Do your kids play video games? If so, they’re not alone - in the UK, millions of children play video games on consoles, tablets, phones and computers. Gaming can be a great way for kids to play, learn and create, but it can also come with risks.
As the UK’s online safety regulator, keeping children safe online is a priority for Ofcom. That’s why we created Power Up Parents, a campaign to help parents navigate the ever-changing world of online video games.
You don’t need to be an expert in every game or feature your child is using. Remember - you’re already the expert in keeping them safe.
Helping your child stay safe while gaming
Whether they game once a day, once a month, or once a year, it’s important that your child feels like they can talk to you about the things they see and experience when they do.
Check, Chat, Change - what you can do as a parent
We know the gaming world moves fast, and it can be tricky to keep up with the many new features out there. The good news is you don’t have to be a gaming expert to help keep your child safe.
We’ve set out some simple steps you can take, so your child can enjoy all the benefits of online video games, safely. We are asking parents and carers to spend five minutes to:
- check the age their child’s account is set to;
- chat about the games they are playing and who with; and
- change the settings to help keep them safer.
With a range of supporting resources and helpful links, click on the below titles to find out how you can get involved in each part of the campaign.
The first step is to check the settings your child has in place for their gaming consoles or platforms. It’s important to check they’re registered with their correct age.
Gaming platforms and services restrict certain features, games or content for younger users. So having the correct age registered means they’ll have an experience appropriate for their age – rather than the platform thinking your child is older than they are. This also means that as the account gets older, your child might be less protected, as registered ages can also influence which features and experiences a child might have access to.
If you’re trying to decide what games are age-appropriate for your child, PEGI age ratings can help you decide whether the content of a video game is right for them. You might also see symbols explaining why the game received a rating, such as violence, frightening content, bad language or in-game purchases. PEGI ratings are designed to help you understand a game's content, rather than determine whether your child is ready to play it.
If you'd like to learn more about specific games, the Family Gaming Database provides detailed information about thousands of games, including age ratings, gameplay information and recommendations for families.
Looking up a game together can also be a useful way to start conversations with your child about what they enjoy playing and whether the game is right for them.
Take a few moments to regularly speak to your child about the games they are playing online and crucially, who with.
Encourage them to come to you if they see or experience anything upsetting when gaming, or if they receive strange messages. Reassure them they won’t be in trouble for asking for help.
When chatting about gaming with your child, why not start the conversation by asking questions like:
- What’s your favourite online game?
- What do you do in the game?
- What do you enjoy most about it?
- Who do you play with most often? Do you know them offline?
- Have you ever felt uncomfortable online?
- What would you do if you were worried or upset by something in a game?
You can also allow your child to be the expert by asking them to show you how to make a report or change a setting, or give you a tour of their favourite game to get a better feel for how they play.
If during these chats your child says something has happened online that has worried or upset them, there are some simple steps you can take.
Try to stay calm and listen carefully - it's important to remain curious not furious so your child feels comfortable talking openly about what has happened without feeling like they’re going to get in trouble.
Ask questions to understand what happened, who was involved and what was said or shared that worried them. Reassure your child that they have done the right thing by speaking to you and that they will not get into trouble.
Depending on what has happened, you might want to make a report on the game, block the users involved, or seek further support from a helpline, the police or your child's school. Find out more about how to do this in our ‘what to do if something goes wrong’ section of this page.
Now you know more about the games your kids play and how they use their preferred platforms, change the system settings and parental controls to help your child be safer.
The options vary depending which games your child is playing and which devices they are using, but can include restricting certain types of content, controls on friend requests and messages, playing time limits, privacy and spend caps.
Internet Matters has a range of guides about parental controls and settings: Parental controls and privacy settings guides | Internet Matters
What to do if something goes wrong
Encourage your child not to respond to upsetting messages or behaviour, and chat to them about the reporting and blocking tools available on the games they play. If possible, keep any messages, screenshots or other evidence that could help you to make a report.
You can report content, behaviour or users directly within the game. However, how to make this report varies between games, consoles and platforms.
If you're unsure where to find these tools, ask your child to show you how to do this on the games they’re playing. This can be a useful opportunity to learn more about their online experiences and chat about what they should do if something goes wrong. If you need help finding parental controls and safety features, organisations such as Internet Matters provide step-by-step guides for popular games and devices.
Get help and advice
There are lots of organisations that offer practical advice and support for parents and carers. These include:
- Internet Matters: guides on parental controls, privacy settings and online safety. guides on parental controls, privacy settings and online safety.
- Childnet: advice for families on helping children stay safe online.
- NSPCC: online safety guidance and support for parents and carers.
- Family Gaming Database: information about video games, age ratings and family-friendly gaming recommendations.
- Internet Watch Foundation: online safety advice and guidance on a variety of topics including sextortion.
- Parent Zone: guides on popular games, including podcasts and reports.
- Switched on to privacy: help and advice with issues around online privacy.
- Ask about games (UKIE): top tips and answers to questions about video games and the wider online landscape.
What do the stats say?
Our research shows gaming is the most popular activity for eight- to 17-year-olds to do in their free time. And nearly a third of three- to five-year-olds also play games.
While the majority (91%) of parents of gamers aged three to 17 do put some rules in place for their children, they’re still worried about the risks that gaming can pose, including children talking to strangers while gaming online, seeing violent content or experiencing bullying behaviour by other players.
Nearly half of children aged 13-17 also report concerns about behaviours such as trolling, abuse and intentional harassment.
Why Ofcom is running this campaign
As the UK’s online safety regulator, it’s our job to hold companies to account – including gaming services – to make sure they’re taking action to meet their legal duties and keep their users safe.
We also want to make sure parents, carers and other members of the public know about the simple steps they can take, that can make a big difference to their online safety. As part of this work, we developed the Parents Power Up! campaign focused on online gaming.
Online gaming is a hugely popular thing for children and young people to do, but one that we know parents have concerns about. We want to try and help them navigate the many different challenges for extra peace of mind that their child can enjoy gaming safely.