Massachusetts General Hospital and Michigan State University surveyed more than 1,200 middle school kids about their computer and video-game habits. Two thirds of the boys and more than one in four girls admitted they’d played at least one game rated “a lot in the past six months.” An M rating — Mature, for ages 17 and up — indicates a game may contain heavy-duty violence, strong language and sexual content.

The research showed that kids who routinely played M-rated games were more likely to

• be boys
• play the games with friends, older siblings or strangers online
• have both a gaming system and a computer in their bedroom
• use video games to deal with their feelings — manage anger, forget problems, relax or feel less lonely

Parents can keep their children from playing inappropriate video games or online games:

• Keep computers and video-game consoles in open areas and out of kids’ rooms
• Preview games before giving them to your kids (rent them from the library or video store before buying)
• Use the parent-control options offered by your Internet service provider (ISP)
• Install software or filtering programs to ban access to certain sites and keep other sites from coming in
• Monitor your child’s Internet activity
• Make sure your younger kids aren’t playing games intended for older siblings

The Entertainment Software Rating Board has established the following video-game ratings:

• EC — Early Childhood: ages three and up, “no material that parents would find inappropriate”
• E — Everyone: ages 6 and up, “may contain minimal cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, and/or infrequent use of mild language”
• E10 — Everyone 10 and up: “may contain more cartoon, fantasy or mild violence, mild language, and/or minimal suggestive themes”
• T — Teen: ages 13 and up, “may contain violence, suggestive themes, crude humor, minimal blood, simulated gambling, and/or infrequent use of strong language”
• M — Mature: ages 17 and up, “may contain intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and/or strong language”
• AO — Adults Only: ages 18 and up, “may include prolonged scenes of intense violence and/or graphic sexual content and nudity”

How much is too much? Read what other parents have to say about video games on the She Knows blog.