Stay Informed
Join our newsletter to receive updates about our mission, impact stories, and ways you can help make a difference.
Online Gaming and Child Safety: Understanding the Risks
Written by
Anonymous
•
How Gaming Facilitates Exploitation
Online games provide unique opportunities for exploitation through built-in communication systems including voice chat, private messaging, and friend requests. Unlike traditional social media, gaming platforms offer sustained interaction opportunities through shared gameplay, allowing predators to build trust through game assistance, virtual gift-giving, and team recruitment. Popular platforms like Minecraft, Roblox, and Discord are frequently exploited due to their extensive communication features and younger user bases.
Predator Tactics in Gaming
Predators leverage gaming-specific mechanisms to manipulate children. They use virtual currencies and rare items as grooming tools, position themselves as skilled mentors offering game assistance, and create exclusive groups requiring children to "prove" their worthiness. Most critically, predators systematically move conversations from gaming platforms to less moderated channels like private messaging apps, where exploitation escalates.
Scope and Vulnerability
Children aged 12-15 face the highest risk across all platforms. Gaming environments particularly exploit developmental vulnerabilities: immature impulse control, need for social connection, and attraction to competitive achievement. Gaming culture's acceptance of anonymity and mentorship relationships provides natural cover for predators, while immersive environments can cause children to lose awareness of time and safety boundaries.
Protection and Prevention
Current safeguards include parental controls on major platforms (Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo, Steam) offering time limits, content filtering, and communication restrictions. However, gaps remain in cross-platform monitoring and AI detection capabilities. Parents should actively co-play with children, implement gaming-specific safety conversations, and utilize built-in platform controls. Recent industry improvements include enhanced AI moderation and stronger default privacy settings though regulatory enforcement continues expanding through legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act.
The gaming industry continues evolving safety measures, but parental awareness and engagement remain critical for child protection.
Sources
1. FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) - "Child Predators Use Online Gaming to Contact Children"
2. Federal Trade Commission - Epic Games settlement over privacy violations and unwanted charges
3. U.S. Congress - Kids Online Safety Act (S.1409)
4. UNICEF East Asia and Pacific - "Child Sexual Exploitation in Online Gaming"
5. WeProtect Global Alliance - "Analysis of the sexual threats children face online"
6. Child Rescue Coalition - "Game Over: When Online Video Gaming 'Friendships' Lead To Exploitation"
7. Monique Burr Foundation - "Play it Safe: Online Gaming Safety Tips"
8. Thorn - "The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) Explained"
9. NBC News - "Discord servers used in child abductions, crime rings, sextortion"
10. Bloomberg - "Roblox Is Fighting to Keep Pedophiles Away and Not Always Winning"
11. IEEE Xplore - "Child Safety and Protection in the Online Gaming Ecosystem"
12. ResearchGate - "Child Safety and Protection in the Online Gaming Ecosystem"
13. JMIR Serious Games - "Parental Factors Associated With Internet Gaming Disorder"
14. Kaspersky - "30 percent more young gamers targeted by cybercriminals in H1 2024"
15. Bitdefender - "Online Gaming Safety for Kids – Essential Tips for Parents"
16. Common Sense Media - "The Facts About Online Predators Every Parent Should Know"
17. Child Mind Institute - "Healthy Limits on Video Games"
18. Brain and Life - "How Do Video Games Affect Brain Development in Children and Teens?"
19. World Economic Forum - "Why safer gaming is vital for the digital safety movement"
20. ConnectSafely - "Safety Tips for Managing Online Risks"
21. U.S. Survivor Services by Crisis Aid - "Children and Online Predators"
22. Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center - "Children and Grooming / Online Predators"
23. Gabb - "Child Predators on Video Games | Keep Gaming Safe for Kids"
24. Recharge Blog - "How to Set Up Parental Controls for Video Games: Easy Guide"
25. Orrick - "6 Top Takeaways from the FTC's $520 Million Landmark Epic Games Settlements"
Recent Articles
How effective are hotlines?
While everything becomes digitalized, seeking support is no exception. Many NGOs have followed the method of including a hotline to support victims of various types of abuse, but to know more about its effectiveness, we need to know the opinions of help seekers.
Written by Aya WaheedNovember 16, 2025
ChatGpt and child abuse
The clock is ticking. Every day we wait to address AI-generated child sexual abuse material is another day predators get ahead of law enforcement. OpenAI recently announced that ChatGPT will permit erotic content for age-verified adults. The company has framed this decision as a way of respecting adult autonomy. But this decision, opens a floodgate that could accelerate one of the most urgent threats facing children today: the explosion of AI-generated child sexual abuse material (AI-CSAM). The numbers are already terrifying. And they're getting worse by the day.
Written by Lena KyonyOctober 28, 2025
The ethics of researching child abuse
There are different kinds of ways we can use to find information about child abuse cases, BUT surveying remains one of the most effective methods. To survey child abuse, a complex process that requires strict ethical protocols and specialized methods, researchers must prioritize the safety and well-being of participants. A survey can target the prevalence of abuse in a population or be used for screening and clinical assessment in healthcare settings. HOWEVER, there are many ethical considerations before conducting such research such as age, anonymity
Written by Aya WaheedOctober 24, 2025
Child Molestation and Sexual Exploitation in Africa: Confronting a Silent Emergency
Across Africa, millions of children are growing up under the shadow of sexual violence and exploitation. Behind closed doors, in schools, in refugee camps, and increasingly across digital spaces, countless boys and girls face abuses that rob them of dignity, safety, and the promise of a better future. The crisis is urgent — yet too often invisible. It demands not only compassion but also coordinated, sustained action from governments, communities, and international partners.
Written by Hamson PhilipsOctober 17, 2025
The Invisible Web: How Traffickers Trick Children
Child trafficking doesn't announce itself with violence or force. It begins quietly with a friendly message, a job offer, or a promise of something better. In cities and small towns alike, child trafficking operates through an invisible web that stretches across borders and screens. This multi-billion-dollar crime doesn't resemble the dramatic abductions we see in movies. Instead, it hides behind trusted faces, false promises, and everyday transactions. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, nearly one in three trafficking victims worldwide is a child, and the majority are exploited without ever crossing a border.
Written by Lena KyonyOctober 16, 2025
How AI is Revolutionizing the Fight Against Smuggling and Human Trafficking
Human trafficking and smuggling are deeply intertwined issues affecting millions around the globe. Smugglers often exploit vulnerable populations, luring individuals with false promises of better opportunities. As these networks become more sophisticated, law enforcement agencies face overwhelming challenges in tracking and apprehending criminals while also identifying and assisting victims. In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool in various fields, and its application in detecting smugglers and victims of human trafficking is proving to be a game changer. With the increasing complexities of global smuggling networks and the urgency of human rights issues, AI technologies are being employed to enhance monitoring, data analysis, and investigative processes. Although AI has the potential to do all these things, it has been underutilized in the field and there should be a push from NGOs and agencies to use the technology.
Written by Aya WaheedOctober 8, 2025
Almajiri education system: history and the urgent need to reform
The Almajiri system is one of the oldest forms of traditional Islamic education in Northern Nigeria. The term Almajiri comes from the Arabic word al-Muhajirun, meaning “a seeker of knowledge who leaves home in pursuit of learning.” For centuries, this system produced respected scholars, leaders, and community guides.
Written by AnonymousSeptember 28, 2025
The Silent Cry: Our Children, Our Responsibility
Look into the eyes of a child. What do you see? Laughter, dreams, boundless potential. Now, imagine those same eyes filled with fear, despair, and the heavy burden of a life stolen. This is the stark reality for millions of children around the world, victims of child trafficking – a modern-day slavery that thrives in the shadows of our globalized society.
Written by AnonymousSeptember 24, 2025
Child Abuse in South Africa: A Call to Action
Despite that South Africa have the largest economy In Africa with the largest literacy rates, Child abuse remains a pressing issue in South Africa, The alarming statistics surrounding child abuse highlight an urgent need for society to address this pervasive problem.
Written by AnonymousSeptember 13, 2025
How Europe Fought Child Labor, A Historical Perspective
Child labor has been a pervasive issue throughout history, especially during the Industrial Revolution in Europe, when the demand for cheap labor forced many children into factories, mines, and mills. As society gradually recognized the exploitation faced by these young workers, significant efforts emerged to combat child labor across the continent. Understanding how Europe addressed this social issue sheds light on the value placed on childhood innocence and education, which continues to resonate today.
Written by AnonymousSeptember 2, 2025
Shielding Childhood: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Exploitation
Preventing child sexual exploitation requires vigilance, education, and systemic safeguards.
Written by AnonymousAugust 5, 2025
Marianco: Championing a Safer Future for Vulnerable Children
Imagine a world where every child can grow up safe, loved, and empowered regardless of their circumstances. A world free from the horrors of child trafficking, pedophilia, and exploitation. At Marianco, we're committed to making this vision a reality. We're building a future where vulnerable children are protected, their dignity restored, and their stories rewritten.
Written by AnonymousDecember 30, 2024