Nintendo warns against youngsters playing its upcoming 3-D system

(CNN) -- Nintendo is warning young children against playing 3-D video games on its upcoming handheld gaming system, the Nintendo 3DS.

Kids younger than 6 who play the 3-D games may have the growth of their eyes stunted, the company said in a statement on its Japanese website.

The warning notes that parents can turn off the 3-D functionality of the handheld 3DS. They can also set passwords that keep kids from using that feature.

The statement also asks everyone who plays the 3-D gaming system to take periodic breaks from the games as often as every hour or 30 minutes.

The warning follows many others on the potential health effects of three-dimensional entertainment. TV makers have issued warnings about young people, pregnant women and even drunk people viewing 3-D TV, noting that the medium may cause nausea, dizziness and seizures.

In one such warning, Samsung said those risks are heightened in kids.

Nintendo has largely gotten favorable reviews for the 3DS system, which lets players see games in three dimensions without wearing the clunky glasses that are required for most 3-D television and movie displays.

The company debuted the 3DS at a trade show earlier this year.

The $300 device is scheduled to hit stores in Japan in February and then in the United States in March.