There are certain video games that kids just aren’t ready to play.

I don’t believe that playing a violent video game is going to cause a child to grow up to be a murderer or a felon, but that doesn’t make it completely okay for every young kid to play every “Rated M” game. The ratings exist for a reason.

This issue has come up quite a bit with the release of “Grand Theft Auto V.” Many parents purchased this new game for teenagers that are a few years shy of being able to buy the game on their own.

But some bought it for children as young as eight or nine years old.

This game was meant for adults. Friends have told me just how bad the language is. There is a mission in a strip club with the objective to touch the stripper without the guard noticing. Nude pictures are sent to the characters via text, and according to my friends, there are non-blurred breasts to be seen at that same strip-club. The latest version still has the classic car-jackings and stabbings that have been some of the series’ staples for years.

I have nothing against any of these features in the context of the game. The creators put them in to be enjoyed by their intended 17 and older audience.

Ultimately, it’s the parents who need to make the decision. Not every kid is created the same. Some might be able to handle the extreme levels of mature content. Most can’t. There needs to be a limit.

If a child has yet to go through puberty, don’t buy them GTA V. That child may be smart and mature for their age, but they still aren’t mentally developed enough to handle the increased aggression in feelings and thoughts that violent games produce. Nor are they mentally developed enough to know what they can handle themselves.

Consider exactly what’s behind that M rating and realize that pre-teens – especially pre-double-digit teens – just aren’t ready to play certain games, no matter how badly they might want to.