Helping Your Child Stay Safe with Online Games
Is your child mad about Minecraft? Crazy about Roblox? Obsessed with their PS5? Here are some top tips for keeping your child safe online when gaming.
Playing games online often comes with the territory with children and teens. . It's a fun way of letting off steam and can even help with life skills - helping your child to socialise, strategise, and work as a team with their friends.
Here are some top tips you can teach your child or teen to help them stay safe while playing games online. Please note that this advice should be taken in addition to safety advice for social media and the internet in general.
Create a Safe Virtual Profile
Online games are different from social media sites like Facebook, in that you often don't know who you are playing with. Your teen can of course play games with real-life friends only, by arranging a time to play together beforehand.
Many online games - and even the consoles used to play them - require each player to create a personal account to play. Personal details such as first name and surname are normally kept hidden, but other players will be able to see your child's username and profile picture.
Encourage your child to choose a fun username that doesn't incorporate any of their real names. Similarly, have them pick an illustration or avatar for their profile picture, instead of a real-life photo.
Keep Personal Details Private
Remind your child of the importance of not sharing any real-life details while playing games online, including their real name (especially their surname), their password, birthday, phone number, address, or even which school they attend.
Remind your teen that it's okay to refuse to answer when someone asks for personal details. If that person keeps asking, they can block them.
Block or Report Abusive Players
Online games are open to anyone, so players may be younger or significantly older than your child. Remind them that they can block any players they don't feel comfortable playing with, for any reason.
Blocking another player has slightly different results depending on the game/platform. Usually, blocking will severely limit the amount of information another player can see about your child's account, such as whether they're online and any updates they've posted. In most cases, a blocked player will not be able to contact the person who blocked them.
If another player is offensive or abusive, you can block and report them. Reporting a player means that you are logging their abusive behaviour with the developers/company who runs the game. Depending on the severity of their behaviour, this other player may receive an official warning, a temporary or permanent ban from the game, or another course of action. Other players will not be informed about who reported them.
Only Download Games and Adds-Ons from Official Websites
It is safest to buy new games for your teen directly from official websites, such as the Nintendo Store, steam online or the App Store / Google Play Store. Some websites try to sell well-known games or 'in-game item' bundles at a discounted price but can't always be trusted. In some cases, the download code they send you after you make a purchase won't work. In other cases, downloads may contain viruses that could harm your device, or the website is just a scam to make money. Stick to trusted sources.
Listen to Your Child's Concerns
Some games that might seem silly to you could be of great importance to your child. If they've lost a game and want to commiserate by talking to you about it, take a genuine interest in what they are saying.
If your child feels they can talk openly about the trivial things that have happened in a game, it's more likely they'll speak with you if something more serious is happening, such as online harassment.
Remind Them to Be Kind
It's as easy to say something we don't really mean online as it is to feel upset because of something other people have said or done. Remind your child that the things they say, and type online can have a real impact on other people's feelings. Engaging with others in a negative way also makes it easier to get involved in more serious concerns. A bit of good-natured competition is okay, but keeping things light helps online gaming stay as fun and safe as possible.
For more information on staying safe online, please check out our other blogs and the external resources below:
External Resources:
• https://www.saferinternet.org.uk/
• https://www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/online-safety/
• https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/online-gaming/
