Levelling Up Safety: Essential Gaming Guide for Parents

With the summer holidays underway, households across the country are juggling work, childcare, and the eternal quest to keep children entertained….

Unsurprisingly, young people are spending more hours plugged into gaming devices, tablets, and phones. While gaming offers an incredible space for creativity, stress relief, and connection with friends, it also brings real-world risks.

Between April 2025 and March 2026, Childline delivered nearly 1,000 counselling sessions where children specifically mentioned Roblox, PlayStation, Minecraft or Xbox.

Common concerns reported by young people include online bullying, threats of personal data being shared without consent (known as ‘doxxing’), fraudulent scams and unwanted contact from strangers. Meanwhile, parents frequently contact the NSPCC Helpline worried about excessive screen time, unapproved in-game spending and managing platform access.

However, counsellors also emphasise that gaming serves as a vital outlet for young people to escape everyday pressures and bond with peers.

To help families strike the right balance, the NSPCC has shared practical steps parents can take this summer to protect their children while ensuring gaming remains a positive experience.

6 Practical Steps for Parents This Summer

1. Explore games and apps together: Before giving the green light, check PEGI age ratings and risk levels. Better yet, try playing the game yourself for a short time or visit platforms like Common Sense Media for honest reviews. Having an open conversation about why your child wants to play helps build mutual understanding.

2. Master parental controls: Take advantage of built-in device features, such as PlayStation Family Management, Microsoft Family Safety on Xbox, and the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app. These tools let you block age-inappropriate content, restrict in-game purchases and set healthy daily time limits.

3. Tune privacy and communication settings: Restrict who your child can interact with online by locking down voice and chat functions to “Friends Only” or disabling them entirely on multiplayer hits like Roblox, Minecraft, Fortnite, and EA SPORTS FC. Remember, even games rated PEGI 3 or 7 can feature open online chat rooms.

4. Establish regular family check-ins: Maintain an active, supportive interest in your child’s online life rather than resorting to surveillance. Talk regularly about the servers and communities they join on platforms like Discord or Roblox, and remind them that interactions often spill over into wider social media.

5. Promote healthy gaming habits: Encourage regular physical breaks rather than marathon sessions glued to a screen. Educate children on basic digital hygiene, such as how to block and report abusive players, and coach them on never accepting suspicious friend requests or trading items with strangers.

6. Ensure children know where to get support: Remind your child that they can always turn to you or another trusted adult if something online upsets or worries them. Let them know professional support is also available through Childline on 0800 11 11.

“I’ve been feeling lonely. My little sister has additional needs and she takes up all of my parents’ time. I’ve learnt how to entertain myself, like making online friends on Roblox. My parents have stopped me going online because I was bullied at one point, but now it means I can’t talk to my online friends either. I felt supported by them and now I feel like I’ve lost them.” — Childline User (12–15 years)

“I’m feeling sad. I got scammed on Roblox and it’s making me feel stupid. I can’t get it off my mind. I shared my inventory with someone, who I thought was going to share theirs back, but they immediately left the game and blocked me. I’m annoyed as I felt pressured to share it.” — Childline User (Girl, age not disclosed)

Expert Advice from the NSPCC

Shaun Friel, Childline Director, highlights the importance of proactive parental engagement during the school holidays:

“Games and apps are an excellent space for children to have fun, learn and communicate with friends – yet they can also come with dangers and the risk of excessive screen time.

“Young people are telling our Childline counsellors that, while gaming, they have seen difficult content and that unknown players have tried to contact them. Parents should educate themselves about the technology that young people want to access, explore safety settings together and have open conversations with their children about how to stay safe online.

“Childline is here for any young person who has any questions or concerns when playing online — our trained counsellors are here to provide support, no matter the concern.”

— Shaun Friel, Childline Director

Content and advisory provided courtesy of the NSPCC. More information can be found here.