How do you stay safe when gaming online?
To stay safe when gaming online, use a made-up username, keep your real name and home town off your profile, and set voice chat and friend requests to friends only. Be wary of players who ask where you live, push you to another app or pressure you. Mute, block and report, and tell a trusted adult.
▶ Try it
Why it matters
Gaming with others is fun and can bring real friendships. A safe profile and a few warning signs to watch for mean you can enjoy it without giving strangers a way in.
In 6 minutes you'll be able to
- Made-up name, no home town, voice chat with friends only.
- Someone trying to get you onto another app is a warning sign.
- Muting, blocking, reporting and telling someone is always okay.
What you'll practise
Set up your gaming profile
You're starting a new online game. Make your profile safe and press “Check”.
- Real name as username
- Voice chat: friends only
- Friend requests from everyone
- Show home town on profile
- Purchases only with parent approval
- Text chat filter for insults
Game chat check
After a round, someone from your team messages you. For each message, decide: okay or warning sign?
xX_Shadow_Xx · Team chat
- Round 1
- gg! nice move at the end 👏 (Okay)
Normal praise between teammates. - next round u go left, i go right? (Okay)
A totally normal in-game plan. - what town are u from anyway? (Warning sign: Personal info)
Nobody needs to know where you live to play. You don't have to answer. - Round 2
- lol the other team was camping so hard 😂 (Okay)
Typical gaming small talk. - come in voice, typing is so annoying (Warning sign: Voice with strangers)
Voice chat only with friends you know. You don't have to talk to strangers. - got another app? easier to chat there (Warning sign: Switching apps)
Moving to another app gets around the game's reporting tools. Stay in the game. - why aren't u answering? thought we were a team 😒 (Warning sign: Pressure)
You don't owe anyone a reply. People who pressure you don't mean well. Blocking and reporting is fine.
Clan rules
What's smart in everyday gaming?
Your clan wants a group photo of “everyone in real life” in the clan chat. What do you do?
- Better not. An avatar is enough. (Answer)
- Sure, they're my clan mates
A stranger insults you in voice chat. What can you do?
- Mute, block, report (Answer)
- Insult them back
Someone from the game wants to meet up with you. What's right?
- Don't go, and tell my parents straight away (Answer)
- Go, he's nice in the game
Remember
Keep chats in the game and voice chat for real-life friends.
Chats stay in the game, voice chat with friends only.
Key facts
- 55% of UK children who game online say they play with people they have never met offline at least sometimes, and 1 in 5 do so all or most of the time. · Source: Ofcom, Growing Up Gaming research, October 2026
- Talking to strangers is UK parents' top gaming worry: 64% of parents of 3 to 17-year-olds who game online are concerned about it. · Source: Ofcom, Growing Up Gaming research, October 2026
- Police warn that offenders often try to move young people from a game or social media chat to a private messaging app, where it's harder to report them. · Source: National Crime Agency (UK), sextortion alert to schools, April 2024
- Most online games let you limit voice chat, text chat and friend requests to friends only, and parents can require approval before any purchase.
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Questions people ask
Is it safe for kids to play online games with strangers?
Playing in the same match is usually fine, but chatting is where the risk is. Keep voice chat to friends, share no personal details, and stay inside the game's chat where reporting works.
What are the warning signs in online game chat?
Questions about where you live or go to school, pressure to switch to voice or another app, gifts or in-game currency for nothing, requests for photos, and guilt-tripping when you don't reply.
Should my child use voice chat in games?
Voice chat is safest when it's set to friends only, people your child also knows offline. Check the game's settings together and agree on the rules.
What should you do if someone is mean in an online game?
Mute, block and report them using the game's tools, and don't insult them back. If it keeps bothering you, tell a trusted adult.
Related terms