Nintendo of America

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Information for Parents

 

Welcome to the Wii Parents' section. This area is dedicated to addressing the specific questions parents may have on the Wii console. In this section you will find detailed information about:

  • Important Wii Console Privacy Information
    Through your Wii console you will be able to participate in a variety of games and activities some of which will be online. In order to protect your family's privacy, please read the recommendations in this section.

  • Parental Controls
    This section outlines how you can control what Wii content is accessible to your child.

  • Repair and Store Return
    This section explains why you should not return your Wii console to the store, and provides information on troubleshooting and repair options for your Wii console.

  • Safety Precautions
    While playing video games is generally a safe and fun activity, there are some precautions parents should be aware of. This section provides you with Safety Precautions for Wii.

  • Wii User Agreement and Privacy Policy
    If you have questions or concerns about online privacy, viewing the Wii End User License Agreement, or other legal- and privacy-related issues, click here for more information.

    • If at any time you feel your questions have not been answered, please feel free to e-mail us at Nintendo@noa.nintendo.com or call us at 1-800-255-3700.

 

 

 

 

Important Privacy Information

Through your Wii console you will be able to participate in a variety of games and activities some of which will be online. In order to protect your privacy and that of your family when using your Wii console, we strongly recommend the following:

  • PARENTS PLEASE READ: PROTECTING YOUR CHILDRENS PRIVACY

    • Before allowing your children to use the Wii console, we highly recommend that you educate them on the importance of not sharing any personal information about themselves with strangers. Instruct your children to not use personal information for any nicknames on your Wii console, user names in chat rooms,names for Miis or for any other services offered through the Wii console. Explain to them the danger of receiving messages from, or communicating with, strangers.

    • You should supervise your children’s use of the Wii console at all times and assist them with the setup of the Wii console. If at any time you want to stop your children’s use of online or interactive features of the Wii console, you can restrict access to Wii online services using the Parental Controls setting (click here for more information).

  • PROTECTING THE PRIVACY OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION WHEN USING THE Wii CONSOLE

    • Never give out personal information about yourself such as your first or last name, phone number, birth date, age, e-mail or home address when communicating with strangers or using any services offered on your Wii console.

    • You may have the option of linking your Wii Shop Channel account to your My Nintendo account. By linking your accounts, you will be able to register downloaded content and have such registrations reflected in both of your accounts. In addition, Nintendo will be able to connect your activity on your Wii Shop Channel and other online features of the Wii console to your My Nintendo Account and send you offers, surveys and promotions for games or other items you are interested in. If you do not want Nintendo to be able to do this, do not link your accounts.

    • If you use the messaging features of the Wii console, you need to understand that Nintendo may monitor your use and share certain information (i) as required by law, (ii) where necessary to protect the company, its customers or employees, or (iii) as necessary to provide the services.

    • If you decide to provide personal information to any third party website, the sharing of such information will be subject to the privacy policy of that company, not Nintendos privacy policy. Be cautious before providing any personal information to any third party through the online services offered on your Wii console.

    • Your Wii console may store certain personal information on your Wii Remote so please note that by using your Wii Remote on a Wii console other than your own, it is possible that certain personal information about you could be shared with that other Wii console.

    • For your protection, prior to selling or transferring your Wii console, please be sure to clean and securely remove all of your personal information including any pictures or messages on the message board and all other stored sensitive information on the Wii console hard drive. For information on how to wipe your Wii console clean of all such information, please click here.

  • SOME ADDITIONAL THINGS TO CONSIDER

    • When deciding if a game is appropriate for your child, check the rating. Use both the rating symbol and the content descriptors to select the most appropriate game for your child. For more information on the ratings and descriptors, click here.

    • Consider your child's unique personality, level of maturity and abilities. Every child is different, and parents should use their judgment in deciding which games are appropriate for their children. To review Nintendo's buying guide, click here.

    • Use provided Parental Controls
      Parental Controls restrict your child from accessing areas on our website and in the Nintendo Wii. For information on controlling access to areas of our website, click here. For more information on Wii parental controls, click here.

    • Play video games with your children
      Watch what games your children are playing and talk about games with them and others as often as possible. You can never have too much knowledge about the games your children are playing.

    • Don't stop at the ratings
      Search on line and in game enthusiast magazines for game reviews of the games your children are interested in.

      • Note: These tips were modified from an ESRB brochure. For more information on the ESRB, click here

 

 

 

 

 

Repair and Store Returns

If you are experiencing a problem with your Wii console we DO NOT recommend you return it to the store. Here's why:

Wii has two types of data that are tied to your specific Wii console:

  • The internal Wii System Memory stores your photos, game save data, messages, address book, etc.
  • The Wii Shop Channel Account is tied to your specific hardware which contains the licenses for your downloaded games, and your account transaction history.

None of this information can be recovered if you return your Wii to the store, and Wii Shop Channel transactions are non-transferable and non-refundable. In addition, returning your Wii console to the store without formatting your Wii System Memory or Wii Shop Account account (how to) could allow others to see information (e.g., photos, messages, address book) that is tied to your Wii console.

If none of this applies to you and you still choose to return your Wii to the store, please follow our Delete Usage Guidelines.