Pokémon GO: The game we should not play/ play
'Parents need to know that the game has the potential to take children into areas that are possibly not safe.'
In light of recent incidents around the world, the parents of children wanting to play Pokémon GO are advised to speak to them about the game.
From traffic accidents to distracted pedestrians and dangerous trespassing, this location-based augmented reality game is fuelling fears for public safety.
According to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune in the USA, one incident involved two men being rescued after falling off a 27 metre high ocean bluff in California. During another incident, three teenagers were stopped at a nuclear power plant in Ohio. Apparently Pokémon GO also led a 19-year old Wyoming girl searching for Water Pokémon to find a dead body floating in the river in the USA.
Although Pokémon GO is the latest craze around the world, Theunis Kotze, General Manager of ADT Inland Region said that, as with all games, parents still need to be educated and to interact with their children so their safety isn’t compromised.
Pokémon GO uses the phone’s GPS and clock to detect where and when the user is in the game and causes a virtual Pokémon to appear, enticing the user to catch it. While the game is not yet available on the South African iTunes store, many have bypassed iTunes terms and conditions and are playing.
“What parents need to know is that the game has the potential to take children into areas that are possibly not safe”, Kotze said. “The virtual Pokémon appears on school campuses, at malls, churches, on roads, near water, in buildings – in fact, just about anywhere.”
He urged parents to speak to their children about the game and to encourage them to play it safely.
“They should not wander off alone in search of Pokémon, or go to places that could be unsafe. Parents should also be aware that the app has an age restriction of 9+, due to what it termed ‘Infrequent/ Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence’.
Parents should also explain to their children that when they download the app all their account information is made available, so privacy settings need to be in place.
“By educating our children about these potential threats we can ensure that they can play the game safely,” Kotze concluded.
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