New Xbox gaming safety tools allow parents to limit play time, block chats with strangers
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SINGAPORE – Microsoft has rolled out a slew of gaming safety controls for parents to set limits to their child’s play time, censor foul language and approve who they can speak to, in its library of more than 100 Xbox Live games.
The controls aim to give parents more tools to protect their children from harmful content that has become widespread on online multiplayer games, such as hate speech, profanities and predators who prey on young gamers.
The Xbox Safety Gaming Toolkit, developed in collaboration with local organisations that tackle online harms, was released here on Tuesday, available on the Xbox Family Settings app.
The release sees Xbox joining other gaming platforms, including Epic Games, which have ramped up safety measures for young gamers
The safety feature, which is free, applies to games linked to Xbox Live, which hosts online multiplayer games and serves as a marketplace for titles for computers, mobile devices or Xbox consoles. The platform has at least 12 million subscribers in South-east Asia alone.
Once the parents have linked their app to a child’s account, they can set permission for whom their child is allowed to speak with online, such as approved friends, any gamer online, or none at all. They can also inspect a list of their child’s existing connections to see who they are chatting with, and remove them if they cannot be trusted.
The feature aims to weed out grooming in online games, which has come under scrutiny after extremist recruiters and criminal gangs began turning to games to enlist young people.
In Singapore, the Internal Security Department said in February that a pair of teens were radicalised through in-game communication features
Once parents have linked their app to a child’s account, they can set permissions for whom their child is allowed to speak with online.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
Predators have also used multiplayer games to groom young players, said Ms Nina Bual, co-founder of Cyberlite Books, which educates children on Internet safety, at the toolkit’s launch at the Microsoft office on Tuesday. The publishing house joined the Media Literacy Council and SG Her Empowerment to support the toolkit’s development.
Ms Bual, who spoke at a panel discussion on gaming safety during the launch, cited a case she heard from a parent of a nine-year-old who was tricked into giving away her parents’ payment details after befriending a player on online game Fortnite whom she thought was of the same age as her.
Depending on the age limit set by the parent, Xbox Marketplace games that are visible to the young user can be limited so that they cannot search for or receive any listings for games that they are not old enough to play, for instance, mature-rated games like Grand Theft Auto V or Starfield.
(From left) Microsoft Singapore communications lead Yik Wai Yi, Microsoft Singapore chief technology officer Richard Koh, Cyberlite Books co-founder Nina Bual and Dr Jiow Hee Jhee of the Media Literacy Council at a panel discussion on Oct 10, 2023.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
To limit the foul language that often plagues in-game chat boxes, the new settings also allow harmful words and phrases to be censored on the child’s device.
Young users who type such words, which are checked against a growing dictionary of harmful terms curated by Microsoft, will be unable to send the message to other players.
Those who are reported by other players for harmful behaviour can be investigated by Xbox. In severe cases, repeat offenders can be barred from messaging, blocked from Xbox Live services for up to a year or permanently banned, which means they cannot play games that they have paid for on multiplayer servers.
Players are warned in Xbox’s community standards not to send sexual threats, use profanities or use racist language, among other offensive behaviours.
Parents can also implement spending limits on a child’s account or require approval for any purchases made using the account.
A time limit for the child’s play time can also be set via the app. To extend game time, permission has to be obtained from the parents, who can approve the request via the mobile app.
A presentation of the features of the Xbox gaming safety toolkit by Microsoft, at its launch event on Oct 10, 2023.
ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
A Microsoft study found that roughly 67 per cent of parents here use parental control tools for their child’s gaming, compared with 81 per cent internationally, indicating that more can be done to raise awareness about safe gaming, said Microsoft chief digital safety officer Courtney Gregoire.
“We hope that the (toolkit) will go some way to bridge the gap and empower parents to be involved in their child’s gaming experiences,” she added.
