DE PERE, WI (WTAQ) – Officials are urging parents to keep a watchful eye if their children opened up a new video game or a gaming system on Christmas.
The concern with popular games, such as Fortnite, is not necessarily about the game itself, but rather about the people that a child might be introduced to.
That’s because games are increasingly featuring online formats in which individuals are given the opportunity to play online with strangers.
This type of component can turn into a breeding ground for predators according to law enforcement.
De Pere Police Officer Jed Bradley says these individuals are always looking for new opportunities.
“It’s a full-time job for them,” says Officer Bradley, about online predators. “This is what they do.”
This type of issue has already been identified by law enforcement and bis serious enough that they’ve taken action.
“I mean it’s a concern that we have an active countywide task force that does a great job trying to cut that off before it reaches our children,” explains Officer Bradley.
Five-percent of online predators will pretend they’re kids and in most cases, they’ll reveal they’re older, according to the United States Department of Justice.
Also, the age group most targeted is teenagers ages 12-15.
“The best patrol that law enforcement can give is it starts at home with the parenting,” says Officer Bradley.
The message that the effort starts at home is agreed upon not only by law enforcement, but also by the individuals that might have sold you the newest video game or gaming system this Christmas season.
“I think it’s all about educating yourself, especially with a game like Fortnite,” says Gregg Johnson, the owner of Game Trade, in De Pere. “Watch them play for a little bit and see what’s going on, you can also get an idea of how they interact and if you don’t like the way they are interacting or how people are interacting with them then you can control that.”
Parental controls are far from perfect for games like this, but there are some tools parents can equip themselves with.
“They do have settings like time limits and other things that parents can incorporate to help with that,” explains Johnson.
If you do find that your child has had an inappropriate conversation with someone online contact police immediately.
It’s also a good idea to take a screenshot and save all forms of communication in such a case.
