Notes

Is Minecraft Kid-friendly?

If you're a parent of kids over the age of 5, the chances are high that you're well acquainted with Mojang's popular online game "Minecraft." Minecraft-server But is Minecraft bad for kids or is it a good choice for kids? It all depends.



You have probably dropped a few buzzwords like "Steve," "Creepers," "Baby Zombie Pigman" in an effort to pretend you have been listening when your young "Minecraft" fan prattled on about a mod or whatever-it's-called. You might have savored a vibrant green and brown cupcake at a child's birthday celebration and noticed the theme.



You've probably asked to your child to stop playing the game. Then, perhaps, you've demanded it. Then, possibly, you hid the "Minecraft"-supplying device after all kinds of ultimatums (yours) and loud protestations (your kids') and went to bed that night still cursing the "Minecraft" name under your breath.



If you somehow managed to get away from all this... please share your secrets.



What exactly is "Minecraft?"



"Minecraft" is a game for one or more players that in essence gives kids the chance to construct their own worlds, complete with houses and pets and resources and even enemies that might sneak into their homes at night and attack.



With the game to 176 million people worldwide in May 2019 and counting, along with 200 million registered users, it's not hard to say "Minecraft" is a huge success - and for some, almost seeming to be addictive.



Is "Minecraft" harmful for children?



Are they being handed the keys to a kingdom which could very quickly turn into "Lord of the Flies" If the wrong hands are involved?



"Minecraft is available online as Legos," parenting and expert on child development Dr. Deborah Gilboa told TODAY Parents. "Could your child play rogue on 'Minecraft,' create something inappropriate or concentrate on gore and destruction? It's possible.



"But this isn't the point or the primary goal of the game," she said, "and most 'Minecraft' obsessions make kids more creative, improve their cognitive flexibility and working memory and allow them to feel great about their abilities as a nerd."



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The game itself isn't too bad. NBC News even used it once to explain who owns moon. But what do you think about all that screen time?



Parents who are concerned, be encouraged The study from 2017 published in the journal Child Development by researchers from the Oxford Internet Institute and Cardiff University found that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) guidelines for managing screen time for children could be a little alarmist, or perhaps incorrect.



'Minecraft' sells 5 million copies on Xbox Live



While the AAP recommends the restriction of screen time for children to just 1-2 hours per day however, the Oxford study found that moderate use of screens over the recommended limits of the AAP could actually improve the well-being of children.



"Our findings suggest that the wider family context, how parents establish rules for digital screens, and whether they are actively exploring the digital world with their children is more important than screen time," Dr. Andrew Pryzbylski the lead author of the paper at the Oxford Internet Institute, wrote in the paper. "Future research should focus on how digital devices are utilized by parents or caregivers and turned into a social time that can affect children's psychological well-being, curiosity, as well as the bonds that are formed with caregivers."



Although these findings may be reassuring, they do not solve the issue of teaching children how to manage their virtual and real worlds. Perhaps if we were to enroll them in schools they could attend with their "Minecraft" mods Our kids would show more enthusiasm for math homework?


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