Mums, find out how online games can put your children at risk and tips on how to properly secure their safety and how to properly guide them against online game scams.
In this article, you will read the following:
- Ratio and statistics of online gaming scams to children in Singapore
- Tips on how to properly guide kids playing online games
- Alternate activities and new hobbies for children aside from online gaming
We are now living in the digital or online world. With the advancement of technology and man’s intellect – everything is now instant or can be done with a click of a button. Now, there is a huge presence of social media and online games, and especially with the onset of the global pandemic, kids have resorted to these digital platforms when at home.
Here in Singapore specifically, over the course of a year (2020 to 2021) online gaming scams heightened from seven cases to twelve cases. This ratio is from Mr Chong Ee Jay, a cyber wellness at focus on Family Singapore.
Some of Mr Chong Ee Jay’s clients are kids who experienced being online scammed online and sought his help after conducting workshops in different schools throughout Singapore.
Online game scams victimizing kids
You may be wondering, how do these bad people scam innocent kids anyway? How do they do it?
In the case of a fifteen-year-old girl – she was lured into paying for supposed in-gaming credits to purchase weapons for an online game she was playing, Murder Mystery. After processing her transaction and transferring money from her PayLah account, the online game scammer then deleted its account to non-existence.
When the young girl’s mum found out about this, it really upset her. The incident brought stress to their family as well. So many other cases of online game scamming have occurred especially in this time of the pandemic.
According to counsellors for children who were scammed online, the two most common variants involve kids losing their gaming accounts or being cheated after buying non-existent gaming credits, as in the case above.
Children are usually promised rare items by other players who befriend them and claim to help them, said Mr Chong.
“My client perceived that this gamer, who he saw as an older brother, could be trusted because he was always very helpful in the game and gave him advice on how to level up,” he shared.
Emotional effect on the child
Ms Joanne Wong, head of the non-profit agency Touch Cyber Wellness, said that despite the fact that these items are intangible and do not take place in the real world, losing it can still have a deep emotional impact on the child.
“It can be tragic for children to lose access to their accounts. They spend a lot of time (gaming). We can often be too quick to underestimate the pain they go through,” she said.
Even if you don’t understand how valuable it is to your child, resist the urge to blame him for what happened. Instead, let him know that you will tackle the incident as a family.
“They know they have made a mistake, but if they feel they are being labelled by their parents as one, it becomes more than just feelings of shame or guilt, but also affects their identity,” said Ms Wong.
How to protect your child from online game scams
Preventing your child from playing online games to ensure they will not be scammed will just backfire as we cannot put our child in a bubble physically and virtually forever. Instead, we should be proactive in guiding them towards making the right decision, whether online or in real life.
Below are some tips to help ensure that your child’s identity and emotional well-being is safe when he is playing online games:
Have a one-on-one talk with your child about scamming
It is vital to make time to sit with your kids and have a conversation on making them aware that scamming happens. Make them understand what scamming is and teach them to be vigilant when they’re playing online games.
Use Buyer Protection
Buyer Protection covers physical goods sold on a shopping website, as long as the product(s) or transaction do not violate the company’s policies. Buyer Protection can definitely help in making sure sellers are legit and products are authentic. We suggest having Buyer Protection around.
Refrain from linking a child’s game account to a credit card
Linking your child’s gaming account to your credit cards is a no-no! This will not only tempt them from spending more than what is allowed but can cause serious damage when your credit card details fall into the hands of scammers.
Monitor the amount of time they spend playing online games
Be in control of how much time your children are spending with their gadgets and set up a healthy schedule when they can play and when they should stop. Also be firm with your rules around gadget use – no talking to strangers on the internet and never ever give your personal information online.
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Alternatives to online games
If you feel that your child may be in way too deep with online gaming, then it’s your job to pull the reins and give him a breather. Introduce him to other forms of recreation that are also healthier.Here’s a list of alternative activities and hobbies your children might be interested in instead of online games
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Sports
Developing sports is a great way not only to children’s physical health but also mentally. Find out which sport your kids are interested in and hone their interest into a skill of theirs!
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Arts and Crafts
Whether drawing, painting or knitting – the arts is a recreational way of learning new and fun things! Pick up a category of arts and crafts that your kids are in to and they now have a new hobby!
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Workshops
Examples of workshops could be acting workshops, dancing and even singing! Mums you never know, your kids could potentially be a superstar one day!
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Reading books
This one is a classic. You will always win when you further your love for reading books. One’s vocabulary enriches, imagination widens and overall general knowledge of kids will level up.
These are just a few alternate activities to online gaming. We encourage you to find out what other fun activities your children could be interested in!
Remember mum’s – the digital or online world has its perks but do not forget to teach our kids not to be dependent on gadgets. If you think your child has fallen victim to an online game scam, don’t hesitate to call the Anti-Scam Hotline at 1800-722-6688 or National Care Hotline at 1800-202-6868 (8am – 8pm).