Hi I have a friend who is letting her 7 year old son play GTA 5. For those that do not know what this is it is a R18+ Video game. I personally think this is so wrong on all levels. But my friend is telling me that other kids under the age of 10 are playing this game. So I’m wondering is this true? Would you let your children play GTA 5? I think my friend is setting her child up to fail and this concerns me.
16 Replies
There are children playing this game and it is completely inappropriate. Violence and sexual content including prostitutes. No way would I let my son play this and he is currently 12. Unfortunately I know lots of children do though :( I have said a resounding no every time he has asked me.
My DS is 8. Hell no.
But my friend lets her 5 & 8 year olds play anything they like & many others I've met have let 5 year olds play Fortnite & think I'm a bit odd for not allowing it.
In the end it's not your kids, not your choice. We don't have to like it. We do have to shut up because it's not our choice & it only causes problems to say anything. I just mind my own kids & make sure I'm very specific about what games can be played when my kids are there & keep watch.
Would I let my kid play it, hell no, but can confirm some parents don’t give a toss what there kids watch/play and are exposed to.
Some of the things I’ve heard kids talking about watching at school is shocking. Some parents would have no idea what there kids watch/play.
I walked in on a kid watching rape puppet porn on YouTube (not my kid, not my house). Parents were clueless.
I used to play Doom and Golden Eye when I was a kid and I'm not violent 🤷♀️
I used to play Doom and Carmageddon. It was awesome. Loved the violence and reversing over people multiple times.
I cry at a drop of a hat and outgrew games ages ago
I'm probably gonna get completely lambasted for this but my son's 13 and has been playing it under our supervision for years! Although not so much now as it's lost it's novelty and no longer in "fashion".
He likes it for the free roaming capability that a lot of games don't have, he likes the driving and car modification aspect. He doesn't play the missions, nor would he know how to pick up prostitutes (or even know they exist).
He also plays Fortnite, Call of duty and a whole load of games most people don't approve of.
I don't feel as though I set my son up to fail, in fact he has a much more common sense approach to video games than the majority of his friends who have been sheltered from such games.
He's also a very well rounded, kind, empathetic boy and has a very firm grasp on reality vs games/tv etc.
You don't have to approve of your friends choices but you don't get to have an opinion either. Stay in your lane...
Im sure some are, theyd be the minority and that game is not ok for young kids and teens and most parents follow the rating due to the things that can happen in the game.
I guess its the same as some kids under 10 stay out all night and parents dont know where they are, some dont go to school, does that make it ok?
This is where parenting comes in and parents are supposed to teach their kids that its a game and not real life :)
As long as that's being done there is no issue.
I've played GTA and games to the like since I was in primary school. I've never laid a hand on anyone, only slept with one man, never touched drugs. I could go on.
I was educated well by my parents.
(I wouldn't judge anyone that has slept with more than 1 person that wasn't my point - my point that the exposure to sexual imagery in this game has not made any difference to my life).
My best friend lets her 11yo play this game too. I bite my tongue every time i see it. I feel its out of line for me to tell her what to do in her own home when i visit, even tho i really want to.
Unfortunately it's common. I tell my son that I'm his mum, not his friend's. No, the game isn't appropriate for children. Yes, I understand his friend's play it. No, I'm not going to tell that mum it's wrong. She and her husband can make their parenting decisions and my husband and I will make ours. If it was part of a bigger picture issue I might take action though.
Unfortunately I do think this is pretty common. But as someone with a 7 year old boy, I honestly can't see any benifet that this would be for him. He plays a shitty version of mine craft on my partners phone but thats about it.
My son is pretty high intensity, high energy, easily angered kind of boy. I feel like games like this would only intensify this x100... that's a boundary I will firmly hold in place for a very long time.
Mind your business. My kids used to play it at their Uncles house and my kids are now 22, 21, 19, 17 and they have never hijacked a car, shot anyone, pimped hoes or robbed anyone. They did used to yell out how many points to hit if anyone walked out in front of the car though.
I think it's shocking that someone can think that type of stylised violence is good for a young mind, let's be honest if foul even for grown people to find car jacking entertainment....... however not you kid, not your call
You'd be amazed at the amount of parents that let their kids play these types of games. I'm a teacher - year 2 this year - and we have had to create a rule of "no guns" and we aren't allowed to talk about video games because of the level of violence that some of them have. The death and killing talk that goes on is outrageous.
I have only JUST let my nearly 14 year old start playing and that's with a lot of conditions and discussions around it's content. He is a pretty mature and responsible kid and that played a big part in me allowing him to play it. I also work in schools and I can easily tell the kids who are allowed to play violent games and watch violent movies. It really messes with kids that don't have the capability to process this content.
Wrong is still wrong, even if everyone else is doing it. No way in hell my kids would be playing that.