Microsoft: 75 per cent of parents see beneficial effects of videogames

According to a new survey by Microsoft, 75 per cent of UK parents believe videogames can be beneficial to children and their families.

The second annual Play Smart, Play Safe campaign also found that 61 per cent of parents agreed that games were a great social experience, 52 per cent feel videogames bring a family together, and 80 per cent see gaming as vital part of home entertainment.

73 per cent of parents are aware of parental controls, according to the study, an increase of 13 per cent on last year. 94 per cent of parents said they felt personally responsible for checking age ratings of the games their children play.

Although 47 per cent of children stated their parents are not vigilant enough when it comes to checking if games are appropriate for their age, 69 per cent of the children surveyed said they want their parents to be more pro-active in checking age ratings.

Children's awareness of parental controls on consoles is high – 96 per cent – while 92 per cent of those surveyed said they were aware of age ratings.

Online gaming is raising more concerns for parents, according to the survey. 42 per cent are worried that their children engage with users older than them online, but 95 per cent of children said they have not encountered anything that has left them worried or frightened while playing online.

A dedicated website on safe gaming would be welcomed by 45 per cent of parents, while 65 per cent said they would be willing to use a parent-child discussion forum to help establish rules around the house.