Head teachers in Cheshire have warned parents they will report them to the police if they allow their children to play games rated for over-18s.

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The BBC reports parents from 16 schools in the county received the letter from the Nantwich Education Partnership, with games like Grand Theft Auto "Several children have reported playing or watching adults play games which are inappropriate for their age and they have described the levels of violence and sexual content they have witnessed: Call Of Duty, Grand Theft Auto, Dogs Of War and other similar games are all inappropriate for children and they should not have access to them," the letter said."If your child is allowed to have inappropriate access to any game or associated product that is designated 18-plus we are advised to contact the police and children's social care as it is neglectful."The letter warned games like GTA could lead to "early sexualised behaviours", and also advised against letting children use Facebook or Whatsapp as it could expose them to exploitation.In the UK, the two highest ratings for video games are Mature and Adults Only, which are suitable for teens aged 17+ and 18+ respectively.Ratings are set by Pan-European Game Information (PEGI), and it is illegal for retailers to sell 12, 16 and 18 rated games to people below those ages. It isn't illegal for younger people to play them, however, which does make you wonder what weight the threat of reporting parents to police actually has.

Luke Karmali is IGN's UK News Editor. You too can revel in mediocrity by following him on Twitter