Is Minecraft Safe for Kids?

We kept our kids from playing Minecraft until they were 10 years old. But they begged us for a while. Nervous about what our kids would encounter in online gaming, we kept saying no. But we kept hearing about Minecraft from our kids and how fun it was. Eventually, they wore us down. But before we said yes, we needed to research whether or not it was safe.

Is your kid continually asking you to play Minecraft? Are you wondering if Minecraft is safe for kids? Well, we have answers to those questions and others you may have about this incredibly popular game. Here they are.

What is Minecraft?

Minecraft is a video game where players either build things with block-like materials or go on adventures. The graphics are primitive by design. There’s Minecraft Bedrock and Minecraft Java. They have some differences, along with some advantages and disadvantages. Without going into the details, let’s just say that Bedrock is better for younger kids.

There are two modes that kids can play.

Modes of Play

There’s Creative mode and Survival mode. In Creative mode, kids build things like houses, buildings, cities, roads, and railways. It’s like putting a kid into a room with unlimited LEGOs. They will never run out of resources to build. It’s exactly what the name suggests: creative. In Survival mode, the player must gather resources to survive the elements or dangers; however, the resources are limited. There’s also an adventure that the player can choose to go on or not. It basically involves finding a dragon and killing it.

In these modes of play, the user can set the game to peaceful, easy, normal, or hard. There are weird characters and animals roaming inside the game, but they mind their own business when in peaceful mode. In the other modes, they will attack the player with greater aggression as the settings become more difficult.

Playing Options

There are three playing options in Minecraft with different rules and objectives. The three are World, Realms, and Servers. Players can play single or multiplayer in each. In World, the player owns a private World and can invite friends (or friends of friends, if you allow). However, a player’s friends can only enter the World when the owner of the World is in there as well. In Realms, the player can invite anyone to be in their Realm or give a code to enter. Invited players can be in the Realm at any time, whether the player is on or not. A Realm costs $8 a month.

Finally, there’s Servers. Servers are minigames that are made by third-party game makers. This is the part of Minecraft that requires the most caution. However, Minecraft Servers tend to be more closely monitored and controlled by the third-party game makers than other similar systems like Roblox, especially in the chats. One time, my son made an innocent political joke and was told by the Minecraft chat moderator to cease and desist.

Some of the games involve building, and there are plenty of times when users will build inappropriate things. So, the chats are moderated pretty thoroughly (some Servers more than others), but not the builds. You could end up with a structure resembling a body part, and no moderator will edit it.

At what age is Minecraft appropriate for kids?

Minecraft is for many different ages, even as young as six. Children who are between six and nine years old should probably stick to playing Creative or Survival modes on the “peaceful” setting. Meanwhile, my recommendation for ages 10-13 is to play Creative or Survival modes with more difficult settings if they choose. There are a few somewhat creepy characters that will growl and attack them as the settings get more difficult. If you set the game to “peaceful,” however, the characters are still there, but they don’t attack. The players defend themselves by hitting the attacking character with a sword. So, there is a little violence in the game, but not much. There isn’t any blood or gore. The attacking characters are knocked back when hit and disappear when they die.

By the time they’re 10, most kids should be ready for multiplayer in either World or Realms, where they invite their friends, but you shouldn’t let any kid under the age of 16 play with people they don’t know.

What are the safety risks of Minecraft for children?

Minecraft is definitely safer than a lot of other online games. The parental restrictions give parents much more control over how their kids play and with whom. However, if restrictions are lifted on the multiplayer Servers area, kids can be exposed to inappropriate content or worse, predators using the game to groom their next victim. Parents should still be vigilant in protecting their kids when allowing them to enter the online gaming world. The good thing is that Minecraft does not have audio chat built into the game. It can only be utilized with add-ins. However, a predator can build a friendship with kids by playing Minecraft with them and using the chat feature if it’s been enabled on your child’s account. Then the predator will gradually try to move the child to a less-filtered game or chat area.

Another risk to be mindful of is the ability to invite friends of friends. If your child’s friend’s parents give their kids unlimited access to Minecraft, your child may be befriending strangers. Your child may think they are inviting a friend of a friend when it’s actually a person they don’t know. Be sure to monitor who your child is inviting to their World/Realm.

Bullying can also take place in Minecraft multiplayer, even from kids your child knows. This is another danger of allowing friends of friends to enter a World or a Realm in particular.

What parental controls does Minecraft offer?

Kids under the age of 16 need their parents’ permission to play online. A parent needs to create a Microsoft account that is linked to the child’s gaming account. From that Microsoft account, a parent can set various restrictions that the child cannot change (unless they know their parent’s login information). A parent can limit access to online multiplayer play, chat capability (the ability to write messages to other players), and the ability to add friends. Chat features are automatically disabled for players under the age of 13.

Minecraft Realms allows parents the ability to set up a World for their kids where they can only invite their friends.

Minecraft allows users to block certain players and/or their messages. The game makers also encourage their users to report inappropriate behavior, while also monitoring players more closely than similar games.

Should I let my child play multiplayer or single player only?

It depends on your child’s age, maturity, and trust level. Single player is the safest. Your child is playing a video game offline in your home. Multiplayer has a number of options. Your child can play multiplayer in World or Realms with just their friends, or you can open it up to friends of friends. Friends of friends may add a little more risk if that friend’s parents allow them to befriend anyone or are just unaware. If you are leery of allowing your child to play multiplayer, do a trial run with just friends; perhaps start with a trial period with just one trusted friend.

What do I do if my child encounters inappropriate content or strangers on Minecraft?

Minecraft encourages players to report inappropriate content or malicious users so they can keep the game safe. However, the best way to keep your kids from encountering strangers is to play Creative single player (offline) or play in World or Realms and only invite their friends. Minecraft also gives you the ability to block other players.

What positive skills does Minecraft teach kids?

Probably the most obvious skill Minecraft teaches kids is how to be creative. They can design and build anything their imaginations can dream up. Designing and building often involve math and spatial awareness. Kids will exercise both of those skills a lot. Minecraft also teaches players how to work cooperatively. When they are playing together with their friends in World or Realms, kids tend to build communities together. They have to learn how to listen, plan, negotiate, and build with one another in a peaceful way. Sometimes that can be relationally messy and requires working through conflict. A couple of other skills players learn are how to problem-solve and use a finite amount of resources effectively.

Is Minecraft safer than Roblox for kids?

Yes, Minecraft is considerably safer than Roblox. Roblox leans more heavily on user-created games; therefore, there is more inappropriate content that kids can encounter. Minecraft, on the other hand, relies more on content created by the game maker. Even the Servers component of Minecraft is more limited and monitored.

Minecraft has a better parent safety setup that makes it more difficult for kids to work around the restrictions. Parents are also able to block more in Minecraft than in Roblox. In my family, I feel good about my kids playing Minecraft. I can’t say the same about Roblox. For more on that, check out: Is Roblox Safe for My Child?

Sound off: In your opinion, is Minecraft safe for kids?