Son got exposed to something inappropriate in online game chat

3w ago1 min read

My 8 year old was playing a multiplayer game last night and someone in chat started saying some really inappropriate stuff. He told me about it right away which I'm grateful for but now he's asking questions I'm not ready to answer. I thought he was playing with kids his age and appropriate content. Turns out a lot of online games have a pretty uncensored community. Feeling like I failed at supervision here. How do you vet games before letting your kids play?

7 comments176 views

Comments(7)

KKyle M.Regular2w ago

This happened to us and it's definitely unsettling. We ended up turning off open chat for a while and only letting him play with friends in private groups. It sucks because it limits the game a bit but honestly the peace of mind is worth it.

SScottRegular2w ago

Sorry man, that's never fun to deal with. Chat filtering exists for a reason. Most games let you turn off public chat for younger players. If this game doesn't have that feature, might be worth finding a different multiplayer game that does have better safeguards.

RRobertRegular3w ago

That's rough, sorry that happened. Do you know if the game has a reporting feature? Most multiplayer games take chat violations seriously if you report them. In the meantime maybe disable chat for him or set it to friends only if that's an option.

JJustinRegular3w ago

This is exactly why I switched my 9 year old to single player games or games where we can control who he plays with. It sucks because he misses playing with friends online, but the risk of random strangers saying toxic stuff is real. You did the right thing by monitoring it.

CChris M.Regular3w ago

That's rough man. This is honestly one of my biggest fears with online gaming. Did you report it to the game? Most platforms take that stuff pretty seriously. Also maybe a good moment to talk to your son about not engaging with people saying weird stuff and telling an adult right away.

DDanRegular2w ago

The fact that you're taking this seriously puts you ahead of a lot of parents. Definitely report the player through the game's system and maybe have a calm conversation with your son about it so he knows it wasn't his fault and he should tell you stuff like this.

RRobertRegular2w ago

Yeah this is the scary part of online gaming that nobody really talks about enough. You did the right thing pulling him out of the chat. Honestly I'd probably look at the game's reporting tools and report those users so they don't do it to other kids. Some games let you disable chat for younger players too.