Online games and videos are popular in today’s day and age, and many of these games are marketed towards children.
YouTube Kids, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and the PlayStation 5 are common platforms that children use to access online games and entertainment.
A Columbia Engineering article noted,
64 percent of U.S. households own a device used to play video games, with children and teens under eighteen making up more than 28 percent of all gamers.
Yet, more and more parents are becoming concerned over the dangers that online gaming and entertainment pose. Many, if not most, online games include in-app purchases, chatrooms, and advertisements.
The Internet Crime Complaint Center under the FBI noted,
Online gaming is just one of many platforms used by child predators, in part because of its popularity. Children also tend to be trusting online and often befriend strangers of any age or sex.
…Predators may pose as friendly adults or age-appropriate peers to form relationships with potential victims. They often befriend children by giving them game tips or providing game currency.
Some games include team play, or allow players to communicate through headsets, web cameras, and chat rooms. These features allow predators to generate and nurture relationships. They manipulate these relationships to groom and coerce children to send them sexually explicit images or videos, or to meet them in person for sexual purposes.
When it comes to online gaming and entertainment, child exploitation by adults is a major safety concern, but so are threats posed by other children.
The availability of chatrooms allows kids to experience bullying, harassment, and exclusion at the hands of their peers.
In addition to this, the availability of chatrooms allows for sexually explicit content to be sent from one child to another.
Many online games, apps, and entertainment platforms also feature advertisements, which often include sexualized material.
In-app purchases have the potential to start an early gambling addiction in children. A recovering gambling addict on a Change.org petition explained,
This petition aims to address the predatory nature of highly priced in-app purchases, which specifically target vulnerable people with previous gambling history, impulsive purchasing disorder, and addictive personalities.
It is crucial to recognize that both adults and children are affected by these practices.
This information can be overwhelming to parents who want their children to be able to watch fun videos and play exciting games free from threats to their safety.
Is there anywhere that’s safe for them?
Thankfully, there is.
TruPlay is an affordable, ad-free, chatroom-free, and faith-filled entertainment platform. TruPlay also features zero in-app purchases.
TruPlay’s mission is:
to transform generations of children in such a profound way that it will shape culture. At TruPlay, we’re building a beautiful, fun, world-class entertainment platform which invites children into a world of hope and God’s truth.
Each game and video that TruPlay creates features fun content that points to biblical truth that children can apply to their daily lives.
TruPlay is committed to “offering entertainment products that convey content, morals and values based on the Holy Bible, which we hold as inspired, authoritative and inerrant.”
Here’s what they have to say about one of their offerings:
Some of our games, like Stained Glass, tell stories explicitly from the Bible. Our content in the world of Rhym was created with characters who have strengths and weaknesses, just like every human.
They face many of the same struggles as today’s children, but are on an adventure with a very real God.
Prayer, Faith, Biblical truth, and God’s Miracles are all part of their journey.
For only $5.83 per month, parents can rest assured that their children are playing fun games that teach biblical, Christ-centered values.
In addition to this, parents can know that their kids are safe from harassment, bullying, pornography, child predators, and gambling.
Start your TruPlay subscription today!
