Tag Archives: parental controls

The last 24 hours have seen the gaming news-o-blog-o-tweet-o-tube-o-sphere erupt with 3DS details, showering panicked readers with large chunks of concrete info. Needless to say, it’s been pretty darn gruesome – and only a little bit hilarious.

We, however, have continued to dig through the resulting ocean of ash and fanboy sweat, and here’s what we’ve uncovered.

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Minors outside the US can now use Facebook and Twitter via Xbox Live, according to The Major.

Microsoft has released an update allowing the use of the services, as long as parental permission’s given.

The system has to be set in a way afterward, though, so parents won’t have to worry about punching in a code every time their child logs in.

US youngsters can start abusing the services on December 15.

More through the link.

The European Parliament’s Internal Market Committee said this morning that parents need a “red button” to shut down online gamesthey feel are inappropriate for their children.

“Parents should have a ‘red button’ to disable a game they feel is inappropriate for their child,” said the body in a report.

“Until PEGI on-line is up and running, the report proposes fitting consoles, computers or other game devices with a ‘red button’ to give parents the chance to disable a game or control access at certain times.”

GamePolitics noted that the EP did acknowledge that games can be great sources of recreation for children as well as a learning tool, but want parents to have more control over what their kids are playing, including the ability to terminate it.

The EP also supports the PEGI rating system, and said further that, “Different approaches to strengthening control of video games should be explored,” but that it does not propose specific EU legislation.

Many kids out there probably wish their parents had a “red button” as well.

More through the link.