A comprehensive guide to keeping children safe while gaming — covering online chat risks, age ratings, in-game purchases, and practical controls for every platform.
Gaming is one of the most popular activities among children and teenagers in the UK, with most young people playing regularly on consoles, PCs, tablets, or phones. While gaming offers genuine benefits — from problem-solving and creativity to social connection — it also presents specific risks including unmoderated voice and text chat, exposure to inappropriate content, excessive spending on in-game purchases, and contact with strangers. This guide helps parents understand the gaming landscape and take practical steps to keep it safe and enjoyable.
Modern gaming is overwhelmingly online and social. Children rarely play in isolation — they connect with friends and strangers through multiplayer games, voice chat, text chat, and streaming platforms like Twitch. Games like Fortnite, Roblox, and Minecraft are social spaces as much as they are games, with children building, chatting, and spending time together within virtual worlds. Understanding this social dimension is essential, because the risks in gaming are often more about the people than the content.
In the UK, the PEGI (Pan European Game Information) rating system classifies games by age suitability: 3, 7, 12, 16, and 18. These ratings consider violence, language, sexual content, discrimination, drugs, and gambling themes. PEGI ratings are legally enforceable for physical game sales in the UK, meaning retailers cannot sell an 18-rated game to a minor. However, digital downloads and free-to-play games are harder to police. Check the PEGI rating and content descriptors for every game your child wants to play — do not rely on the fact that 'everyone at school plays it'.
In-game voice and text chat is where many of the most concerning interactions occur. Children can be exposed to abusive language, bullying, and contact from adults with harmful intentions. Many popular games enable voice chat by default, meaning your child may be communicating with strangers from their very first session. Review the chat settings of every game — most allow you to disable voice chat, restrict text chat to friends only, or mute other players. For younger children, disabling chat entirely is the safest starting point.
Many games — including free-to-play titles — generate revenue through in-game purchases such as cosmetic items, battle passes, and loot boxes. Children can spend significant amounts of money quickly, sometimes without fully understanding the real-world cost. Loot boxes, which offer randomised rewards for payment, have been compared to gambling and are a particular concern. Set up purchase authentication on every device so that any transaction requires your password or approval. Discuss the value of money and set clear spending limits.
For most children, gaming in moderation is a positive and enjoyable activity. However, excessive gaming can affect sleep, physical health, schoolwork, and social relationships. Watch for warning signs such as irritability when asked to stop, declining interest in other activities, disrupted sleep, or falling school performance. Some games are deliberately designed to encourage extended play sessions through reward mechanics and time-limited events. Having clear time boundaries — agreed in advance — helps prevent gaming from becoming problematic.
Every major gaming platform offers parental controls. PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch all have dedicated apps that let you manage play time, restrict games by age rating, limit online features, and control spending from your own phone. On PC, Steam offers Family View, and individual game launchers like Epic Games have their own settings. Roblox has specific parental controls including account restrictions for under-13s. Take time to set up controls on every platform your child uses — the investment of time upfront pays off significantly.