Nintendo Warns of 3DS Use for Children Under 6

As evidenced throughout 2010, “3D” is a rather big thing. Countless Hollywood productions featured 3D versions, and the same can be said for PC and console games. In talking to many people about it over the past year, many of them seem to enjoy the 3D aspect, and would easily prefer 3D over non-3D. With that, it’d be easy to accept that 3D is cool for the whole family, but there’s a catch… children under the age of 6 should wait.

This issue was risen by Nintendo, which is preparing to launch its “Nintendo 3DS”, a spin-off of the Nintendo DS that introduces a 3D screen (that doesn’t require special glasses to use). As a console that’ll be attractive to kids all over, Nintendo has stressed that children under 6 should simply not be using the console in 3D, and at the same time, we can assume the same thing applies to any other type of 3D content.

The reason boils down to the fact that up until age 6, eyesight is still actively being developed, and watching 3D content, which kind of tricks the brain in certain ways, could affect the progression of developing eyesight, or even cause issues down the road. And of course, Nintendo also stresses that if you are using the console and feel ill, you should stop using it. Some people can handle 3D better than others.

Children younger than 6 who own a 3DS aren’t out of luck, though, as Nintendo includes a “3D Disable” toggle for that purpose. Once disabled, the console will act more like a regular Nintendo DS, and be safe for gamers of all ages.

In May, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata told the Associated Press that health concerns related to “children’s eyesight” were a key factor in the decision to make a 2D mode available on the 3DS. All players should discontinue 3D use if they do not feel well, Nintendo said. For older players, the company’s advisory suggests taking a break after 30 minutes of playing in 3D mode.