Block-building game craze puts child safety back on parents’ agenda

It is the game children talk about in the schoolyard and the one parents hear about at dinner. But a new survey suggests many families are letting children into a vast online world without switching on the protections already built into it.

Researchers at Elmbridge University’s Center for Digital Childhood questioned 1,600 families nationwide. They found that 66 percent of children aged 8 to 12 play a popular block-building game, where players create their own worlds and visit those made by others. Only 43 percent of their parents had set up the game’s parental controls, and one in four did not know the game had a chat function.

The risks parents overlook

The researchers say the biggest concern is contact with strangers. In open chat, adults can pose as children, and some steer conversations to other apps where moderation is weaker. Other worries include spending on in-game currency, which one in five parents said had led to an unexpected bill, and user-made games with themes unsuitable for young players.

The game itself can be creative and social. The problem is that children are often in a public space with no adult nearby, digitally speaking.

Dr. Ingrid Solberg, lead researcher at the Center for Digital Childhood

Tobias Rehn, a father of two in Lakeshore, said he only looked at the settings after his nine-year-old mentioned a new friend who kept asking which school she attended.

Nothing happened, thankfully. But I realized I had no idea who she was talking to every evening.

Tobias Rehn, parent

What families can do

The researchers recommend a few simple steps:

• Turn off chat or limit it to approved friends
• Set a monthly spending limit or require a PIN for purchases
• Keep the computer or console in a shared room
• Ask children to show you the worlds they visit
• Agree on what to do if someone makes them uncomfortable

The company behind the game said in a statement that it was expanding age checks and adding new controls for younger users this fall. The education ministry plans to send guidance on online gaming to primary schools before the end of the term.