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Minecraft: What parents need to know

The best-selling game of all time, Minecraft provides users with a sandbox experience in which they can create and explore in a block-based world.

Find out if Minecraft is right for your child.

Minecraft logo

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is a video game which allows users to build structures and explore areas in a block-based world. Minecraft is the highest selling game of all time, and despite being released in 2011, it is still the 3rd most played game in the world.

The game is rated PEGI 7, meaning it is appropriate for anyone aged 7 or older. Minecraft is available on almost every device that can be gamed on, including Xbox, Playstation, PC, Android and iOS.

How it works

Minecraft is based primarily around gathering materials from the game’s world and building structures made out of cubes, but there are various game modes in which this can be done. These include a survival mode in which players must fight enemies such as zombies and skeletons, and a creative mode where players are able to create whatever they like without any restrictions.

Players can play alone in single player worlds, but they can also go online and play in multiplayer lobbies with friends or strangers from all around the world. There are both private and public multiplayer servers, with players needing to receive an invite in order to play in a private server, while public servers can be accessed by anyone from the Minecraft menu.

A multiplayer chat function exists in the game which gives players the ability to communicate with each other while playing. Messages in the multiplayer chat will be seen by all players in the server. Players can also use ‘whispers’ to send private messages to other players, which no one else in the server can see.

Minecraft is also a highly customisable game. As it is based around building structures, players can access different servers and view other players’ creations. Modifications for the game can be downloaded from the internet, and these can change the game to varying degrees. Some will only bring small changes, such as adding an axe that chops down trees faster, while others will add guns or drugs to the game.

Once the game is purchased, no more money needs to be spent to play. However, players can buy ‘Minecraft coins’ with real money, which can then be used to purchase different maps and other content. A ‘Minecraft Realms’ subscription can also be purchased for £3.29 a month, or £6.69 a month for Realms Plus, and this gives users the ability to create their own servers. This is important for online play, as a private server gives a safe place for children to play with their friends without strangers joining.

Educational version

Minecraft Education is a version of Minecraft that was specifically designed for the classroom. Teachers can use this version to provide students with lessons on various subjects, allowing students to exercise problem solving skills and learn in an engaging way.

However, this version can only be played at home if your child’s school has been given an educational license to use Minecraft Education.

Minecraft parental controls

Children and teens account for a large portion of Minecraft’s userbase, and the game has a suite of parental controls in order to keep this audience safe while playing. Parental controls will be automatically applied to any account owned by a player aged under 16 years old. In order to manage these controls, a parent must create a Microsoft account and link it to their child’s Minecraft account.

These parental controls include:

  • Multiplayer controls: Parents can switch off multiplayer, meaning their child will not be able to play online with strangers
  • Communication: Filters can be put on the chat so that profanity is censored, and there are options to mute specific players or disable multiplayer chat altogether

Other controls, such as setting screen time limits and restricting purchases, must be set within the console or gaming devices settings. They can not be set directly through the Minecraft application.

Benefits of Minecraft

  • Nurtures creativity and problem-solving
  • Less violent than many games and graphic style is non-realistic
  • Automatic child accounts for anyone under 16 years old
  • Private servers so children can play and socialise with children they know
  • Some parental controls provided

What to watch out for

While Minecraft does offer some parental controls, these are limited so parents must remember to set other controls from the device settings, not just Minecraft’s own parental control settings.

Read our parental controls guides to find out how to apply settings on the most popular gaming devices:

Parents must also keep an eye on what servers their child joins. While joining private servers with friends they know in real life is good, joining public servers could expose them to inappropriate content and language or being contacted by strangers looking to cause harm. Be sure set controls so that they can not enter these servers, and speak with them often to find out if they’ve seen anything inappropriate or upsetting while playing.

As a video game, Minecraft can be addictive and cause an increase in screen time. You should monitor how long your child is spending on their device and ensure they have a balanced digital life.

Overall Minecraft is appropriate for children 7 years or older, as its PEGI 7 age rating reflects, but we recommend that younger children play single player mode only, and older children do not enter public servers.