Home› Tip Sheets› Video Game Safety
Tip Sheet

Video Game Safety

Gaming is fun, social and creative. It also brings strangers, spending traps and mature content into your home. Here is how to keep play safe.

8 Safety Rules Parent Guide: Mature Games Know the Ratings Action Plan
3 in 4
children play video games regularly, most with online features
M 17+
the ESRB rating on Grand Theft Auto and similar mature titles
1 in 5
young gamers report being contacted by a stranger in game chat

8 Rules for Safer Gaming

For players of every age, these habits keep gaming fun and keep the risks out.

1
Check the age rating before you play or buy
ESRB and PEGI ratings exist for a reason. A game rated M or 18 contains content designed for adults, whatever your friends say about it.
2
Never share personal information in game chat
Your real name, school, address, phone number and photos stay out of every lobby, party chat and friend message. Gamertags should never reveal your age or identity.
3
Restrict chat to real friends
Open voice and text chat connects you with adult strangers. Set chat to friends only, and for younger players turn it off completely.
4
Watch out for spending traps
Loot boxes, battle passes, skins and in-game currency are engineered to feel small until the bill arrives. PIN-protect all purchases and agree spending limits up front.
5
Beware of free cheats, mods and giveaways
"Free V-Bucks", cracked versions and cheat downloads are among the most common ways young players get accounts stolen or devices infected.
6
Treat strangers in games like strangers anywhere
Anyone who asks to move the chat to Snapchat or WhatsApp, offers gifts, or asks personal questions is showing grooming warning signs. Stop, block, report, and tell a trusted adult.
7
Balance play with everything else
Set session limits, take breaks every hour, keep gaming out of the bedroom overnight, and never let ranked matches beat sleep on a school night.
8
Report bad behaviour in the game and beyond
Every major platform has mute, block and report tools. For threats, grooming or scams, also report to CyberTips at 1-441-777-0875.
Parent Guide

Mature Games: Gore, Profanity and Adult Themes

Titles like Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty and Mortal Kombat are made for adults, and they are hugely popular with children anyway. Understanding what is actually in these games helps you make an informed call for your family.

Grand Theft Auto
M 17+ / PEGI 18
Open-world crime. The player carries out shootings, robberies and violence against pedestrians, with constant profanity, drug use and sexual content.
Call of Duty
M 17+ / PEGI 18
Realistic military shooter with graphic violence and blood. Online lobbies pair children with adult strangers on open voice chat.
Mortal Kombat
M 17+ / PEGI 18
Fighting game known for extreme gore. "Fatality" finishing moves show dismemberment and graphic deaths in slow-motion detail.
What an M / 18+ rating actually means
Grand Theft Auto carries an ESRB rating of M (Mature 17+) and a PEGI rating of 18. That rating covers intense violence and blood, strong and constant profanity, drug and alcohol use, criminal activity the player takes part in, and sexual content. These are not brief moments. They are the core of the experience.
Why children still end up playing them
Older siblings and friends, secondhand consoles with games already installed, streamers and YouTubers playing the games daily, and the simple fact that "everyone at school plays it." Peer pressure around big titles is real, so a flat ban with no conversation often just moves the playing to a friend's house.
The online mode is a separate risk
Even where a parent accepts the single-player content, online modes like GTA Online add unmoderated voice chat with adult strangers, in-game currency purchases, and exposure to language and behaviour no rating board reviews. Rating labels describe the game the developer made, not what strangers say in the lobby.
What the research suggests
Age ratings exist because children process violent and sexual content differently at different stages of development. Younger children in particular can find graphic content distressing, may normalise the language they hear, and are less able to separate game behaviour from real-world norms. Ratings are a floor, not a suggestion.

Practical Steps for Parents

1
Play the game yourself first
Fifteen minutes inside GTA tells you more than any review. Watch gameplay on YouTube if you cannot play it, and see exactly what your child would see.
2
Use console family controls
PlayStation, Xbox, Switch and PC stores all have family settings that block games above a rating you choose, filter purchases and limit chat. Set them on every device, including at grandparents' houses.
3
Separate the game from its online mode
If you allow a mature title, you can still disable its online multiplayer. The story mode and a lobby full of adult strangers are very different experiences.
4
Hold the line together with other parents
"Everyone has it" loses power when a group of parents agree on the same rules. Talk to the parents of your child's gaming friends.
5
Trade access for openness
Whatever you decide, make the deal clear: they can always come to you about anything they see or anyone they meet in a game, without losing their console on the spot.
6
Revisit as they grow
A rule made for a 9-year-old will not fit a 15-year-old. Review game choices, chat settings and spending each year, and involve them in the decision.

Know the Ratings

Two systems cover most games sold in Bermuda. Check the box, the store page, or esrb.org and pegi.info before buying.

ESRB (North America)
E
Everyone
Suitable for all ages. Mild cartoon violence at most.
E10
Everyone 10+
More cartoon or mild violence, mild language.
T
Teen (13+)
Violence, suggestive themes, crude humour, some strong language.
M
Mature (17+)
Intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, strong language. GTA sits here.
AO
Adults Only (18+)
Prolonged intense violence or explicit sexual content.
PEGI (Europe)
3
PEGI 3
Suitable for all ages.
7
PEGI 7
Mild fantasy violence, sounds that could frighten young children.
12
PEGI 12
Moderate violence, mild language, some suggestive content.
16
PEGI 16
Realistic violence, strong language, drug or alcohol references.
18
PEGI 18
Gross violence, sexual content, glamorised crime. GTA is PEGI 18.

Read the Content Icons, Not Just the Age

The black content icons on the back of the box warn about specific triggers. They tell you exactly why a game earned its rating.

Bad Language
Profanity, from mild to constant and strong
Fear / Horror
Content designed to frighten or disturb
Gambling
Real-money or simulated betting mechanics
Discrimination
Slurs and hate speech, very common online
Sex / Nudity
Sexual content, references or nudity

Who Is on the Other End?

When your child joins online multiplayer in Fortnite, Roblox, Call of Duty or a Minecraft server, they enter an unmoderated digital playground. The person talking to them could be a classmate, an angry adult, or a predator.

You cannot know who they are talking to
A voice in an open lobby could belong to a 10-year-old classmate or a 35-year-old stranger building trust with your child. Anonymity means there is no way to tell from inside the game.
Slurs and abuse are rampant in open lobbies
Anonymity brings out the worst in people. In open voice chat a child is likely to hear racial slurs, homophobic abuse and extreme sexual insults within minutes of joining.
Filters are easily bypassed
Game companies use AI filters to catch extreme language, but players dodge them with simple tricks like swapped characters. Human moderation is rare. Do not rely on the platform to protect your child.
Chat support agents are not supervisors
A game's live chat agent exists for technical and billing issues. Nobody employed by the game is watching your child's social interactions. Supervision is your job and the settings you choose.

The Online Purchasing Trap

Games are designed by behavioural experts to separate your child from your wallet. Knowing the mechanics helps you shut them down.

"Free-to-play" is not free
The download costs nothing, but the game constantly pressures children to buy V-Bucks, Robux or Gems to look cool or keep up with friends. The business model depends on it.
Loot boxes are gambling
Your child pays real money for a randomised box that might contain something good. The rush it triggers is the same one a slot machine produces, and children are especially vulnerable to it.
A saved card is an open wallet
If your credit card is saved on the console or phone, your child can spend hundreds of dollars in single clicks with no password. Remove saved cards and require a PIN for every purchase.
Do This Today

Your Action Plan

Do not panic. Take control. Six measures you can put in place today.

1
Lock down purchases
Do not save your credit card on the device. Require a password for every transaction, even free ones, and turn on purchase notifications so you get an email or text each time something is bought.
2
Disable or restrict voice chat
On PlayStation, Xbox and Switch, set voice chat to friends only or blocked in the parental controls. Better still, mute all non-friend players by default. The game still works; the strangers go silent.
3
Move the console to a shared space
No consoles or gaming PCs in a bedroom behind a closed door. Keep the setup in the living room or kitchen where you can physically hear the conversations happening.
4
Set time limits on the console itself
Use the built-in screen time management to set a daily limit, such as one hour on school nights. When time is up the console locks itself, so you are no longer the bad guy.
5
Teach Mute, Block, Report
Mute the toxic player so they cannot be heard. Block them so they cannot make contact again. Report them to the game company, which is how abusive players get banned.
6
Keep the door open
Whatever rules you set, make one thing clear: they can always come to you about anything that happens in a game, immediately and without punishment. Openness is your best safety tool.
The Golden Rule of Communication

"If anyone ever asks for your real name, age, address, school name or photos, you come and get me immediately. No questions asked. You will not be in trouble."

Make it clear that stranger danger applies online just as much as offline, and that coming to you never costs them their console.

Final Checklist for Parents

Checked the ESRB or PEGI rating on your child's newest game
Removed saved credit card details from the console
Set up a purchase password or PIN for the store
Disabled open voice chat in the game's settings
Moved the gaming setup to a family room
Had the Mute, Block, Report talk with your child
Told your child they can always come to you without being punished

Conversation Starters

If your child is asking for a mature game, or you suspect they already play one, start here rather than with a lecture.

"What is it about the game that makes you want it? Which parts do your friends actually play?"
Often it is the online social side, not the mature story, that they want. That opens options.
"Walk me through what happens in the game. What do you have to do to win?"
Getting them to describe the content out loud makes the conversation concrete instead of a battle over a title.
"Have you ever heard something in a game chat that made you uncomfortable?"
Normalises talking about lobby behaviour, which is often worse than the game content itself.
"If someone in a game asked to chat on another app or offered you free currency, what would you do?"
Tests grooming and scam awareness in a low-pressure, hypothetical way.
"What do you think is a fair deal on games, spending and screen time this year?"
Involving them in the rules makes the rules far more likely to stick.

Something happen in a game?

Threats, grooming, scams and harassment in games are real crimes. Report them to CyberTips Bermuda.

Report Now Age-by-Age Guidance