Experts warn of rising risks as children spend more time on online games

By Charithya Kumarasiri

Colombo, May 14 (Daily Mirror) - Online gaming is facing growing scrutiny as concerns mount over its behavioural and psychological impact on children, including addiction, exposure to strangers, and rising cases of uncontrolled in-game spending.

Senior Information Security Engineer at the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), Charuka Damunupola said the shift from offline to online gaming has changed the way in which children engage with games, particularly through real-time interaction with unknown players from across the world.

He said unlike traditional offline gaming, online platforms now allow gamers to interact with live users globally, often strangers, creating increased emotional dependency. He also noted that children may spend long hours in these environments and gradually begin seeking emotional support from unknown players, and forming personal connections in virtual spaces. “They seek emotional support from these unseen individuals and start sharing personal information and personal problems,” he said.

Damunupola warned that this behaviour can lead to more serious risks, including the sharing of sensitive personal data and private images with strangers met through gaming platforms.

He also pointed out that while most games carry age ratings and content warnings, monitoring remain limited. He referred to PEGI (pegi.info) as one of the systems providing age classifications and content descriptors for games. “There is an age group for each game. Parents can check ratings through the PEGI website, pegi.info, although it mainly includes popular games,” he said.

He added that the platform also identifies content elements such as gambling, sexual content, fear, discrimination, drugs and bad language.

Damunupola further said modern online games are increasingly designed around reward-based systems that can encourage compulsive behaviour similar to gambling. “When games become highly addictive, children start purchasing items within the game. In some instances, parents have complained about children using credit cards and spending up to Rs. 400,000 to Rs. 500,000 on games,” he said.

He said parents have also reported behavioural changes in children, including aggression and emotional distress when access to games is restricted.

He added that regulating online gaming remains challenging due to the global and digital nature of the platforms, making enforcement difficult.

Instead, he suggested that parental controls and screen time limits are more practical measures to manage children’s gaming habits.

These concerns come amid growing public debate on children’s smartphone use and online gaming, following the death of a 16-year-old student in Kurunegala, which has renewed attention on digital safety and parental supervision.