The Connection Bernards Ridge Edition Feb-Mar 2020

Eat six times a day • No Program Fees • No Measuring • No Meetings • No Kidding! 845-354-0011 845-222-8770 Optavia.com CALL TODAY! DOCTOR RECOMMENDED, CLINICALLY PROVED, AMAZING WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM Take Shape For Life ® Lori Bernstein, Certified Health Coach A caring, knowledgeable consultant who works with you one-on-one through the weight loss journey. • Provides you with FREE one-on-one coaching. • Has access to products, programs & support to teach you healthy habits for life. My previous column focused on how casu- al we have become toward privacy and communication with strangers due to social media and excessive screen time. Piggy-backing on how desensitized we, as a society, have become to what we share online and with whom we share it, the casualness and permissiveness extends to video games and kids. I am sure you are aware of the rating sys- tem assigned to movies by the Motion Pic- ture Association of America (MPAA). To review: • G is General Audiences-all ages admitted • PG is Parental Guidance-some material may not be suitable for children • PG13 is Parents Strongly Cautioned- some material may not be suitable for children under the age of 13 • R is Restricted-under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or adult The MPAA established this movie rating system so that parents could make judg- ments about the appropriateness of expos- ing their children to specific movie content. Suffice to say, most parents use this guide very well, thereby protecting their children from sexual material, violence, and lan- guage, that they believe their children are not mature enough to understand and handle. The system works very well. Similarly, the Entertainment Software Rat- ing Board (ESRB) also offers ratings for video games to assist parents in making judgments about the appropriateness of specific video games their children wish to play. The ESRB offers the following ratings: • E-Everyone-may include minimal car- toon, fantasy, or mild violence & lan- guage • E 10+Ages 10 and Older-may include more fantasy, violence, language and suggestive themes • T-Ages 13 and Older-violence, sugges- tive themes, crude humor, blood, gam- bling, and strong language • M 17+Ages 17 and Older-intense vio- lence, blood & gore, sexual content and strong language • A 18+-Adults Only-may include intense violence, graphic sexual content, gam- bling with real currency Generally, most parents follow the heeded warnings of the motion picture industry ratings. Rarely does a parent allow their 10 or 11-year -old child to go to an “R” rated movie. Allowing them to view a PG-13 movie is more frequent, but most parents would prohibit their 4th or 5th grader from seeing a PG-13 movie. Yet, when it comes to video games, parents seem to use a completely different criteria, or lack of criteria for their children. It may be permissiveness or apathy, or perhaps ignorance in what parents allow their young children to be exposed to and play. It is commonplace for children as young as 10 to 12 years old to own and play Grand Theft Auto (M 17+), Fortnite (T), League of Legends (T), Spider Man (T), or God of War (M 17+). These games commonly involve and expose the player to strip clubs, graph- ic violence, gore, blood, dismembering body parts, drinking alcohol, inappropriate language, implicit and explicit sexual themes, and nudity. If these descriptors were part of a movie, they would each carry an “R” rating by the MPAA. Why are parents so much more casual about games with an ESRB rating of “T” or “M 17+ when the content is the equiva- lent, or worse, than a movie with an MPAA rating of “R?” The answer is complicated, but it is partly due to parents wanting, and allowing, their children to have “what’s in” and popular so that their child is not social- ly marginalized. Additionally, parents simply do not know or appreciate the intensity and explicitness of the messages and con- tent in the video games they are buying their children. That being said, video games are fun, do have merits and socializing value and are not all inappropriate. Also, like violence on TV, there is no consistent research that indicates that violence or mature content are translated into behavior in children. However, it is like any privilege you give your child. As a parent you need to make a judgment as to their readiness and maturity to be able to responsibly han- dle what you are exposing them to. The following guidelines should be utilized prior to purchase: • Parents should visit ESRB.org for guid- ance on specific games • Games should be screened • Visit parent message boards, chat rooms, Facebook Moms groups and reviews of the game for advice and guidance • Above all, know your child Furthermore, if you do give your child a game and they subsequently display lan- guage, attitude or behavior change, take it away. It clearly means they are not ready. Dr. Michael Osit is a Licensed Psychologist prac- ticing in Warren, and author of The Train Keeps Leaving Without Me: A Guide to Happiness, Freedom, and Self Fulfillment (2016), and Generation Text: Raising Well Adjusted Kids In An Age Of Instant Everything (2008). VIDEO GAME AND MOVIE RATINGS: PARENTAL JUDGMENT By: Dr. Michael Osit PAGE 42 Health & Wellness theconnectionsnj.com