'Parents responsible for under-age gaming, not the industry' - Byron

Tanya Byron, author of the Byron Review - a study into the way children are affected by gaming and exposure to the internet - has underlined the role of parents in ensuring their children don't play games featuring mature content.

Byron's comments echo statements issued by key industry players when PEGI became UK law last week.

The Byron Review was also instrumental in the implementation of PEGI.

In an Metro interview Byron reiterated her 2008 findings that parents need to claim responsibility:

"When I did the review in 2008, I didn't see a cynical industry that was there to create games just to exploit and make money. The industry has always been very clear with me, in a very genuine way, that adult content is created for adults - it's not created for kids."

Byron added, "This has never been about putting the blame on the gaming industry. It's actually, I think, to have a very simple, streamlined system which the games industry is working really clearly with to make happen and being really responsible about letting people understand the content they're making and who it's for."

"But the gaming industry is fully supporting and enabling parents to get access to information wherever they can about these issues so fundamentally then it is all about the parents."

"We cannot subcontract responsibility for how children play games to the industry," Byron continued, "but I think now the industry has got a much clearer system what we see is an industry that's being absolutely transparent about what they're producing and how parents should be thinking about it when their kids are playing."

"And now it's fundamentally about educating and empowering parents because that's where the regulation really lies when it comes to children and gaming."

What do you think? Is this issue getting old, or does more need to be done? Let us know below.

Thanks OXM.