A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling means violent video games are here to stay, at least for now. Here’s what happened: The state of California tried to ban the sale of extremely brutal video games to children, arguing that games featuring killings, maimings, and sexual attacks are just as dangerous for kids as drugs, alcohol, and cigarettes. In fact, studies show that kids who play violent video games are more likely to experience extreme anxiety, get into fights, and have academic problems. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that children should be allowed to buy any type of video game.

The ruling is controversial. Pediatricians say kids who play graphic video games become desensitized to violence. The real danger is when they stop playing games, and get violent in real life. Mental health experts are backing the court up. They say that for centuries, children have grown up with horrific stories and turned out OK. After all, the classic children’s story, “Hansel and Gretel” is about two kids who kill their kidnapper by pushing her into an oven.  Also, experts warn that once disturbing video games are censored, it could cause a censorship spree on everything from questionable books, to board games.

What’s the fix? Parents, the American Academy of Pediatrics say it’s your job to protect your kids from disturbing video games. So, clean out their violent video game cache, including the games stored on their computer.