Parents are more afraid of their kids playing Grand Theft Auto than drinking beer or watching porn says an informal poll on video game parenting site.
The poll asked 1,600 parents what they'd be most concerned about their 17-year-old child doing at a sleepover. Grand Theft Auto (19%) was second to smoking marijuana (49%) and closer to watching pornography (16%) and drinking beer (14%).
"Although these findings seem surprising at first, they hint at fears parents have about video games," says Cheryl K. Olson, Sc.D., co-author of Grand Theft Childhood. "To some parents, video games are full of unknowable dangers ... Of course, parents don't want their children drinking alcohol, but that's a more familiar risk."
Grand Theft Auto in particular has been a target for concerned parents and politicians. A hidden sex game in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas kicked off the Hot Coffee scandal in 2005, which was followed by lawsuits, protests, lawmaking attempts and negative press. Three years later, Grand Theft Auto is still one of the best-selling games of all time, but this poll hints that parents remain wary.
Source: WhatTheyPlay.com
Reader Comments (71)
The biggest problem with this poll is the ignorance of the parents. Marijuana has such a bad image; it is seen as more harmful than the other options by the parents when it is in fact harmless. Alcohol has the potential to kill those that drink it, yet parents are more afraid of a plant that has never killed anyone. For some reason the plant that everyone considers a "drug" is illegal while the potentially lethal drink is legal for those over 21... people in this country need to wake up.
Well...I'm glad your not raising my grandkids. Alot of problems is the lack of respect for teens. I'm from the Katrina area, after the storm I met thousands of teens who stood on black pavement in the sun for a good 8hrs. to help us get supplies. Gamers or not, kids need respect to show respect. Take the time to listen to your child, get to know them you might end up with a friend!
The world isn't full of rainbows and unicorns. this kind of thing will happen, the parents must do something about it. The v-chip is in the TVs for a reason. Sony offers parental locks on the PSX/2/3 for a reason. some of the parents still have some growing up to do. this coming from a 22yo without any kids (or any experience with kids) should mean something.
No one is more at fault then the parents themselves. Bad parenting is now being blamed on video games, movies, music when really it's the parents for never raising there kids to know right from wrong, have respect, manners, and the will to better themselves. If you let your child get away with anything and have no consequences then they think they are immune to everything and that they can do whatever they want, especially violence. Children are molded and influenced from birth by their parents and the environment they grow up. So take responsibility for your s*** parenting and stop looking for excuses for your lack of a spine.
I'm 18, I don't play Grand Theft Auto but if I was mad enough to go kill someone I could get a gun and GTA wouldn't have the least bit to do with it. I'm not a parent, but I've come to realize that people I know who were ****s when they were younger are still that way now, with or without GTA. Nice kids I knew are still nice, with or without GTA. Strengthen your child's morals early and you don't have to worry about something as pointless as a video game ruining their lives.
Kids now days have NO Manners Or RESPECT ! No respect for other people, property, or actions. They are Rude, disrespectful towards older persons, smart mouthed, ****y , defiant , have attitudes about everything, litterbugs throwing their personnal trash in peoples yards, trespassing on people's properties where they have no right. The above type complaints MOSTLY apply to the BLACK juvies, wanna be gangstas, boys in da Hood and their Black Sistas are No better or different !!!!!
Wow, My 11 year old brother and I play that game all the time and I'm your standard good kid. Goes to church Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and is in a lot of honors classes. To say that Grand Theft Auto has an effect on us teens I think is just an excuse from parents for roudy behavior. We see crime everyday and almost all kids know the drug dealers at school. Nothing is effecting teens more than teens.
Duh! Of course we are more influenced by these things than we like to believe. That's why advertisers pay millions of dollars to put their commercials on television. If you hear/see it enough times, you begin to believe it. We'd like to think that we're immune from this...."Not me, I'm smart enough. These things don't influence me." But the truth is that they do. There are two ways to protect your children. First, you can have regular dialogues with your children about your values and why some of the games/movies/books/etc do not fit your value system. This arms them with information to withstand attacks to your values when you aren't around (like when they are at school). Second, you can choose carefully what you purchase or allow your children to use/play with/watch. There is an "off" switch. Use it.
I also completely agree with violensnowman hes definately right about parents sucking at parenting these days. Honestly most parents are sooo stupid these days and they dont teach their kids how to act kindly. Stop blaming other things for your petty mistakes.
I completely agree with whoever said kids these days are less respectful. Im 16 years old and luckily i was raised well and learned manners from my parents. So if my parents could do that for me other parents can do that for their children they just dont try hard enough. Seriously if the kids are disrespectfull ground the **** out of them. it worked for me.