Video Game Culture: Leisure and Play Preferences of B.C. Teens - Household Rules
Household Rules Around Video Games and Television
The survey indicated that the majority of parents allowed their teenagers to freely use both television and video games. However, teens were more likely to report the presence of rules around the use of television (39 per cent of respondents) than video games (22 per cent). This was the case regardless of how much time the teens actually played.
For both TV and video games, household rules tended to focus on when teens used these media rather than on the content of the games or shows. For example, while 40 per cent of respondents had to finish their homework and chores before playing, only 15 per cent had restrictions around the kinds of games they could play. This was taken to indicate that parents were most concerned about the amount of time that adolescents dedicated to these activities.
Few teenagers reported getting in trouble for breaking household rules concerning video gaming. One interpretation of this finding was that teens typically maintained a good balance between important activities and their use of video games and television. However, those that played a lot did report getting into trouble more often. For instance, light players generally reported "never" getting in trouble for playing video games whereas heavy players typically said they "rarely" did. This difference was significant and was found for both female and male gamers.
