Survey: UK Kids Want More Parental Involvement On Safe Play

The majority of parents in the UK have positive sentiments toward video games, but there's more work to be done to increase awareness of parental controls. So says Microsoft's second annual "Play Smart, Play Safe" study, which finds 94 percent of parents feel responsible for making sure their kids play video games safely. This year's study demonstrates increasing awareness of parental controls -- 73 percent of UK parents are aware of them, up 13 percent over last year. But 69 percent of kids say their parents should be more involved in checking the games they play. Almost half of the kids surveyed say their parents watch over their gameplay "never" or "not enough". 64 percent of parents admit they "sometimes allow" their kids to play games outside of their age rating. Along with the survey results, Microsoft expressed its support of the PEGI ratings system for the UK. 96 percent of kids are aware of ratings systems, compared to only 60 percent of adults who claim familiarity with age ratings. 73 percent of kids say they would rather ask a friend than a parent about whether or not a game is appropriate.