Whether at school or at home, children test their limits while playing and are unaware of the potential dangers that certain games can bring. Just like the prevention of domestic accidents, for which they are explained that they should not go near the iron because it is hot or that you should not run down the stairs, dangerous games require adults to ” ensure risk prevention.

Better safe than sorry… the adage is real. Dangerous games have always existed, since for children everything is learning through games. It is up to adults to inform them about the dangers that certain games can have on their health and that of their friends.

Parents, in their role of educator, will be the main source of information for:

• Teaching respect for oneself and others, not to do to others what we would not like others to do to us. For example: would you like someone to throw a water jump right in your face without warning you? Would you like a friend to send a picture of you on social media laughing at you?
• Show the links that exist between an act and its consequence by dialoguing.

“According to you, if one person knocks another down for fun, what happens?” »The child must be allowed time for reflection. He will be able to call upon his memories and perhaps tell a story lived or seen at school, during his free time. This exchange between parent and child can be done using media, videos, table games, books.

There are many references to talk about it. Mutuals, which work on risk prevention, offer free educational and fun materials on their site. The MAIF among others, offers a kit with a book, a quiz and games to make to talk about domestic dangers. It can be a nice gateway to talk about the risks that exist and these domestic dangers are directly related since dangerous games often involve fire, toxic products, etc.

Do not stay isolated with your discomfort and talk about it

Children should know that they can always find an adult who will listen to these dangers and that they should especially not isolate themselves. The parent can indicate which adults the children can turn to if they are victims of a game that bothers them, makes them uncomfortable. 

At school, it can be a teacher, an ATSEM, the CPE (Senior Education Advisor), the school nurse, the psychologist. During his free time, he can talk to his sports coach, to other parents present during training.

Children do not dare to approach the referent adult if they do not know him. Taking a few minutes to introduce the child to his coach face to face, for example, or to exchange a few words in his presence, will allow him to feel confident with this person. So he will be able to request it more easily.

National education is the second actor in this prevention of dangerous games among young people. “Increased vigilance” is brought to these practices in the playgrounds. Teachers benefit from training and educational support to train and teach students.

The attention of rectors and academy inspectors is regularly solicited in the back-to-school circulars to remind people of the need to implement a prevention approach aimed at parents and staff. “In each academy, a continuing education module is offered to doctors, nurses, social service assistants and school psychologists who are resource people for students”.

A TNS-Sofres survey, conducted between July 27 and August 3, 2007, questioned a sample of 489 children, aged 7 to 17, representative of the French population, on their knowledge and practices of dangerous games. This investigation revealed that:

• 84% of the children questioned know at least one dangerous game;
• 12% have already participated in a dangerous game;
• 26% have already been offered a dangerous game.

To make children understand clearly what dangers we want to protect them from, we must name them, as well as their consequences.

Non-oxygenation games

They are called “thirty seconds of happiness”, “lung game”, “tomato game”, “Indian dream”, “blue dream”, the most famous being the “headscarf game”. This lack of air has the following consequences:

• a feeling of heat in the head, buzzing, whistling, dazzling;
• complete loss of consciousness and often with convulsions;
• apparent death with cessation of breathing;
• real death.

Aggression games

The common denominator of aggressive games is the use of physical or psychological violence, perpetrated by a group of young people against a child alone.

Challenge games

All of the challenge games are based on the principle of “you’re not heading”. On social networks, certain challenges such as the Water challenge (bucket of ice water or burning on the face) or the Skull Breaker (knocking a person down when they jump in the air) have been the subject of alerts by the gendarmes, noting the disastrous consequences.