My kid met someone online in a game and it made me paranoid

Jan 111 min read

So my 10yo was playing some Mario Kart thing on Switch and got a friend request from someone who was "nice" in the lobby. Didn't accept it, which is good, but when I asked him about it he was like "why would they be weird?" and I realized I never had the talk about online predators with him. That was a wake-up call. Had the conversation yesterday (tried not to scare him) and now he seems anxious about online gaming. How do you teach them to be safe without making them paranoid? This is new parenting territory for me tbh.

6 comments74 views

Comments(6)

BBrandon T.New DadJan 12

Set up parental controls where you can see his friend list. Nintendo Switch lets you restrict who he can play with. That way you know who he's gaming with without having to hover.

SStevenRegularJan 12

This is where I get paranoid too. Did you look at their profile? Some of these accounts are obviously bots or weirdos. Most games let you see who added you before you accept.

MMichael H.New DadJan 12

The Mario Kart community is actually pretty clean compared to like Call of Duty or stuff. Most randoms are just kids his age playing casually. Still good to supervise though.

JJasonNew DadJan 13

The paranoia is normal but remember that Mario Kart is such a casual game that most people just want to race. It's not like he's in a Discord server or anything sketchy.

PPabloNew DadJan 13

Have you talked to your kid about online safety? At 10 he's old enough to understand not to give out personal info or agree to video chat with strangers. That conversation is way more useful than blocking everyone.

KKevin L.New DadJan 14

I had the same fear when my daughter got into online gaming. Turned out all her friends were just kids from her school or their cousins. Kids are actually pretty smart about this stuff nowadays.