Is Minecraft Dangerous? 4 Tips to Keep Kids Safe While Playing Minecraft

Minecraft is one of the most popular video games among the challenging boys I work with. Despite its innocent appearance, it has caused more serious problems for families in my practice than any other video game — much worse than violent first-person shooters like Fortnite. Here’s what you need to know, and 4 tips to keep your child safe.

Parents often like Minecraft because its blocky, cartoony characters seem reassuringly innocent. But online multiplayer servers can expose kids to bullying, financial exploitation, and addictive play patterns. There’s no need for alarm — Minecraft can be played safely by following a few simple rules.

What Are Minecraft’s Troubling Features?

• It can be highly addictive. Kids can get very caught up in playing. In more extreme cases they push to play to the exclusion of other activities, leading to big battles — or secretly staying up late to keep playing.
• It can expose kids to bullying and exploitation. On multiplayer servers, players attack others, steal their hard-earned virtual possessions, and destroy their buildings — a practice called “griefing.” This can be more stressful for kids than the violence in games like Call of Duty.
• Server owners can tempt kids into spending large sums of money. Special weapons and armor give huge in-game advantages. I’ve known kids to spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars this way — often stealing their parents’ credit card numbers to do it.

Minecraft does have real positive qualities. It’s often described as “LEGO on steroids” — a true sandbox game with no levels to conquer, no preset objectives, no predetermined path. What a player does is determined entirely by his interests and imagination.

You might be tempted to ban Minecraft altogether. But when parents ban it, children often just sneak around to play anyway. And if your child is playing in hiding, you won’t be able to supervise his play or know about the problems he’s being exposed to.

Tip 1: Understand the Different Ways to Play

What format your child plays Minecraft on — single player vs. multiplayer, online vs. offline — determines what risks he or she is exposed to. Online servers are where the greatest dangers are found. Many are “Lord of the Flies”-like environments where kids can be bullied, pressured to spend money, and exposed to strangers.

Playing single-player offline is the safest form of Minecraft. Also safe is multiplayer with friends on your home wifi network. These formats don’t give kids opportunities to spend large sums of money or meet strangers online.

Tip 2: Keep Up as Minecraft Changes

Minecraft is constantly evolving. Programmers continuously add new features, and there are thousands of servers with dozens more added every day. You have to put effort into staying current with how your child is playing and on which servers.

Tip 3: Play with Your Child

The most effective way to keep your child safe is to spend some time playing Minecraft with him. Have your child show you what he likes to do and the servers he plays on. Playing together lets you monitor his use and builds closeness — there’s nothing like showing genuine interest in what your child loves for strengthening your bond.

This is especially valuable for kids who are difficult to connect with or easily overwhelmed by interpersonal interactions. Playing multiplayer Minecraft together is a lower-intensity way to build connection and expand their capacity to engage.

Tip 4: Collaboratively Establish Rules

Children are more likely to follow rules they have a hand in creating. Work together to set guidelines around:

• How much time they are allowed to spend playing Minecraft
• Where they are allowed to play (offline only, local multiplayer, specific approved servers)
• How much money, if any, they are allowed to spend on the game

If your kids play on servers, look at online reviews before approving them. Happy mining and crafting!