Parent-child rules regarding middle school children's game use

Abstract

This study aims to understand the current state of rules regarding game usage between mothers and their middle school children. Interviews were conducted with five mothers whose firstborn child plays online games for more than two hours daily. The manually coded items were categorized based on a thematic framework. As a result, the following categories emerged: game-related issues (unauthorized high-cost in-game purchases, staying in their room, playing games during meals, expression of aggression), parental intervention (speaking to the child, confiscation/prohibition, reducing game time, invalidation of rules), content of rules (game time limits, in-game purchases, storage location of gaming devices), and parental values regarding gaming (viewing games positively, monitoring children's independent gaming, concerns about physical health impacts, difficulties in time management, low priority of gaming, lack of understanding about children's gaming).