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Stay Safe This Summer With Change The Game Ohio

Published: June 20, 2022

In 1996, the National Safety Council (NSC) established June as National Safety Month in the United States. The month was created to help increase public awareness of safety and health risks to decrease the number of safety hazards at homes and workplaces.

Every summer, the NSC and other organizations provide safety tips on everything from driver safety and fatigue to drug safety and emergency preparedness. Another way people can ensure the safety of children is by knowing the risks involved with youth gaming and its connection to problem gambling. 

According to experts, a problem with gambling can start long before an adult enters a casino at the age of 21. In fact, between 60 and 80 percent of high school students report having gambled for money during the past year, and 15 percent of Ohio’s youth ages 12-17 report lying about or hiding how much they gamble.

To complicate matters further, most parents – 66 percent – rarely or never have conversations with their children about gambling. So, in recognition of National Safety Month, here are some tips on how to encourage safe gaming behaviors for your child this summer, even when school is out for the summer and they have more free time on their hands. 

  • Set parental controls. There are many ways to change accessibility settings and implement parental controls for online games, apps, social media sites, and electronic devices. 
  • Discuss online safety. Once you determine an appropriate age your child is allowed to be online, discuss internet safety with those over the established age limit, and develop an internet safety plan. Together, you can set clear guidelines, teach children to spot red flags like content marketing, and encourage open communication.
  • Monitor your browser’s history. Review your child’s web history regularly so you can review what sites they’re visiting and stop potentially risky behavior before it starts.

For additional resources and discussion guides on how to have a conversation with the child in your life about gaming, visit ChangeTheGameOhio.org.

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