Is the Wii a threat to the virgin innocence of America’s youth? Shelly Slater (sslater@wfaa.com), a reporter with WFAA in Dallas/Ft. Worth seems to think so.
After talking with sources like “other parents” and “a blog” about the dangers of Internet browsing on the Wii, Slater comes to the conclusion that it is (and the PS3 as well).
But because the Wii, the PS3 and other game consoles have Internet access, it’s easy for kids to access porn. “It’s very upsetting something this popular’a kid game’can go that direction so quickly,” Schroeder said.
Young kids get it. In a blog, one child boasted, “The first thing I thought of when I downloaded the Wii browser was also porn.”
Personal note to parents: Spend time with your kids. Talk with them. Learn about their likes and dislikes. Know what they’re up to. In other words, be a parent.
What’s the fallout for this story been? I’ve seen it around on gaming blogs this week. Should the reporter have called Nintendo for comment? Sony? Should the fact that this is a beta release have been mentioned? Why were PCs not singled out in this story, seeing as they are the dominate medium for adult material?
[Image, no lie, is courtesy of WPAA’s web site]
UPDATE: The channel is WFAA. And yes, that is the WFAA’s original image for the story. (Since altered, by them.) Thanks MacUser.
This is ignorant. You're totally right about it being the parents, and the only reason she singled the wii out is because of the mass media attention.
Did they alter the text of the image on their site from "Sex Machine" to "Games Provide Internet Access" or did you add the "Sex Machine" text?
Uh, I don't think Jack altered that. From what I remember, it was there when I first saw it.
You can tell they changed it from "Sex Machine" to "Games provide Internet access"… it looks like they just blacked out "Sex Machine" instead of using the original picture.
In the image courtesty of line, you call it the WPAA. It's WFAA.
yes, i thought there was a Parental Control tab in the Wii System Settings?Or was that just for "the Wii will turn off after bed time" kind of control.Sensationalism at its finest. This is why local news is irrevalent. And parents are smarter than this already. Its not like computers havent been around for oh a dozen years.
The internet was made for pr0n…A child could also use the telephone and call a sex hotline…?PEOPLE. This is is just a stupid article.
once again the media trys to find the most innocent thing and make it look like some sexual things children toy with. what i cant stand is how often they do this. hillary: omg! internet has pr0n?! no ways! i thought it was only available on teh wii!
The title should of been "Kids Like to Play With Their Wii's".
Give me a break. Parents can delete the wii's internet browser if they don't want it. They can't easily do the same with internet explorer on any Windows computer. Among other obvious points.