Byron calls for review of casual gaming

Tanya Byron has published a progress report to her original 2008 Byron Review and, in it, praised the steps made so far by the games industry and UK Council for Child Internet Safety but also called for a new review into online and casual gaming.

"There has been excellent progress made on video games since 2008, particularly the clarification to the video games age classification system, currently within a Bill passing through parliament, and the adherence to advertising codes," said Byron in the report.

"For phase two I have made recommendations to help this excellent progress accelerate through: widely publicising the single classification system once it becomes law; looking at the issues around online gaming; ensuring that mobile and internet-enabled device manufacturers are involved in the development of parental controls and include them on their devices; ensuring that awareness of parental controls is included in the UKCCIS public awareness raising campaign; and developing minimum standards and independent review for parental control standards on all internet-enabled devices."

With regards to casual online games, Byron said that it is important for families to have up-to-date advice about these new ways to engage in gaming.

"The guidelines on safer online gaming are a good example of this," reads the report. "This advice should be built on to encompass publishers and hosts of casual online games (games which are free to users as they are hosted on sites funded through advertising) and to look at the issues of bullying and harassment via interactive gaming and casual online gaming.

"I recommend that the UKCCIS executive board commission the video games working group to examine and report back by September 2010 on whether a code of conduct supported by independent review for online and casual gaming is needed."

Byron also points out that, in the UK, 91 per cent of children and young people aged 12 to 17 have their own mobile phone, with 12 per cent saying they access the internet through their phone, which could indicate these devices need to better controls to keep children safe.

"All UK mobile phone networks offer a level of filtering which can be activated when the phone is purchased or later by phoning customer services. The level of filtering is based on whether the registered user is over 18 or not. However, it is questionable whether parents are aware of this and take advantage of it," she says.

"[...] Handset manufacturers need to look at integrating parental controls in their handsets. I recommend that mobile and internet-enabled device manufacturers are brought into UKCCIS discussions on how parental controls can be improved through the video games and industry working groups and take responsibility for building parental controls into all of their devices."

Talking about age ratings, Byron said that when the PEGI classification system becomes law, the games industry and Government, need to invest in raising public awareness of these ratings.

"I recommend that once the use of PEGI becomes law in the UK, companies associated with the video games industry, the online games industry, retailers, and the Government invest in raising public awareness of the new ratings system including through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UCCIS) public awareness campaign and UKCCIS one stop shop."

"The Advertising Standards Authority has found that 99 per cent of the video games sector adheres to the advertising codes. This good work has been built on by the code-writing bodies producing new guidance to help video games advertisers interpret the rules and the Broadcast Committee of Advertising Practice (BCAP) proposing a new scheduling rule to ensure age-restricted video games adverts are not placed around programming aimed at children on TV.

"Going forward, DCMS and UKCCIS should work together to ensure that work informs and is informed by other work on child digital safety," said the report.

Byron also questioned recommendations made by Dr Linda Papadopoulos in her review on the sexualisation of young people.

While Papadopoulos said that she thinks games consoles should be sold with parental controls switched on as default, Byron said she stands by her 2008 conclusion that this could "contribute towards parents not engaging in, or considering, their children's safety whilst using their games console" and lull them into a false sense of security.

Instead, Byron said that propose the UKCCIS games working group raises awareness of these issues, and that the parental control systems available for games consoles should be extended to include all portable media devices.

Byron's full Progress Review can be read here.