Second Life ?

mishkanorman

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

Can I ask one thing though?However much you monitor or limit this access to SL you are still allowing your 8 year old to play an 18 rated game...that school have voiced concern over.Can you not find a different game he can routinely play?

Come round for an afternoon - you will soon see what Ive seen. There are no chat boxes as ive disabled them. He walks around, sometimes teleports and looks at various different tardis designs available. He opens a door, he closes it. Thats it, no !!!!!!, no violence.


He only discovered this game a month ago, he has no clue about the various areas he can wander through. He can see other people on his screen but I steer him away from them so there is no interaction.

He is allowed on the pc once or twice during the week, homework allowing. if he does his spelling test & reads his book and/or does his homework he gets computer or wii time. We get in from school at 3:50 / 4:00 - dinner is at 5pm and bed at 7pm so most days there simply isnt the time to be on the computer.

Im not defending myself anymore - Im no idiot and I do whats best for my child. Me and my OH have discussed this to the hilt and there is nothing that can damage my child - who we love dearly just in case it does need saying.

thanks to those who havent judged, the sims is something i will look into as there is not so much stigma attached to it.

balletshoes

peachyprice wrote: »

I have to say it's not somewhere I would want an 8yo spending time. It's a game designed for adults, with very adult themes.

Has he tried Club Pengiun, Moshi Monsters etc that are aimed at children? You say he doesn't have friends, but I bet there are some children in his class that play CP, it would give him a shared interest without actually having to interact with them.

I've just had a look at Second Life today, coincidentally, my 10-year old DD found the site through my facebook. Even the couple of seconds I looked at the site I could see it was way too adult-themed for her. Not suitable at all, in my opinion, for children.

Bumpmakesfour

mishkanorman wrote: »

Im not defending myself anymore - Im no idiot and I do whats best for my child. Me and my OH have discussed this to the hilt and there is nothing that can damage my child - who we love dearly just in case it does need saying.

Absolutely no need to point out that you love him.If you didn't you wouldn't be worried or have bothered posting asking for advice. x

Elle7

Bumpmakesfour wrote: »

Absolutely no need to point out that you love him.If you didn't you wouldn't be worried or have bothered posting asking for advice. x

Agreed. You don't need to defend yourself - despite the way it may feel, most people were trying to make you aware that there is another side to this game which your son may become exposed too, and the majority did try to suggest other games.

While he might not be doing anything at the moment, and you try to keep him from other people, there is always the chance that someone will speak to him and that their initial contact may not be something you want him to read, or that he will encounter something you don't want him to see - or when he gets older, and finds out about the seedier side online.

The decision and risks are yours at the end of the day, and if you and your OH are happy then that's all that matters. If you are concerned, give the other games suggested a try. I hope he finds something more suitable that he loves just as much, and that he settles at school.

*Redhead*

Don't you have to verify your age before the adult sections are unlocked?

My OH says that used to be the case. Might explain why the OP hasn't seen any adult content.

Elle7

*Redhead* wrote: »

Don't you have to verify your age before the adult sections are unlocked?

My OH says that used to be the case. Might explain why the OP hasn't seen any adult content.

The website suggests that you need to be 16 or older to play. You need to verify yourself as over 18 to be able to enter 'Adult' areas or talk in 'Adult' voice chats, but Adult text-chat can be read by anyone in the area.

Under 16's are only permitted on restricted land 'owned' by a private organization.

But when Second Life release that he is 8, his account will be closed anyway. They suggest 13 year olds are fully supervised and only used suitable restricted land, let alone 8 year olds.

MarilynMonroe_2

I wouldnt let him on again. I've read reports about peadophiles grooming kids on there and I think you can have virtual sex on it!
Its 18 rated for a reason xx

seven-day-weekend

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

Obsessive behaviour can be a sign of something requiring further attention - perhaps you could discuss this whole issue (including his relationships with peers and lack of other interests) with his teacher.

I do think that sitting with your son whilst he uses an adult site is giving him completely the wrong message - it is classified as an 18+ site for a reason and by "supervising" him you are are endorsing his use and suggesting that the "rules" of safe internet use do not entirely apply to him. If he is a "literal" personality this will definitely confuse him.

Here's a good site:

http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

Absolutely. My son has mild Asprgers' Syndrome and he would see this as an endorsement of the game. He would have needed a straight ban to understand how we felt about it. Indeed, there were loads of TV programmes we banned him from watching that we felt were not right for children, even though his peers were allowed. We just said that we thought they were not suitable and as his parents we had to make those decisions. He always accepted that.

You have to make the rules.

I personally would ban the game altogether. Tell him it is for over 18s and he is not over 18. Tell him there are things that are not suitable for children. My son would have accepted this.

However, it will be more difficult now that you have been there with him. You might just have to say that you made the wrong decision there and are now going to make the right one.

Find him a game/activity more appropriate to his age.

peachyprice

Elle7 wrote: »

But when Second Life release that he is 8, his account will be closed anyway. They suggest 13 year olds are fully supervised and only used suitable restricted land, let alone 8 year olds.

How are they going to realise he's only 8 when his parents are condoning and encouraging him to play?

OP doesn't have any worries about him paying the game, just that he's obsessing about it at school. She doesn't seem to realise that the game is designed to be addictive and the only way to stop her son's obsession it to stop him playing the game altogether.

onlyroz

I am a bit confused. The poster asked for advice over whether this game was suitable for her son and said the school had expressed concerns over his obsession. They asked for advice on how to ease him away from the game and for info on suitable alternatives. Virtually everybody has said the game is not suitable, and a number of posters have described a wide range of alternative games that are more age appropriate. So why is the poster still defending the boy's use of the game?