Nintendo Switch parental control can make up a parent's mind for them

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If I was a parent searching for a console for my kid, I'd buy the Switch because of these parental controls. It'd suck for kids who want the console but want to sneak a little extra game time in though :panda:

What do you think?
 
Too much control for a gimmick. Is it really that hard to just check on what your kid plays and how much by, oh I dunno, actually going to within 10 feet of them? And if, as some people might object, the parent is away and needs to do it remotely - they ought not to be able to do it remotely. If no one else is at home to check up on them, the kid should be able to play all he or she wants. That's kind of one of the redeeming factors of being a kid who's left like that.
Also, why buy a game for your kid you'd need to cover his/her eyes for in the first place? If the parents bought it for themselves, they can keep it out of the child's reach as well. If it's digital, the 3DS had a pretty good system of having to input a PIN to play restricted games - only the parents need to know the PIN.

This irritates me a great deal tbh. Kids won't grow if they're tripped up every few feet - remotely now - and given how far into a kid's mental development most parents are likely to use this, it'll give the kid very wrong ideas about how much control his/her parents have over his/her life. If you can't raise them to obey you when you tell them how much they can play, you oughtn't be able to have an on-off button for their hobbies because the former will make them think they did it of their own free will, while the latter will make them feel like something was taken away from them.
 
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I think its a great idea for little kids like 3-10 I also like the idea of the report thing, it lets kids and there parents socials more on what they like and dislike. Also I laughed out loud a few times with the little animation what they made like when JR asked for new games and bowser was like "ehhh no"
 
Bowser and Bowser Jr. are so adorable and hilarious in that video :hilarious:

That comments aside, I think Nintendo's doing well when introducing the Parental Controls function. If I'm a parent, I'd like to let them know when the time was up, rather than just cutting them out of the game out front (even Bowser thought it's not a good idea when his kid almost getting there in the game but getting stopped at the last second because of that). Besides, I think it's neat when the app can monitor which games that the kids like, as well.
 
I think it could be super useful, but i could also see it getting abused. I believe that parents should be able to monitor what their child is playing, but they can also do it in person, not buy them games they don't want their kid to play, or teach their kids what is acceptable or not, until they are able to trust their children to obey them without using the controls.

I feel like having these available is the best option though. It can satisfy everybody. If you want them for your child you can se them, and if you don't just don't get the app. It's there for the people who want it, but not forced on everybody. Like the 3ds you had to setup parental controls when you set up your system, because it was built into the system, and not a separate app.

This does make it bad for people who don't have iPhones though.
 
The app is pretty useful though how would you not know which games he/she plays if you bought it for them. -.-
 
Parental controls kinda suck in my opinion. My parents trusted my to not be stuck to my games all the time and that worked fine. If you trust someone to know their limits they're much more likely to become responsible gamers than if you're constantly trying to control their playtime. Then again, I can imagine control freak like parents hyping over this.

I love the fact that they chose Bowser for this messages. He is arguably the last person I think of at the word 'parent'. :rotfl:
 
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Heh, the video is hilarious and well made.

I don't particularly care about the actual application. Parents ought to learn to raise their children, lmao. They won't control them their whole life, they won't have "parental control" their whole life.

But whatever. To each their own.
 
i think its too strict now:dead:
 
  • #10
Eh , i mean this app is pretty useless. How hard is to tell your kid to stop playing e.e?

Also , about age restrictions i don't think someone would give a 6-year-old kid something like Bayonetta or something rated M.
Oh and the video is really cute. Bowser and his son are always cute :giggle:
 
  • #11
After the massacre at that college regarding students who played Doom, parental controls have been a must for parents who have children with a console.
Bowser and Jr. were great for the video.
And the child could just sneak into the parent's phone and alter the play time to 24/7 or/and delete the app ._.
 
  • #12
I know I'm 12 and all, so it's probably not my position to say, but I think that the parental controls are both good and bad.

While I do love that children can be reminded that when playtime is over via a little bar at the top, I think that the option to suspend software immediately is a bit over the top. Why can't the parents do that?

The parents can keep watch on what they are playing, and how long they are playing while they are gone, which I think is a cool idea. They can be reminded that even though they are out, they should play just a little, little shorter.
 
  • #13
I know I'm 12 and all, so it's probably not my position to say, but I think that the parental controls are both good and bad.

While I do love that children can be reminded that when playtime is over via a little bar at the top, I think that the option to suspend software immediately is a bit over the top. Why can't the parents do that?

The parents can keep watch on what they are playing, and how long they are playing while they are gone, which I think is a cool idea. They can be reminded that even though they are out, they should play just a little, little shorter.
Wise for a twelve year old. ;)
 
  • #14
Wise for a twelve year old. ;)
Twelve-year-olds are much wiser than adults. I don't know a single twelve-year-old who's married with children.
 
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  • #15
Twelve-year-olds are much wiser than adults. I don't know a single twelve-year-old who's married with children.
Good point. :p
 
  • #16
Also , about age restrictions i don't think someone would give a 6-year-old kid something like Bayonetta or something rated M.
Umm... Yeah... You kinda thought wrong. GTA is a very popular game amongst kids that are under 10 years old.

Personally, that monthly report is going to be the death of me. Let's say that I play about 1 hour a day (Which is about the time I spend on electronic). That's about 30 hours a month. Now, 30 hours is a full 24 hour day and then a school day. That'll look real nice. Most people's first thought if you're playing that much is you need to cut down on gaming. So I'm generally screwed.
 
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  • #17
Umm... Yeah... You kinda thought wrong. GTA is a very popular game amongst kids that are under 10 years old.

Personally, that monthly report is going to be the death of me. Let's say that I play about 1 hour a day (Which is about the time I spend on electronic). That's about 30 hours a month. Now, 30 hours is a full 24 hour day and then a school day. That'll look real nice. Most people's first thought if you're playing that much is you need to cut down on gaming. So I'm generally screwed.
Don't tell your parents how to use this app :vamp:
 
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  • #18
Even if they found out, there should be an option that displays playtime by each day, most likely.

Right?
 
  • #19
Here's what I think: "Wow, Nintendo. Just wow." They did it. They finally went overboard on Parental Controls. I mean, seriously Nintendo? Mobile tracking? Amount of playtime? That last one disturbs me quite a bit. I mean, if i were a kid, i would hate Nintendo's guts. There is no reason to make you stop playing at a certain time. The parents can just tell you. There's no reason for Nintendo to suck up to parents that much. It makes me sick, to be honest. What do you guys think?
 
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  • #20
That last one disturbs me quite a bit. I mean, if i were a kid, i would hate Nintendo's guts. There is no reason to make you stop playing at a certain time. The parents can just tell you.
I'm going to defend the very thing I just said would be the virtual death of me because, admittingly, I can see examples where being able to remotely suspend the console would be handy.

Let's say Mr Meseeks has to go out to a do some last minute and Mr Meseeks Jr is supposed to be doing homework and not playing video game because he was grounded. If Mr Meseeks discovers that Mr Meseeks Jr was playing the switch, and Mr Meseeks Jr knows that he isn't allowed to be playing, then it's definitely a good feature and a bit of a slap in the face for Jr.
 
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