Dear parents and carers,

With the summer holidays approaching, many children will be looking forward to spending more of their free time online and for lots of children, that means playing online games.  Online games can be a brilliant way for children to have fun, connect with friends and build confidence, but it’s important they know how to play safely and understand the rules of the spaces they’re in.

There’s plenty of website that offer free guidance to help you support your child with online gaming, including how to understand community rules, avoid warnings or bans, and start positive conversations about the games, apps and videos they enjoy.

Here’s some advice to get you started, you can see more – including how games are rated (PEGI ratings),  how to configure your home internet settings and why your child should not be using any social media – on our website page online safety advice for parents.

Ask them a question to get a conversation going

“What game are you playing at the moment?” Sometimes, the simplest questions start the most important conversations.  Internet Matters have partnered with Ukie to create a free conversation guide to help parents and carers turn everyday chats about games, videos, and apps into opportunities to talk about online safety with your child.

Ask About Games also offers guides to hundreds of online games, to help you find the games that are the perfect match to the age and interests of your family.

How to help your child avoid warnings and bans in games

Neurodivergent children can really benefit from playing online games, whether it’s through connection with others, improving their communication skills, self-regulating, or simply having fun. However, just like any other online space, there are community guidelines to follow. Sometimes, neurodivergent children find these rules challenging to understand. Check out internet matters guide to help neurodivergent young people avoid being reported or banned when they’re playing games online.