Category: Online Safety for Kids

When it comes to online safety for the wellbeing of kids, online games may contain potential hazards related to content.  It’s the same thing internet security.  Online games can often be a mixed bag of decent games, games with malware or viruses.  Fortunately, we have a search tool for that.

Welcome to Safe Game Search for online games.  It’s like our search tools above that safely search Google, images, wiki for kids, and videos, except that the search tool to find safe games is below.

Bookmark this page to Search for Games Safely
enhanced by Google

Safety and Security Risks of Online Games

Besides the economical benefits of readily accessible free internet games that entertain kids and teens with various interests, playing online games include both technological and personal risks. Before we highlight some of the important dangers, let’s list what types of games there are and how they are different from each other.

Types of Online Games

• Free online games hosted on various websites:   These are the games that our safe game search filtering tool screens to ensure you won’t to exposed to various online risks. Games like the bubble game that don’t require downloading software.

• Games played strictly on a gaming console:   These may be games that can be played offline after being downloaded from a safe gaming console host.  However, most often, kids play these same games while connecting to other gaming consoles and social gaming networks designed for those with consoles.  Retro games on gaming consoles employ the use of vintage systems that use physical CD’s or cartridges.

• Online Games through social gaming networks:  This is where games are accessed through an internet browser after logging into a gamer server through a website platform, also known as a social gaming network. These include Amazon video games.

The games that pose the greatest risks within the games themselves are the free online games that anyone can find to play on a website or by downloading an app on their phone.

With social media networks, gamer servers and gaming consoles, game content is controlled by legitimate creators.  However, the risks associated with these games exist because the gamer is connecting with others, both friends and strangers.  Some of these strangers are there to exploit children. Others for malicious reasons, such as spreading bad software.

With approximately 40% of the world’s population playing video games in some form, it’s worth a closer look exploring the risks and steps that can be taken to protect players of all ages.

1. Technological Risks

Playing games online has some threats to your computer or device, such as;

• Malware and virus attacks
• Risks of gamer servers
• Identity theft

1.1 Malware and Virus Attacks

Viruses may attack devices when you play games on the internet. Cybercriminals send malware attachments by email or direct messages after making connections with those they are playing with online.  If you click on these, hidden malicious programs might be installed and harm your device.

Once your computer is infected, you can unknowingly spread it to others for the benefit of those seeking to exploit personal information.

1.2 Risks of Infected Gamer Servers

While gamer servers are controlled by computers whose sole purpose is to provide games to users, these servers may be compromised by harmful software.  If you managed to prevent your computer from getting infected by malware or a virus, you may become a victim simply by using a gamer server.

After getting access, cybercriminals send harmful programs like spyware or Trojan horses to gain access to all gamers’ computers or devices. In that way, the whole server could get affected by harmful software.

1.3 Identity Theft

Online predators target internet gaming platforms to steal the personal information of gamers. They use malware programs or phishing attacks to access the information of the players.  Or, they may gain trust with another gamers by becoming their friend and manipulating information out of them.

Cybercriminals try to get access to the gamers’ addresses, phone numbers, bank or credit card information, and other sensitive data. If cybercriminals find this type of personal information, they can steal your identity.

2. Personal Risks

It’s true that multiplayer online games can develop communication skills for kids, but there are some risks too. Some of these social dangers of playing internet games are;

• Addiction to games
• Cyberbullying
• Exposure to inappropriate content

2.1 Addiction To Games

Children may get addicted to online games if they play them for a longer time.  Free online games are accessible anywhere and on any device without cost.  This easy access could create a negative impact on their concentration to study and poor performance in school.

World Health Organization (WHO) classifies gaming addiction as a gaming disorder. Teens who play online games too much may experience sleeping disorders that will impact their health directly.

2.2 Cyberbullying

Online gaming can be a breeding platform for cyberbullying. As most social gaming networks allow chatting one player with others, criminals may misuse it as anonymity. Malicious users may send offensive texts and videos to the kids while they play games on the internet. This could result in depression, lessening self-esteem, and even suicide attempts for the children.

2.3 Inappropriate Content Exposure

Some online games don’t have proper filtration for objectionable content. These may show gamers inappropriate content such as exposing nudity and sexual content, violence, etc. that could negatively impact children.

This is why we encourage you to use our free safe online game search tool.

Search for Safe Online Games here

How to Protect Your Child from the Dangers of Online Gaming

After learning about the dangers of playing games online. It’s time to talk about the ways to ensure the safety and security of online games for children.

i. Game Selection

First, get to know what games your kids are playing and how they are accessing them.  It’s it free games on a web browser?  A gaming conole? Or a social gaming network?

• Read reviews about the game.
• See if there are parental controls for the game.
• Be sure you download or play games from trustworthy game sites.

ii. Activate Security Settings

Before allowing kids to play game on the internet, be sure you activate all the following options if exists;

• Set an age limit on the game who can chat or play games with your teen.
• Use a strong password for online gaming accounts.
• Hide personal information.
• Be sure you installed the updated version of the game.
• Use an antivirus or firewall for malware protection.

iii. Keep A Closer Eye On Kids Gaming

While children play games on the internet, monitoring their activity is important. If you see any suspicious things, say them to quit the game. If the game has parental control feature, activate it to monitor your kid’s activity more closely.

iv. Educate Your Children

To make online gaming safer, it’s also important to teach your child about the basics of cybersecurity. It includes several things-

• If anyone sent offensive content, block the player instantly
• Don’t contact anonymous or unknown players
• Never click any link sent by other players
• Set a time limit and tell them to follow it

Safe Game Search

Online gaming is fun that helps kids to be creative and social. But it’s important to consider the dangers associated with it. If you allow your teens to play internet games limit their time, monitor their activity, educate them on how to deal with hostile situations. Follow the safety and security tips of online games to ensure a secured online  life of your children.

For games delivered through apps, always download from trusted sources like the Google Play store for Androids or Apple Arcade on an iPhone or iPad.

Search for more info about safe games.

The virtual world is a constant source of dangers and challenges, especially if the users are children. Therefore, parents should always be aware of their actions and take the proper measurements to protect them.  Blocking harmful social media apps is one of key ways to prevent kids from engaging online in an unsafe manner.

Without using third party parental controls, there are ways to engage blocking for both apps and websites.  However, these types of restrictions can be reset by your kids. Therefore, you’ll need to have a level of trust between you and your child. You can always check their phone from time to time to ensure blocking is still in place.

This article does not provide instructions on how to create block lists on a phone or tablet.  Google “how to block apps” for iPhone or Andriods to get instructions within each of the phones settings.  In the meantime, here are the top sites that are considered dangerous to be used by children:

1.   TikTok

While TikTok is a fun site to spend time and interact with people, there are certainly some dangers associated with this app, which include:

• Inappropriate Content:  As an open platform, anyone can post all kinds of content on TikTok, including adult themes, violence, or other indecent content.

• Cyberbullying:  Users interact with each other constantly, which can often lead to cyberbullying.

• Privacy Concerns: TikTok collects personal information from its users, which can be used for advertising or shared with third-party advertisers.

• Addiction: TikTok is designed to be addictive, and children spend hours scrolling through videos without even realizing how much time has passed. This interferes with their schoolwork and overall well-being.

• Online Strangers: Children may be drawn into inappropriate conversations or take up with someone who is not who they claim to be.

2.   Twitter

While there are some great advantages to using Twitter, including staying up-to-date on the news and connecting with people, there are also some serious risks that parents need to be aware of. Inappropriate or unwanted content on Twitter can take many forms, including exposure to adult content and cyberbullying.

3.   Mastodon

Though Mastodon can an easy way for people to connect with like minded people, it has great potential for danger because these online communities are unmonitored.  It’s an open source social network, so there are no controls in place to monitor or prevent harmful associations or content.  It’s only safe if the creator a community your child joins can be trusted.

4.   Roblox

Roblox isn’t just a game–it’s a massive online platform with millions of users. And like any large social media platform or online game, there are risks. But by being aware of the dangers and taking some proactive steps, you can help keep your child safe while they enjoy all that Roblox offers.

5.   Ask.fm

Ask.fm is a somewhat unknown social media site to parents.  It allows users to ask and answer questions anonymously. Even though interacting with others can be fun and engaging, it also poses risks to children. Anonymity can make it easier for bullies to target others without fear of consequences. Users can receive hurtful comments and messages, and in some cases, cyberbullying has even led to suicide.

6.   Toomics

Toomics is a webtoon platform with many online comics and graphic novels. While it can be an enjoyable and engaging platform for readers, some of the comics on the site feature explicit material and depictions of violence. In some cases, the content may be illegal or inappropriate for minors.

To prevent these risks, parents should monitor their children’s use of Toomics and have open conversations about online safety.

7.   Reddit

Reddit is a great platform to share information and build a community, yet it is another not-too-safe app for children. One of the primary risks associated with it is exposure to adult content. Some subreddits contain explicit material which users of any age can easily access. This content can include pornography, graphic images, and discussions of sexually explicit topics.

Reddit allows for anonymous posting, allowing users to engage in bullying without fear of reprisal. This can include hurtful comments, trolling, and other negative behavior.

8.   Snapchat

Snapchat is known for its disappearing messages and photos, which can lead children to believe that their actions will not have consequences. They can share inappropriate content with their friends.

The temporary nature of Snapchat’s messages can make it easier for predators to approach children. They may use the app to send inappropriate messages or images and quickly delete them to avoid detection. Children are more likely to accept friend requests from strangers on Snapchat, which can put them at risk.

Snapchat has a feature called Snap Map, which allows users to see the location of their friends on a map. This is dangerous for children, as it can reveal their whereabouts to potentially dangerous individuals.

9.   Discord

Discord allows users to communicate through voice, text, and video chat. While it’s useful for gamers and others who want to connect with like-minded individuals, it has the potential for cyberbullying. Discord has chat rooms and servers that anyone can create and moderate, making it easier for users to engage in bullying.

Another risk of Discord is exposure to explicit content. Although Discord has rules against explicit content, it’s still possible for users to share inappropriate images or videos.

10.  YouTube

While YouTube is a useful and engaging platform for users of all ages, it poses several dangers for children.

Using YouTube is an exposure to inappropriate content. Although YouTube has content filters and age restrictions in place, it’s still possible for children to stumble upon videos that contain explicit material or depictions of violence. This includes content that is not appropriate for their age, such as horror movies, sexual content and depictions of dangerous or harmful behavior.

YouTube comment sections can be a breeding ground for negative behavior, with users leaving hurtful comments or engaging in trolling. Children can be particularly vulnerable to these kinds of attacks and may be unable to handle them.

Conclusion

Parents know how important it is to protect their children from online danger. From cyberbullying platforms to explicit content, the 10 sites featured in this blog post are essential additions to any child’s block list. Parents can protect their children against tremendous danger and damage scrolling in the virtual world by doing so.

Author’s Bio:  With years of experience in the cyber security industry, Sophia has devoted a part of her time to writing articles that educate parents about the importance of their children’s online safety. Children of all ages, especially those in elementary and high schools, are constantly exposed to new technologies. Through her writings, she aspires to make a positive impact on their lives by helping parents identify and avoid potential dangers.

There are a lot of conversations that parents should have with their kids that are difficult. Unfortunately, topics of a sensitive nature dissuade many parents from bringing them up. For one, they don’t want to inform their kids of something they might not yet know about. Things that existing online that would be harmful to their psyche.

Still, you also don’t want your kids stubmbling upon something harmful by accident will searching Google or clicking other links found on seemingly innocent websites. Since kids use our website for filtering the internet, we will explore this subject with sensitivity as we present the problem and various solutions with downloadable resources.

Protecting Kids from Explicit Content

It’s no secret that there is explicit material online that’s available to anyone with any device that has access to the internet. At some point in the growth of your child, they will learn about them at school, even if they have not yet explored the internet for them. We’ll discuss steps as to the best age to have a conversation with kids about these things and what to do in the meantime.

It would be ideal if all explicit material was at least behind a pay wall. This means a credit card is required to access it, and not a free for all that is currently is.

Cable companies have long provided this adult material to subscribers. However, parents can easily set up parental controls on their cable box to access even the simple preview images of the material.  Beyond that, payment is required and any purchase would show up on your bill. Therefore, access has a high threshold for kids.

The internet is far from that model, although some countries have tried some form of retricting harmful parts of the internet unavailable to under aged web users.  The bottom line is this.  Societies are reluctant to move forward for a variety of reasons that we will not explore here. In a nutshell, they are issues of censorship and the will to make it happen.  That’s another conversation.

As mentioned, most children learn about this explicit content from friends or on the school playground before parents address the problem. The age this happens varies and a lot of where it goes from that point forward has to do with how much a parent is paying attention. There may be an assumption that “my child wouldn’t know about that”.

First Steps to Protect  Kids Online

So, what is the solution to ensure internet safety and it’s many facets?

Firstly, there are things that a parent can do even before they discuss it with their family members.  Precautions should be taken at an early age so that at very least, kids don’t accidentally stumble upon mature content online.

Use Common Sense

These steps include common sense restrictions of where your child uses their device to access the internet.

• It is in the family room or in the privacy of their bedroom?

• Do they have access to the internet while at school on a personal device via cell service?

• Does the school have internet filtering when kids are connected to the school’s WiFi connection?

Without any external monitoring software, you can at least keep an eye on things.

Get to Know the Parents of your Child’s Friends

This is conversation that should take place with other parents. What are their household rules for internet use if your child is going to be visiting their friend’s home?  Do other parents share similar values as you?

Free Safe Search Options

Have your kids use Safe Search Kids as their main search engine. It delivers Google results with strict filtering. It’s does not replace full time monitoring, as we will touch on later in this article.

An Agreement of Trust between Parent and Child

Regardless of how deep you go without child about the “bad things” of the internet, kids can understand rules of engagement around the use of their devices.   Just as you want to protect them when they do play in the park, a child can agree that you want to protect them online. This includes how much time they spend playing games.

Filtering the Internet

General tips are well and good, but ultimately third party parental control filtering and monitoring is needed to provide the ultimate in peace of mind.  At the very least it notifies you when a child has breached a barrier. This is ideal when kids are older and you have set up an agreement of trust without fully blocking them even questionable material online.  Of course, when kids are young parental controls allow you to but strict filtering in place. This can include limiting access to the internet to specific times and restricting more risky social media apps.

Having the Difficult Conversation

When parents feel it’s time to discuss the dangers of the internet, the terminology used will depend on the age of the child. However, the fact that there is material you don’t want your kids to see demands some kind of acknowledgment and expression to your children about how you are concerned. In the meantime, basic steps, regular conversations and external filtering options can set every family up for success, whether they are at home, at school, or out playing with friends.

Below are some resources to assist parents, as well as online tools that can help begin the conversation and make it less uncomforable for children of all ages.

Resources:

• Chatting with Kids About Being Online – PDF Download
• Educational games that test kids internet savvy.
• Take the Safety Pledge as a Family
• Be Internet Awesome

Safe Search Kids is devoted to safer internet search for children and teens. We also provide articles and educational resources for parents and teachers.  Children can freely search Google without a parent’s fearing their child stumbling upon an explicit website. The worst of the internet is vehemently blocked and even mildly questionable content is filtered.

Additional search filtering is provided for images, wiki for kids, images, videos, and safe game search. While our website is a free resource that at a mimimum helps protect the search function of the internet, we believe that parental controls are the best defence to protect kids online.

The e-gaming market has grown rapidly in recent years, thanks to more potential for digitization and improved accessibility and OEMs, focused on innovation and cost. But this has led to some unexpected issues that affect individuals, especially kids.  With technology being such an important aspect of everyone’s lives, the gaming business is also thriving.

In terms of revenue, the video game market has more than doubled in the last five years and is expected to exceed $221 billion by the end of 2022. However, players are mainly concerned about mobile gaming, which will account for 80% of total revenue contribution.

Why Mobile Gaming has Become So Popular?

Gaming PCs and consoles like the Xbox or Sony PlayStation are still considered a luxury in many homes. On the contrary, playing games on your phone is less expensive. It facilitates newcomers’ integration into the ecosystem. The same games that run on high-end specialized gaming phones and flagship smartphones are also accessible on budget and mid-range phones with decreased graphic and framerate settings.

Portability is more important to the gamers of this generation than performance. While PCs offer higher graphics and performance, cell phones will always outperform PCs in terms of mobility and portability. Because of the pandemic, there has also been a worldwide scarcity of graphics cards. The issue has had a significant impact on the entire supply chain.

Because mobile phones are not upgradeable nor have hardware that can be customized, they provide the convenience of not having to upgrade every few years. Smartphones have become more affordable and now include strong technology capable of running games with moderate to high system needs.

It has increased the accessibility of more immersive games to the general population. Qualcomm Vice President and President Rajen Vagadia claim that the company has had to update its GPUs (graphics processing units) over 700 times in the last 12 years due to user demand. This means that even smartphone GPUs have seen so much advancement that they can run most games without any performance issues.

Smartphones have also become a lot speedier in a short amount of time, especially considering that Android and iOS devices are not even two decades old. Mobile graphics, immersive gameplay, performance, and cloud-based gaming services have all experienced significant improvements. All while maintaining ease of entry for gamers.

All of these factors have made mobile gaming popular over the last few years. And unsurprisingly the majority of gamers now consider smartphones as their preferred device for gaming.

What Problems Arise Due to Online Gaming?

Because of the advent of mobile gaming and the removal of restraints such as a big PC or console, young gamers may now take advantage of this vast industry. However, several of these games, particularly those geared at children, have raised security concerns. There appears to be no answer in sight for parents who want to monitor what their children are doing on their phones.

Children necessitate the aid of their parents or guardians. They will encounter cyberbullying and online harassment whether they use their phones for gaming or surfing the Internet. If they perform poorly in-game, many players are verbally harassed and intimidated.

It is really concerning, especially for young children who are unprepared for such risks. They are unsure how to respond to such threats. They keep these concerns hidden deep within themselves and are afraid to address them with anyone because they fear they might feel it’s their fault they got targeted.

Then there is the issue of blatant sexism and sexual harassment of female gamers. Guys when realize they are playing with or against a female will automatically assume they are bad at the game and pass off offensive remarks and disguise them as just teasing or fooling around. They will remark on things along the line that they should be doing house chores instead of gaming.

They will also pass off lewd comments about their voice and sex and make them purposefully uncomfortable. Similarly, if the person, is gay or of a different race, they will comment on their sexuality and race and be toxic on purpose just to seem cool. Homophobic and racist remarks are sadly still a major point of contention and something that is still not abdicated.

Even the monetization system of these games is very obnoxious and in your face. The loot crate system in games like Fortnite, Overwatch, and Elder Scrolls Online attracts young kids to spend money on cosmetic items so they can impress their friends with cool new skins for their characters and weapons. EU considers this gambling and has even banned games like these in the past.

Remember the Counter-Strike gambling fiasco a few years back? A few YouTubers were pushing an online gambling website where you could use real money to win Counter-Strike in-game cosmetics. Because children are unaware of the consequences and addiction linked with gambling, it made quite a commotion in the media.

What Can Parents Do?

Parents can use the most recent technology breakthroughs to provide immediate aid if they fear their child’s online safety is at risk. To protect their children’s online gaming and mobile gaming experience, parents can use a phone monitoring tool. XNSPY is one such example. It is a dependable remote monitoring solution that is compatible with iOS and Android and can make the internet a safe place for kids.

To keep check of their children’s phone activity, parents can use XNSPY’s remote screen monitoring service. Furthermore, the application prevents children from viewing potentially dangerous websites and online gaming platforms. XNSPY’s advanced tracking capabilities safeguard users against online fraud and malware attacks.

Since most of these attacks can also occur in online games, the program assists parents in tracking their children’s mobile games so that they do not fall victim to similar scams, harassment, or bullying which has become increasingly common over the past few years. Parents can use the app blocker function found in the XNSPY app and block the apps that have a bad reputation for cultivating a toxic gaming environment.

The Future of Online and Mobile Gaming

Gaming has long been popular among youth and as technology advances, it is getting easier for phone users to download and play games on their cell phones. The number of online mobile gaming apps has increased significantly because developers and OEMs know it is a gold mine and they are taking full advantage of it by doing the minimum effort.

They will continue to monetize their games with greedy loot crates and pointless cosmetics because they are easy to generate and they can recycle the same content and remodel game assets over and over again.

Cybercrime is becoming increasingly common, especially with the availability of these games on mobile phones. The majority of children are still overly reliant on their parents to monitor what they are exposed to online.

Fortunately, with monitoring apps in the mix and proper Internet safety guidelines, parents may breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to protecting their children’s internet activities and gaming habits. They now have something to safeguard their kids from the never-ending trend of global eSports and smartphone gaming.