A Parent’s Guide to Safe Online Games for Kids

If you’re a parent who didn’t grow up with online games, watching your kid click around the internet can be nerve‑wracking. You want them to have fun and feel included, but you also don’t want random strangers, sketchy ads, or paywalls anywhere near them.

The good news: there actually are plenty of kid‑friendly browser games out there. You just need to know what to look for – and what to avoid.

Things to Check Before Your Kid Plays

First, look at whether the game has chat. If it does, can it be turned off? For younger kids, I strongly prefer games with no open chat at all. If there is messaging, it should be heavily filtered or limited to pre‑set phrases.

Second, pay attention to ads and in‑game purchases. Some sites bombard kids with pop‑ups; others keep things much cleaner. If your child is going to be playing unsupervised, choose games and sites that don’t try to trick them into clicking “buy.”

Playing Together Helps More Than Any Setting

One of the best safety tools you have is simply sitting down and playing with your kid. You’ll see exactly what they see, and you’ll be there if something confusing or uncomfortable pops up.

Over time, you can teach them what red flags look like – pushy ads, weird chat messages, or pages that don’t feel right. The goal isn’t to make them afraid of the internet, but to help them recognize when something deserves a second look.