Child Game

Restart Game Exit Game

This tool shows you common ways bad actors influence or manipulate people, including children online. As you play, you will face different situations. As you choose what to do next, you will learn ways to recognize warning signs, protect your privacy, and know when to ask a trusted adult for help. [[Continue->Input Age]]

What is your age? [[5-13->Age]] [[14-18->Age]]

After finishing all your homework, you go online from your room to try a new game with your friends. [[Log In->Friend Request]]

You just won your first round, and your mom calls you downstairs for dinner. On the screen, you see messages from people you know, like your best friend Alex. As you pause the game, a new friend request pops up from new username. [[Accept->User Added]] [[Reject->Add Later]]

User Added! PixelKnight67 sent you a message. [[Continue->Stranger Statistic]]

You realize that it could have been your friend that has not joined yet. [[Add User->User Added]]

<div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Statistic:</strong> About 32% of teens online have been messaged by a random person with no connection to them or their friends. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2007/04/18/friendship-strangers-and-safety-in-online-social-networks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Pew Research, 2007)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Play Round]]

PixelKnight67 messages you: "I think I go to your school. .... Do you want to play duos?" You play a round with him and finally get a win... [[The user is really good, I definitely want to play with him again.->Play Yes]] [[Maybe later, I still don't know who he is.->Play No]]

Pause and think: you don't know who this is. Would you play with a stranger at the park? [[Continue->Credits]]

It's smart to be wary of online users, remember what they say "stranger danger" right :) [[Continue->Credits]]

PixelKnight67 messages you:"I used to go to school with you, but I moved 2 years ago. Let's play a round!". PixelKnight67 gives you credits to buy a new cool avatar to match. Do you want to accept the credits? [[Obviously, this is the coolest character and my parents never give me money for my games. You change your avatar and play another game.->Credits Yes]] [[No, I don't want to take the user's credits. My avatar is fine ->Credits No]]

Pause and think. <div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Helpful choice.</strong> NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 1,300+ reports in 2024 tied to online groups that befriend kids on gaming platforms—and sometimes offer in-game currency like Robux to pull them into private chats and worse. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2025/using-sextortion-to-groom-kids-for-violence-pain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(NCMEC, 2025)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Time Lapse]]

Helpful choice. <div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Helpful choice.</strong> NCMEC’s CyberTipline received 1,300+ reports in 2024 tied to online groups that befriend kids on gaming platforms—and sometimes offer in-game currency like Robux to pull them into private chats and worse. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://www.missingkids.org/blog/2025/using-sextortion-to-groom-kids-for-violence-pain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(NCMEC, 2025)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Time Lapse]]

Time Lapse, over the next couple days you have continued to play the game after school with the user. The user is messaging to always play, interrupting your time to do homework or during class at school. You are getting tired and your friends are asking you if everything is good. How do you respond to your friends? [[I am totally fine->Im fine]] [[Just been gaming too much I guess->Im fine]] [[This person I have playing with online has been bugging me all the time to play. They are really good but I am getting bad sleep because of it->Speak Up]]

<div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Statistic:</strong> A research summary from the Winston Center found that many teens feel constant pressure to respond and be online with friends, which can make them feel stressed or worn out when they do not want to keep playing. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://winstoncenter.unc.edu/digitally-trapped-adolescents-feel-pressured-to-always-be-available-to-their-friends-online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Winston Center, UNC-Chapel Hill)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Parents]]

Nice one! Speaking out to your friends or especially an adult is always a good idea! <div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Statistic:</strong> A research summary from the Winston Center found that many teens feel constant pressure to respond and be online with friends, which can make them feel stressed or worn out when they do not want to keep playing. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://winstoncenter.unc.edu/digitally-trapped-adolescents-feel-pressured-to-always-be-available-to-their-friends-online" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Winston Center, UNC-Chapel Hill)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Parents]]

You go home and your parents are also noticing you are tired and a bit out of it. How do you respond to your parents? [[I am totally fine->Follow Up]] [[How do you respond to your parents?->Follow Up]] [[Someone I recently started gaming with won't stop asking me to be online with them. They are nice and really good so I don't know what to do->Open Up]]

Your parents tell you: "We feel like you have been gaming a lot. Is something going on with that? [[No->Reporting]] [[Yea it is actually...->Reporting]]

If something feels wrong, tell a parent or trusted adult. <div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Reminder:</strong> If something feels wrong, tell a parent or trusted adult—because only 20% of parents say their child told them about something they saw online that scared or upset them in the past 12 months. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://www.ofcom.org.uk/media-use-and-attitudes/media-habits-children/a-window-into-young-childrens-online-worlds" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Ofcom)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Final]]

You decide to play just one game tonight after dinner with the squad. After the win, the user says they have a friend that might be interested in you and asks to send a picture. Do you send a picture of yourself? [[Gotta to show off to get a date to homecoming]] [[Nah, I am okay->End]]

You should never send an image of yourself to a stranger online! You should play again to make smarter decisions. [[Play Again->Intro]] [[Continue->End]]

It is good to open up to your parents and not hide anything from them. [[Continue->Reporting]]

I hope you learned how to make more conscious decisions with strangers online. Remember to always prioritize your safety and speak up to your parents or guardians in a similar event. [[Play Again->Intro]]

If you choose truthfully, you are the majority! However, teenagers may not always respond truthfully as they attempt to access restricted content. <div class="resource-stat-card"><strong>Statistic:</strong> 44% of teenagers said they had lied about their age online to access a website or online account. <span class="resource-source"><a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2011/11/09/teens-kindness-and-cruelty-on-social-network-sites" target="_blank" rel="noopener">(Pew Research, 2011)</a></span></div> [[Continue->Homework]]