More than three-quarters of kids ages six to 17 play video games online. No surprise. Just five percent of parents of kids those age say they're aware that they do so. That kind of abysmal inattentiveness is surprising.
That is the finding of a survey commissioned by the Entertainment Software Association of Canada, which queried 3,500 respondents. Clearly, it's ammo in the argument that more involved, more informed parenting is needed to keep kids from inappropriate games, rather than government regulations.
The CBC, reporting on the findings, quoted a Canadian professor who urged parents to consider online game playing in the same light they do their children's use of social networking sites.
It is seriously mind boggling to me that only 1 in 20 parents, Canada or anywhere, know that their kids play games online. That is exactly what this survey claims, however. Chilling.
Parents Unaware Of Kids' Online Gaming: Survey [CBC via Gamasutra]