Quick tips
Help your child game safely by following these 3 quick tips.
Set parental controls
Set controls on the console, platform or app your child plays video games on.
Manage screen time
Agree on limits around how much time they spend gaming to help them balance their time online.
Play together
Take an interest in their video games by joining in gameplay to support them and learn more.
6 tips for safe online gaming
Playing video games can provide children and young people with endless opportunities. From communication and team building to developing skills and supporting wellbeing, there are plenty of positives.
To help your child keep online gaming positive, follow these tips.
Take an active interest
Taking an active interest in your child’s gaming can help keep them safe. This can look like asking them questions about their game:
- How do you play it?
- What do you like about it?
- Are there any challenges?
- Do you play by yourself or with others?
- What does [thing] do? / Why do you need to do [thing]?
Open conversations that let children talk about their interests can help in many ways. If something goes wrong, for instance, they’ll feel more comfortable coming to you because they know you have some knowledge of the game already.
Another way to take an active interest is to play the game as well. If it’s a multiplayer game, you can play together. If it’s single player, you can play on your own account or take turns playing together. This will naturally lead to conversations about the game and will also help you understand your child’s interest.
Discuss healthy behaviours
As a part of ongoing conversations around gaming, make sure you discuss behaviour. This can include their own behaviour and how they treat others, but also how others treat them.
Ask about the friends they play with — are they friends from school or did they meet in the game? How much information does your child share with them? What kind of language do they use with each other?
Make sure your child knows that a friend will never pressure them to share information or content that makes them uncomfortable. And make sure they’re aware of what information they should keep private.
Lastly, discuss when and how to use in-game reporting tools. Games where users communicate with each other generally have tools to block and report users. Review where they are with your child and give examples of when to use these features. Explore our step-by-step parental controls guides for games to help you understand the available tools.
Use age-appropriate settings and tools
A 7-year-old will need different parental controls than a 14-year-old, so make sure you take your child’s age and maturity into account. Use device settings as well as in-game controls to help manage your child’s safety.
- Use airplane mode on tablets and smartphones to limit access to the internet;
- Use separate profiles or children’s accounts where possible;
- Limit how much time they spend playing games independently;
- Get them in the habit of talking through their games, including things they did and did not enjoy.
- Use separate profiles or children’s accounts on consoles;
- Customise parental controls to limit communication and access to certain types of content;
- Keep gaming consoles in a common area in the home, such as the living room;
- Regularly check-in with them and review their understanding of reporting tools.
- Continue to use separate profiles to manage what content your child can access;
- Set screen time controls on the platform or using external tools;
- Keep gaming consoles in a common area in the home, such as the living room;
- If you allow spending, make sure to set strict restrictions using parental controls or by only connecting a refillable gift card;
- Keep conversations about safety and their experience going.
- Continue using parental controls, but give your teen a larger voice in these restrictions;
- Help your teen to set their own restrictions to take ownership of their safety;
- Continue checking in regularly as a non-negotiable to them playing games and managing their safety independently.
Research age and content ratings
Look up games on the PEGI database to check their age rating. Limit your child’s access to games which are rated well above their age. While these ratings are a guideline, it’s a good idea to stick close to them.
Popular video games consoles, including PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo, let you customise access to content based on age. This means that if your child browses the console store, they can only access appropriate games.
It’s important to note that just because the age rating is appropriate for your child, that doesn’t mean the game is. So, it’s important to read up on the games they want to play before allowing access.
Agree on boundaries around gaming
Whether it’s agreeing on play times or the types of games they can play, set boundaries to encourage healthy gaming. Consider their other responsibilities such as chores and schoolwork when deciding on play time.
You should also consider what activities you’d like them to balance gaming with. Perhaps you want them learning a skill, going to a friend’s house or creating something new. If gaming starts to get in the way of other activities, it’s time to revisit the boundaries you set.
Importantly, make sure you include the types of games they can play and with whom they can play when setting boundaries. Can they only play with school friends? Do they have to run new friends by you?
Agreeing on boundaries before they can play can reduce conflict in the future.
Develop your child’s digital resilience
Digital resilience is the ability to recognise and manage harmful risk online. This includes managing their personal privacy, thinking critically about what they see and getting help when they need it.
You can naturally develop a child’s digital resilience through regular conversations like those outlined above. Additionally, conversations about harm like hate, cyberbullying and scams can help your child avoid coming to harm. So, make sure you stay informed about online safety issues and keep conversations going.