Arkansas police warn parents about DSi child abuse dangers

Police in Arkansas have put out a warning to parents that the internet connectivity coupled with the forward facing camera of Nintendo’s new DSi could put children at risk.

“Now not only can the children be contacted, but they can be asked to provide pictures, video," says Sergeant Adam Holland, who investigates internet crimes against children.

Holland doesn’t say whether this has proven to be a problem with mobile phones that include similar functions, though he does advise parents to be more aware of all the new devices that allow kids access to the net - not just computers.

“It's a common misconception that, if I have control of this environment within my home and our computer usage, I therefore control what my child has access to. And that's proving not to be the case,” says Holland.

Although it doesn’t quite smack of unnecessary scare mongering, the danger posed by the DSi doesn’t quite seem to be the open invitation to paedophiles that the warning suggests. It goes on to point out that the new console has customisable parental controls to limit access to specific websites.

Raising awareness among parents is ultimately no bad thing, of course. It's also a timely reminder that it is, in fact, a parental duty to ensure child safety and keep a vigilant eye on their activities, rather than expecting Nintendo, Microsoft, Sony or any other company to do it for them.

Of course, there’s no completely secure method of accessing the internet, either, so education has a significant part to play every bit as much as parental controls on the DSi.