Monday, May 10, 2010

“Kids see suicide and sex on iPhone” plus 1 more

“Kids see suicide and sex on iPhone” plus 1 more

Kids see suicide and sex on iPhone

Posted: 09 May 2010 07:00 AM PDT

Sexually explicit and violent iPhone applications. Pic. John Fotiadis Source: The Daily Telegraph

Sexually explicit and violent iPhone applications. Pic: John Fotiadis Source: The Daily Telegraph

VIOLENT and sexually explicit games that have escaped government classification are being downloaded in their thousands to smart phones such as Apple's hugely popular iPhone.

The classification loophole means schoolchildren given smart phones and similar devices by their parents are being exposed to material which would be restricted in other forms of media, such as video game consoles, magazines and movies.

The material can be downloaded on to iPhones from Apple's App Store in as little as 60 seconds. A credit card or debit card is needed to create an iTunes account to download the apps.

In one game titled 5 Minutes to Kill (Yourself), players have the option of a number of weapons to "get the job done". The game's logo is an image of a man with a knife through his head.

In Girls And Drinks, players are encouraged to drink excessively to attract "sexy" barmaids. "Choose a sexy bartender. The more you drink, the sexier she gets," the spiel says.

The suicide game triggered a furious response from Beyond Blue chairman and anti-depression advocate Jeff Kennett. "Put this in the hands of a kid who is depressed or has been bullied, it's like throwing fuel on the fire to the problem," he said.

Apple has about 150,000 apps available on its site in Australia. Ratings given by Apple are in small print on the games' listings.

 

The games do not contain ratings from the Government's Classification Board, as they are required to under Federal law.

The board's website notes "games must be classified by the board before they can be sold or hired in Australia".

A spokeswoman for the Federal Attorney-General's Department said it was "considering the issue of mobile phone applications".

An Apple spokeswoman said the company "self-rated" a number of the game apps on its site. "Our approval process is about protection of consumer privacy, protecting children where we can," she said.

 

 

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Gleason: Little League turns out to be great for kids

Posted: 09 May 2010 11:03 PM PDT

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I announced in print around 10 years ago there would be one firm parental rule if I were so fortunate to become a dad. My kids would never play Little League.

Then I had kids.

Years of hearing Little League war stories with a similar theme — parents gone wild — left me skeptical of the experience. There seemed to be sufficient anecdotal — and video — evidence that league officials and corresponding town police departments were on speed dial. And that wasn't counting the undercover officers coyly sniffing out trouble from the stands.

But I can comfortably report that it's nothing like that. And it probably never was much like it, the horror stories at bare minimum. After three-plus summers at the Little League park, I've yet to see one father go all WWE on a manager for batting his kid eighth. Not one misguided mom chasing the third-base coach around the park with a pair of stilettos.

Anyway, my wife prefers flats.

Little League remains pretty high on the list of wholesome family perks despite numbers decreasing with increased competition for the kids' time. The only problem is the old man.

The cruelest irony in sportswriting is that you watch other people play as often as seeing your own kids in action. The night worker must get pretty creative with his schedule to see the games, and even then it's a 50-50 proposition.

These "Cat's in the Cradle" moments are ridden with intense guilt and pain. You are certain that you are causing permanent psychological harm to your kid, his bitterness forming and festering before bursting on his 16th birthday when he steals the family car and winds up in Colorado with a pack of cigarettes and $8 in his wallet.

"Well my son turned 10 just the other day,

Said 'Thanks for the ball dad, come on let's play;

'Can you teach me to throw' I said, 'Not today;

'I got a lot to do' he said, 'That's OK.'

And he walked away, but a smile never came."

But you know what? I'm no child psychologist, and maybe I'm just rationalizing the heck out of it, but my gut tells me kids are going to make it without mom or dad always behind the fence. My 8-year-old already has keenly noted that, for whatever reason, she seems to play better without me there. My 6-year-old's entire concerns are twofold — which parent is volunteering to retrieve postgame sodas from the concession stand, and the flavor.

Oh, I know they want me on hand. But we keep open the lines of communication. I tell them I'm doing the best I can to make each game, same effort I ask of them. They know I'm itching to roll out the balls on weekends or other off days. They know the local batting cage/ice cream parlor are always an option.

And they know, when the games have ended and bedtime beckons, a caring voice will be on the other end of the phone seeking information.

"Daddy, I hit the ball two times!'' my first-grader said the other night, and he hadn't hit it very often to that point.

That's great, buddy, that's great! I wonder if his hits are the result of increased focus or work in the batting cage, or even my absence. But then, like a lot of things, there's no need to over analyze the situation.

kgleason@th-record.com


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