With American children spending upwards of 190 minutes a day playing online games, their chances of running into scammers are at an all-time high. Online gaming comes with a wide range of risks - from harassment to financial fraud, identity theft, and cybercrime. In this guide, we’ll cover the main risks of online gaming for kids, how to keep your family safe when gaming online, and how to decide if a game is safe (and appropriate) for your child. Online gaming can expose children to cyberbullies, online predators, inappropriate content, and worse. According to the most recent data : There were over 5.8 million instances of malware and other viruses disguised as popular games last year - a 66% increase from the year before.įor families with children, the risks of gaming online go beyond downloading harmful files. The popularity of online gaming exploded during the pandemic - and so did the number of hackers targeting gamers. But instead of a free game, players ended up downloading malware that stole their personal data. At the same time, hackers created fake websites offering free downloads of the game for PC.
After HBO recently launched the hit series “The Last of Us,” new fans flocked online to play the game on which the show is based.
