A few weeks ago, an article about the safety of the popular game Roblox was published, along with reports of inappropriate behavior online with players. People are claiming that the game has sexually explicit content and that the interactive part of the game has brought in child predators that say suggestive things to your kids. We’ve looked into this extensively, and we’re both happy and sad to say it’s not true!! With any game out there, you will run into people often referred to as “trolls”, people who are just trying to ruin the experience for others. They’ll spread an untruth or an unfounded fear onto any platform they can, and with the lack of fact-checking on social media, one person’s untruth quickly becomes a trending story. Do you know how to make sure that both you and your child are safe online from these “trolls” and “predators”?
I, as a parent, have had to have the conversation about “stranger danger” online with both my son and daughter many times, and this type of talk is no different than the talk that I’ve had with them about the physical world – there is little to no difference in our digital age. We all know the beauty of the internet and online gaming, but how many of us truly have had this type of talk with our children about online dangers, or even set up the security settings on our children’s favorite online games? Roblox, like many other games, allows players to interact with other people within the game. In the case of Roblox we’ve found that the risks of playing online are far less than most other online games, but our point remains.
As always, we’ve got you covered with some tips and tricks you can use to keep your loved ones safe online. This article may use the popular online game Roblox as an example, but you can use these tips and tricks for almost any game and platform!
Talk to your children/loved ones about the dangers of strangers online. It is ok to make digital friends, but let them know that it is not ok for those friends to ask them to do, show or say things that would make them feel uncomfortable. You would be surprised at how people, especially these days, use the internet to say and post things that they normally never do in real life!- For children especially, make sure they know that some people will present themselves as children online when, in fact, that new friend they made could be anyone – even an older person who knows them, lives nearby and doesn’t have the best intentions.
- Report any and all suspicious activity! Most games online have either forums and/or options when looking at a user’s profile so that you can report them. If possible, if you hear or see the activity, it is best to record it and send it to Microsoft’s Xbox Live team, Sony’s PlayStation Network team, the game developer or even the police so they can take care of the matter. Remember, the report button is there to report bad behavior, not to rage against another player J False reporting only makes it more difficult and takes attention away from pursuing legitimately-reported threats.
- Most games/consoles have parental settings; take advantage of these settings as they protect both your loved ones and yourself from the wrong people. We will add links below for the respective consoles to help you manage these settings.
- Make sure that if your children are playing with others online that you know who they are playing with by having the audio from the television play the chat dialogue out loud. This way, you can monitor the voice chat and make sure that it is appropriate for your loved ones.
- Do not allow your child to play any game that is not rated by the ESRB! At times, with games on the tablet, some games (it’s rare, but it can happen) will be either in a beta stage or not yet rated, and this will bypass some parental safeguards. Always be mindful of what your children are downloading onto their smart devices. Remember, those devices are computers also, and they too can be hacked.
- If your children have friends that play the same game on the same console, arrange a virtual play date! This assures that both you and other parents know that their children are playing in the same game and chatting with each other. Think of it as having all of your children’s friends come over, but there is no mess to clean up afterward! J
- When in doubt, check it out. Most game developers have both the usual social media accounts and a website talking about the game and its details, and if you contact them, they are usually happy to answer any questions about their title and anything that may be concerning. If you are unsure about a game, please feel free contact us and we’ll help you in any way we can to get your gaming safety in order.
- Play along with your children. In this day and age, you will be surprised how much of a confidence and bond of love is developed when parents game with their children. Even if you do not know how to play the game, let your child/loved one guide you. This will also allow you to review the game and see if it is the right game for them to play.
As the digital age of gaming grows, so do the dangers online, but do not allow random posts of bad behavior scare you away from allowing a child to play their favorite games! Do the research, see what the truth is behind the story, and whether a rumor was just an isolated incident. Sometimes online, especially on social media, there are people that will use “scaremongering” tactics to make others quit playing a game. Do your research on the game and see for yourself. Most people do not realize that gaming for a child online can be a great thing for developing social skills, boundaries and decision making. It can build confidence, leadership and other skills for a child that would usually be shy in real life, and in turn, they’ll take those skills that they learned while playing online and apply it to their daily lives.
As always we would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please feel free to chime in on Facebook, Twitter, to contact us.
Xbox One Safety Settings:
PlayStation 4 Safety Settings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQlCXC_KqTY&t=3s&ab_channel=ESRB
