As a parent I would be perfectly happy with banning GTA 5 Readers FeatureGameCentralPublished Nov 10, 2024, 1:00amGTA 5 not for kids (Rockstar Games)After Grand Theft Auto is banned in one country a reader admits that he wouldnt be upset if the same happened here, in order to protect his son.Earlier this week there was a news story about the country of Tajikistan banning Grand Theft Auto, as well as Counter-Strike. This was met with much patronising comment by a lot of gamers, but I have to say it doesnt sound that incomprehensible to me. I dont know why they banned it, maybe their reasons werent good, but as a father of a seven-year-old son I can completely understand why people would be concerned about the video games their children play.A reader commented only last week about how the average age of players on Call Of Duty used to be in the teens. That was certainly my experience and if theyve now moved on to Fortnite and other free-to-play games then I imagine its a very different, and more enjoyable, experience. Its definitely the case that most people on GTA Online seem to be far younger than they should be, judging by the age rating.When youre a kid the one thing you want to do above all is be treated as an adult and do all the forbidden things that adults get up to. Sex and violence in movies and video games is usually a kids first introduction into many concepts theyre too young for and Im not going to say thats completely unhealthy, but theres a line somewhere and in my opinion Grand Theft Auto crosses it.My boy is not allowed to play GTA 5, but I know for a fact he has at friends and probably behind my back in the house as well. What worries me is that while adults can see it as a parody of the worst of Americana, to a child all that parody and satire goes completely over their head and they take everything at face value.The language is a strong as its possible to be, the treatment of women is awful (it makes sense in that the men are all terrible people but even so), and the violence is unrelenting and treated as fun and amusing. Criminal activities, including stealing and drug-dealing, are treated as normal and without any moral consequence, if there even is a story context when playing GTA Online.I dont think Im being a pearl-clutching prude to say I dont want my seven-year-old playing that sort of game.But, like I said, he has. Despite my best attempts to stop him. Its not even that I want a ban, and I certainly wouldnt campaign for one, but if it happened I would be perfectly happy. I would instantly sacrifice the ability for me to play the game if it meant that kids couldnt. I dont think thats unreasonable and Im sure many parents would agree.In todays world there is practically no way to stop kids from accessing every kind of sex and violence you can imagine, and I dont even want to think about what kind of porn he might have watched already.Of course, Im sure plenty of people will pipe up with It never did me any harm but when parents reading this were kids we didnt have a game of the sophistication and complexity of GTA 5. The internet either didnt exist or was in its early days and extreme content was nowhere near as easy to get hold of.I watch the news in the last few months, and it is made very clear to me that we arent getting more peaceful or understanding as a society, but instead the opposite. Are video games part of the problem? I dont know, but I know theyre not helping. Especially not GTA 5.By reader BorsGTA 5 has an 18 age rating for a good reason (Rockstar Games)The readers features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you wont need to send an email.MORE : Why I don't think Starfield is a misunderstood gem - Reader's FeatureMORE : The PS5 Pro is not worth a near 50% price increase - Reader's FeatureMORE : Playing with my son at the UKs biggest games expo was unforgettable for both of us Readers FeatureSign up to all the exclusive gaming content, latest releases before they're seen on the site.Privacy Policy This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.