Safe Online Gaming Tips for Children

Games are fun and today’s games are played by everyone – from children and teenagers to grandparents and even great grandparents. But there are things you should know – and things you should or should not do – that ensure your gaming online remains fun.
 
The problem with everyone playing games today, especially when they head online, is that it is not always easy to work out just who you are playing. Some players pretend to be someone they are not – and usually there is no way of finding out if they are telling lies. But games can still be fun so long as you follow some simple rules designed to protect you and your friends.
 
The basics are pretty easy to grasp. Don’t give away personal information that you may regret later or anything about you, your family or friends, and do treat everyone you encounter online with some sensible suspicion. When you strike up conversations over the Internet with new people, never tell them your real name, email address or home address – and deal swiftly with Cyber Bullies. Cyber Bullies will try to find out information about you and then find ways to use it to annoy or upset you. Just like real life bullies, they are cowards who need closing down – and the best way to close them down is the simplest, block them from being able to send you any messages at all.
 
Games are fun – and that is how it should be. Follow our simple rules here to ensure that even online they remain so.
 
Do

• Do treat all the new people you meet online as strangers. Most will be very friendly but they may not actually be the person, or the age, they claim to be. As a rule of thumb, it is best to question everything and trust nothing when online until you know otherwise.
• Do learn how to block another player if their behaviour is inappropriate or makes you feel uncomfortable.
• Do not be a victim. If you think someone is a Cyber Bully and their actions have been especially mean and made you feel sad, ask a parent or guardian to report them to a game’s moderator or customer support team.
• Do look after one another online. Giving out a friend’s personal information online –including photos – may seem harmless but it could put them at risk. So do not do it.
• Do tell your parents if you are scared by anything anybody tells or shows you while playing online.
• Do be careful when you use voice chat to communicate to other players online. It can feel as natural as chatting on the phone to friends, but remember here you will probably be chatting to a complete stranger.
• Do take regular breaks. Games are fun but you should remember to take a 5 minute break every 45-60 minutes that you play.

Don’t

• Don’t let your guard down online – never forget that people may not be who they say they are.
• Don’t use your real name for your username or ‘handle’, use a nickname that is not going to attract the wrong type of attention.
• Don’t give out any private information to strangers. Your address, phone number or any other personal details are private and should remain private. Get a family email address that you can give out rather than private individual email addresses.
• Don’t show or send your picture to anybody online that you don’t know.
• Don’t meet someone you have only been in touch with online. If they keep asking to meet up, tell your parent or guardian.
• Don’t use webcams unless it is with people you know - and remember to turn them off after use.

Download the guide here.
 
Back to Good Online Gaming Guide