Former professional football player Rio Ferdinand has teamed up with Ukie to launch a campaign surrounding parental controls in video games.

The Get Smart About P.L.A.Y Campaign will look to encourage parents and carers to affiliate themselves better with tools in games to help manage screen time and in-game app purchases.

This follows a report conducted by the European video game industry body which found that only one in five parents whose kids spend money in-game utilise parental controls. A 2019 NSPCC study concurred with the results which stated that 19 per cent of parents of children aged five to 15 use the controls.

A YouGov poll was also carried out on behalf of Ukie which found that over half of UK parents and carers are concerned about the amount of time their children play games.

Balance

"My kids love playing video games but as a parent it is important for me to be able to manage the amount of time they play," said Ferdinand.

"Family controls can help achieve a balance at home between screen time and other activities. They're easy to use and save a lot of arguments in the long run."

The P.L.A.Y campaign has a four-step process to help set parameters with game time:

P - Play with your kids. Understand what they play and why.
L - Learn about family controls.
A - Ask what your kids think. Discuss ground rules before setting restrictions.
Y - You're in charge. Set restrictions that work for your family.

Those that are interested in learning more can find a step-by step guide regarding family controls here.

Recently Ukie granted memberships to BGI and the National Videogame Museum, bringing the number of associates to over 450.