Gaming

Make sure your nickname does not include your:

• full name
• school’s or college’s name
• date of birth
• address or the town you live
• mobile number

If you’re able to use a profile picture, try using an avatar that doesn’t show your face. If you do use a picture, think about whether it shows anything that could be used to identify you, like your school logo or your street name.

When you create your account, it’s a good idea to make sure you use a strong password.

Games are a great way to make friends online. But it’s important to think about how much you’re sharing about yourself.

Be careful about sharing personal details, like your address, phone number, where you go to school or your full name. Even if you only share a few small things over time, someone might be able to use it to find out more about you.

Most online games are open to everyone, that means you could be playing with people much younger or older than you. You might also be much better or worse at the game than the people you’re playing with.

Remember, if you’re playing with people online:

• you can report and mute anyone who’s abusive, threatening or who tries to bully you
• people might not always be honest about who they are
• be careful of scams, and don’t accept gifts or offers that seem too good to be true
• be nice to the people you’re playing with, even if they’re not as good at the game.

There can be times when people use games to ask children and young people to share sexual pictures or nudes. People who do this might make you feel like you can trust them, ask you to keep things secret or give you compliments or gifts. This is called grooming.

When you share something online, even in a private message, you lose control of it. If you’re talking to someone online and they’ve asked you to share sexual images or personal details, it can help to talk to someone you trust first, or to a Childline counsellor.

Changing your privacy settings can affect who can see if you’re online, who you can play with and whether people can see what games you’re playing.

Every game and console is different, so make sure you always check the settings to see what your options are.

Lots of people like to play for as long as they can without stopping. But taking short breaks when you’re playing games can help you to stay healthier and stop you from getting bored.

Try taking a break if you’re:

• not enjoying the game as much as you were when you started
• getting angry or upset at other people or the game
• feeling tired or hungry
• starting to ignore things you need to do, like homework.

Lots of games are free-to-play, so you can download and start them without paying anything. Games like this make money by making you want to buy things, like new skins, loot boxes, items or lives.

If you’re tempted to buy things in-game:

• Check whether something will cost real world money before you buy anything
• Ask the person who’ll be paying before you buy anything
• Keep track of what you’re spending, even if you’re buying cheaper things they can end up costing a lot
• Don’t buy items from websites outside of the game itself
• Take time away from the game before you decide whether you still want something

Loot boxes can seem like fun, especially if you get something valuable from them. But they can also encourage you to keep buying them and make you feel like you have to play for longer.

Downloading cheats or mods from websites other than the official game website can be dangerous. Mods can contain viruses that will damage your computer or mobile, and give hackers access to your personal data.

Whenever you can, always use your mobile’s app store or download mods from official websites.