Is Call of Duty Bad for Kids? Real Risks Parents Can’t Ignore

Call of Duty is one of the most popular video games that kids play daily. Nevertheless, there are risks in the game, including safety, age appropriateness, and online exposure. It leaves most parents wondering if Call of Duty is bad for kids. This guide will help parents know whether Call of Duty is right for your family since the age rating isn’t the only factor.

Quick Answer for Parents

Is Call of Duty bad for kids? Yes, especially for kids below the age of 15. The game is too violent, the voice chat discussion can be toxic, and sometimes it causes the use of real money. However, older teens who are mature enough emotionally are allowed to play, provided that you closely monitor their gaming sessions.

What Is Call of Duty and Why Kids Want to Play It

Call of Duty is a war game that is played by adults, as there’s much shooting and killing involved. The graphic is hyper-realistic, and doesn’t suit kids at all. Due to its harsh fighting and adult content, there are a lot of worried parents who ask themselves if Call of Duty is bad for kids.

The game is popular on YouTube and TikTok, and kids enjoy playing it as it’s a competitive game, and they can play it together. Nevertheless, they’re easily vulnerable to unhealthy communities when they play online. That is precisely the reason why Call of Duty is even worse for kids who aren’t emotionally mature enough to deal with it.

A lot of parents ignore the Call of Duty age rating because they see it as a game and don’t consider how realistic it is or how killing is rewarded. Default open voice channels will surely expose kids to strangers, but parents mistakenly think their child is safe as long as they don’t use the chat feature. Moreover, assuming the mobile version is safer is also misleading because both have similar dangers and addiction risks.

Key Risks of Call of Duty for Kids

There are several serious risks in the game that go far beyond simple screen time concerns. These specific risks help answer is Call of Duty is bad for kids for concerned parents.

1. Intense and Realistic Violence

The game is played in the first-person perspective, making the shooting very real and intense. Players receive rewards upon killing enemies, and they’re made to believe that by doing so, they get satisfaction out of it. A combination of real-life fighting and rewards is the reason why Call of Duty is bad for kids.

The American Psychological Association (APA) holds that exposure to violent games may induce temporary elevations in players’ aggressive thoughts and behaviors. For decades, the APA has conducted extensive research into how video games and other media impact kids, while advocating for the gaming industry to integrate robust parental control features into game design.

The issue of emotional outbursts triggered by Call of Duty is also being hotly discussed on Reddit, striking a chord with numerous users. They admit to being completely unable to control their emotions while playing—yelling in frustration yet jumping right back into another match, and falling into this vicious cycle repeatedly. It’s only after stepping away from the game for a while that they finally calm down and regain their composure.

2. Unfiltered Voice Chat With Strangers

Through the live voice chat, strangers are able to talk to your child. It doesn’t have filters, and therefore, your child will hear swearing and bullying immediately. You can’t block these harmful words in real time either, so this feature makes the game extremely unsafe for kids.

3. Competitive Pressure and Aggressive Behavior

The play is fierce and can sometimes cause kids to rage when they lose. Young players tend to be immature in dealing with losses calmly. This failure to cope with frustration is the reason why Call of Duty is bad for kids who are still developing emotionally.

4. Excessive Screen Time and Late-Night Gaming

Games last long (up to 30 minutes) and are meant to keep the players addicted. The desire to play one more time usually results in addiction. This leaves kids staying up late at night, disrupting their sleep patterns and physical well-being.

5. Apps In-Purchase

There are many costly products in the game shop that lure kids into using real money. This is the force to purchase new skins, which is why Call of Duty is bad for kids who don’t know the worth of money. They’re easily deceived by time-sensitive deals and end up spending a lot without much knowledge of the actual price.

Is Call of Duty Ever Appropriate for Kids?

Call of Duty isn’t appropriate for younger kids since it contains realistic violence that isn’t suitable for kids. Teens aged 15-17 may be permitted to play, provided they’re emotionally mature and their parents are actively involved.

If your teen has trouble with aggression and cannot even can’t control their emotions, it would not be recommended for them.

How Parents Can Reduce Call of Duty Risks

In case you leave your teen to play, don’t just use the age rating of the Call of Duty, but make use of active supervision and strict settings to ensure that your child isn’t harmed.

Use In-Game Parental Controls

To make the game less violent, you can disable gore in the settings. In the in-game menu> Options> Content Filter >turn off Content Graphic. Then the adult language, blood, and gore are disabled.

It’s also important to have voice chat muted and stranger requests turned off to avoid undesired contact. Such environments provide a positive beginning to restrict graphic materials and harmful interactions.

Unfortunately, these settings aren’t locked, so kids can easily switch them on. These controls aren’t sufficient to ensure safety because they’re easy to bypass. Thus, is Call of Duty bad for kids without supervision? The answer is clearly yes.

Talk openly with kids

Have an honest, non-judgmental conversation with your kids about what they encounter in games and how to act appropriately online. This helps them build their own sense of judgment and understand potential online risks from an early age.

Lay out specific, easy-to-understand rules for game time and online conduct, and define consistent, reasonable consequences for breaking them.

Discuss with your kids the importance of avoiding late gaming sessions to ensure their sleep isn’t disturbed. You must also balance between school and play, making gaming a reward for homework. Such obvious regulations can help avoid addiction that is usually connected with this game.

However, verbal rules and even well-negotiated gaming agreements can only go so far and fail to hold up in practice. Teenagers, especially those who are tech-savvy, can easily disregard verbal boundaries when tempted by gameplay, and there’s no way to enforce these rules or track violations in real time.

With the Parental Control Tool to prevent potential risks

Verbal rules are far from sufficient to manage gaming risks effectively. Use a professional parental control tool to keep an eye on your kid’s game time, online interactions and content exposure in a non-intrusive way. It acts as a reliable safety net to alert you to potential online risks while respecting your child’s privacy.

How AirDroid Parental Control Helps Parents Manage COD Safely

In-game settings and verbal agreements aren’t enough because tech-savvy kids can easily bypass them. As kids grow older, they will learn to navigate basic in-game limits. Additionally, many risks happen outside the game itself, such as in private chats or meeting up dates.

AirDroid Parental Control helps you spot toxic habits early and put kids’ online & offline safety as the first target.

• Detect toxic gaming patterns: With app usage reports, parents can effortlessly see how long and how often kids use apps, and can distinguish if kids have overused apps.
• Prevent gaming addiction before it escalates: Scheduling features can help parents set a healthy boundary between screen time and school/sleeping/resting time.
• Switching to chat apps: Kids may be lured by strangers to chat apps. With AirDroid’s social media detection feature, it can easily detect potential risks and alert parents in real time.
• Set limits that can’t be bypassed: Can set strict screen time limits that can’t be bypassed. In some emergencies, you can even directly block the app.

Final Verdict for Parents

Call of Duty isn’t a game that kids can enjoy due to its high level of violence, toxic voice chat, and screen addiction. Considering such risks, yes is always the answer to the question: Is Call of Duty bad for kids?

Therefore, age rating for Call of Duty shouldn’t be the only one that you use—you may use such tools as AirDroid Parental Control to establish healthier boundaries.

Is Call of Duty bad for a 10-year-old?

Elsa

Yes, the game is too violent and stressful for a 10-year-old. They’re not emotionally ready to deal with such realistic combat yet.

Is Call of Duty bad for a 13-year-old?

Elsa

Generally, yes. Kids at this age will tend to hear swearing and face bullying. It’s also highly addictive, thus making them in a distorted upbringing environment.

Can kids turn off voice chat?

Elsa

Yes. Nevertheless, they can always switch it back on. To ensure that your child is safe on the Internet, it’s better to resort to such third-party apps such as AirDroid Parental Control that is difficult to crack.

Is Call of Duty Mobile safer?

Elsa

No, it still introduces kids to the same violence and toxic chat, and it can even be more dangerous. Phones are small and can be carried anywhere, and kids can play secretly.

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