Gaming Safety for Families
Games are where most kids meet strangers online. Voice and text chat,
not social media, is where contact usually starts.
Settings to check on every platform:
- Chat. Restrict voice and text to friends only. Many
games default to open. - Friend requests. Require approval, and review the
friends list together. - Purchases. Require a password for every purchase.
Remove saved cards. - Privacy. Set the profile to private and hide the
online status. - Age ratings. Check what the rating actually covers.
Many rated titles have unrated chat. - Reporting. Learn where the report button is before
you need it.
Teach one rule that covers the rest: another player asking for
personal information, photos, a phone number, an app to move to, or
secrecy is not a friend, no matter how long you have played
together.
Watch for pressure around game currency. Offers to gift skins or
coins are a common opening move, and the gift always turns out to have a
price.
Start the conversation: “Who do you actually talk to in that game, and do you know them in real life?”
This article is educational. It is not medical, legal, or
emergency advice.