bad behaviour, teachers have no real thought of what reality is, or how tough it is in the real world,

[user104658]

Originally Posted by empire

schools are more interested in you dress code or taking money from your parents for taking you on holiday, and now this silly daft thing, but teachers are not interested in bullying or being tough on pupils bad behaviour, teachers have no real thought of what reality is, or how tough it is in the real world,

Not only that, they're not particularly interested in academic ability either, so long as all of the kids meet the same generic landmarks designed for "average kids". They're more interested in punishing kids for fidgeting or speaking out of turn, or congratulating little Bobby for knowing what healthy choices to make at lunch time, than in recognising any real achievement.

Obedience and conformity, and being dragged down to the lowest common denominator, that's the name of the game. And then they wonder why our young people aren't excelling.

[Ammi]

Originally Posted by empire

schools are more interested in you dress code or taking money from your parents for taking you on holiday, and now this silly daft thing, but teachers are not interested in bullying or being tough on pupils bad behaviour, teachers have no real thought of what reality is, or how tough it is in the real world,

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

Not only that, they're not particularly interested in academic ability either, so long as all of the kids meet the same generic landmarks designed for "average kids". They're more interested in punishing kids for fidgeting or speaking out of turn, or congratulating little Bobby for knowing what healthy choices to make at lunch time, than in recognising any real achievement.

Obedience and conformity, and being dragged down to the lowest common denominator, that's the name of the game. And then they wonder why our young people aren't excelling.

..that's no different a generalisation against schools as this case is against parents and it's also not accurate..achievements are recognised and children do excel, many children do..but that isn't the first and primary duty of care because a child needs to feel safe/secure and happy in their school environment to do that..schools are certainly not about obedience and conformity but they do teach structure and they do teach rules and boundaries and that's never a bad thing/ a child needs those...maybe your experiences are more negative but if they are then that's something that you should definitely talk to the school about ...

...anyway, in their duty of care there are some things that a school worker would report if a child made a disclosure to them that gave them concerns about the welfare of that child in their family home because it may be that family need some help...but I would say with video/18+ games, there would usually be some other factors of concern about the child as well as them just playing the game..if every school in the country had the same policy as this federation of schools then young people's services wouldn't be able to cope with staffing it and families that do need help wouldn't get it...I agree with those who have said that any possible influence from a video game would depend on many other factors and influences and other balances in the child's life....and it would only be if some of those other things were a concern that it would need to be reported...imo....not to the police though, I'm not sure why the schools are threatening to report it to the police..that would be for other organisations to do if they felt it was applicable....

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Dezzy

So you're supporting this based on things that may not have happened? Nothing written in the letter suggests that the school's threats are a result of an increase of bad behavior. It's just the schools trying to control everything and you've fallen hook line and sinker for it based purely on an argument that was formed in your own imagination.

I agree with the schools decision, they don't as a rule amend policy on a whim.

“huge pressure” on teachers to report safeguarding concerns, placing them in a no-win situation.'

' This month David Cameron announced that adults in positions of responsibility could face prison sentences of up to five years if they failed to report allegations of neglect or abuse of children.
Department for Education guidance on safeguarding states that all school staff have a responsibility to identify children who are victims or likely to be victims of abuse, and to “take appropriate action, working with other services as needed”.

I'd say due to these comments the new guidelines on safeguarding are what is causing teachers to be so sensitive here, they are worried they could be indirectly be held responsible for any incident and for whatever reason this has been identified as part of a criterion for perceived abuse.
I don't know how this is identified as being a factor unless they ask the kids outright if they play or watch play, if they aren't playing it out.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2...18-rated-games