For experts, it takes more than video games to raise a child

Childhood no longer exists solely in classrooms, neighborhoods, or playgrounds — it also unfolds in digital worlds, where children learn, compete, create, and build friendships.

As these virtual spaces become part of growing up, they’ve reignited debates over how games shape children’s development and whether stricter regulations are needed to protect young players.

Yet experts say framing games as either beneficial or harmful oversimplifies a much more complex reality. Rather than asking whether children should play games at all, they argue the more urgent question is how families, schools, government, and the gaming industry can work together to help children navigate an increasingly digital childhood safely and responsibly.

The Philippine gaming landscape

The notion that games automatically equate to children still exists. This, however, is no longer the case in the Philippines. According to Game Developers Association of the Philippines President Ria Lu, 80% of the country’s 60 million players are adults, while only 20% are children. Games are now enjoyed across all ages, and the industry has grown complex since then.

With this, Lu emphasized the importance of placing proper ratings on games. She explained that, much like movies, games are classified on the platforms they are distributed to. Labels such as 13+, 16+, and 18+ indicate which games are still appropriate for a certain age group. This distinction is especially crucial now as more children get exposed to the digital world. 

Game developers must have a clear target of who they are creating these games for. Lu said, “Hindi pwedeng mukhang children’s game pero may mga adult content. Hindi pwedeng ganun. (Games cannot look like children’s games but have adult content. It shouldn’t be like that. ) Or if it’s an adult game, it should look like an adult game…” 

A digital childhood is the new normal

As technology becomes increasingly woven into everyday life, children navigate both physical and digital spaces simultaneously. Video games have become a defining part of that experience.

The conversation now is less about whether kids should encounter digital media, and more about how they can engage with it safely and meaningfully.

For many children, games are no longer simply a way to pass the time — they’re places to connect, functioning like modern-day playgrounds where kids build friendships, collaborate, and stay in touch with classmates after school.

This also challenges assumptions about why people play. “Most of the time, people think that people just play games because they’re bored. That’s not true,” said Lu. People play to tell stories, solve problems, compete, socialize, and find excitement — much like books and films, games have become a storytelling medium that entertains and teaches.

Dr. Randy Dellosa, a clinical psychologist, sees this as part of a larger reality. Children now live in two worlds at once 1 offline and digital — and “with digital natives such as the children of this generation, it’s not that the online world is separate from them, but it is that they live in the online world as well as the offline world. So, it’s really part of their whole life,” he said.

This presence also brings benefits beyond entertainment. Research links age-appropriate gaming to improvements in problem-solving, strategic thinking, and creativity. Multiplayer games build communication skills, and narrative-driven titles can cultivate empathy–part of why schools are exploring gamified learning.

Yet experts caution against viewing these benefits in isolation. The same spaces that foster creativity and connection can expose children to cyberbullying, predators, and inappropriate content. Meanwhile, excessive gaming can interfere with sleep, school, and family life without healthy boundaries, fueling calls for stricter regulation particularly around violent content.

However both Dellosa and Lu warned against simple cause-and-effect. Rather than asking whether violent games cause violent behavior, they argue the real question is under what circumstances children are playing — shaped as much by family relationships, supervision, and peer influence as by what’s on the screen.

Dellosa compared it to teaching a child how to swim: adults would never throw a child into deep water and expect them to figure it out alone. Children shouldn’t be left to navigate digital spaces without guidance either. “It is very easy for us to blame games,” Dellosa said, “and then totally ignore the life of the child.”

What the different players must do moving forward

“It should be a village that raises up a child,” said Dellosa. “Gaming and social media is never the enemy. The enemy is really lack of supervision, unhealthy environments, unhealthy relationships, bad influence online and offline, and perhaps mental health issues,” he added.

Lu shared a similar sentiment, saying children’s safety is “not the responsibility of one entity but a shared one — meaning each stakeholder plays a crucial role in creating safer environments. 

Parents, of course, remain at the very core of this effort. Both Dellosa and Lu emphasized that everything starts at home, where awareness, open communication, and emotional support help prevent unhealthy gaming habits. 

Take buying a new phone as an example. It’s often given to children so they can reach parents during emergencies–but simply handing over a gadget isn’t enough, Lu said.

Dellosa added parents should learn how to use phones and play the games to familiarize themselves with modern technology. Looking beyond the screen, he argued, helps adults understand why children play in the first place—and what they may truly need. Tools to block inappropriate content or prevent contact with online predators already exist; parents just need to know how to use them.

Lu acknowledged this can be difficult, especially for an older generation who already has a lot of their plate. That’s why collaborating with game developers matters, she said. They can help reach parents through tutorials, seminars, and open-forums, bringing parents a step closer to safer gaming environments for their kids. 

As for game ratings, Lu said the responsibility ultimately falls on game developers to keep them accurate. As the gaming landscape grows, developers, platforms, and game storefronts must carefully consider who gets easy access — strengthening age verification, which is now harder to enforce online than it once was in physical video game stores. 

Beyond parents and gaming platforms, schools are increasingly seen as a third stakeholder. As a child’s second home, Dellosa said, educational institutions are being called to integrate digital literacy into their curricula, especially now that these technologies are woven into daily life.

Experts also point to prevention as the more sustainable approach–investing in digital literacy education, mental health services, community programs, and recreational opportunities, rather than relying on regulation only after problems surface.

This outlook also reframes how violent incidents might be discussed. While it’s simpler to blame video games, experts suggest this overlooks more pressing concerns. For Dellosa, the more useful questions are less about the games and more about the child: How are they doing, mentally and relationally?

For Lu, the debate over blame ultimately distracts from a shared goal: creating safer spaces for children. “[If] you don’t know where to start, talk to us. Let’s figure something out,” she said, “I don’t think we should be blaming each other.”

After all, as Dr. Dellosa repeatedly expressed, “It should be a village that raises up a child”— and that village exists to be maximized. – Rappler.com

Charley Dueñas and Sophia Bautista are 4th year AB Communications students from the Ateneo de Manila University and are part of the Rappler internship program.