Should I let my child use Steam?

Yes, if your child is 13 or older and you’ve set up the right parental controls . Steam has a lot of games and features that aren’t suitable for kids, so it’s important to monitor the games they want to play and stay involved to ensure they’re using the platform responsibly. Steam has built-in parental controls you can use to make sure your kid is safe on the platform, but I think it’s best to combine them with a third-party parental control app like Bark that can also monitor your kid’s chats and set time limits for Steam.

Are there inappropriate games on Steam?

Yes — Steam age-rates all games on the platform and there are community tags that highlight games featuring violence or sexual themes. That said, Steam allows anyone to access or buy these games (note that the platform doesn’t let children younger than 13 create an account). The good news is that there are steps you can take to regulate what games your kid has access to . A great way to do this is through Steam’s Family View.

Yes, Steam is free to download and use. However, it’s a place where your child can purchase games, and to unlock most features like adding friends or participating in the community, your child will need to add funds to their Steam Wallet. Keep in mind that Steam is primarily a game marketplace, and one of the issues with allowing your kid on Steam is that it’s easy for kids to overspend if not monitored.

Does Steam have its own parental controls?

Yes, Steam offers 2 built-in parental control features : Family View and Steam Families. Family View is a “kids mode” that requires a PIN to change settings or access restricted features. On the other hand, Steam Families lets you manage access to specific games and authorize purchases on your child’s account.

Artikel von Toma Novakovic

Toma Novakovic

Toma Novakovic ist Autor bei SafetyDetectives. Bevor er zu uns kam, arbeitete er als freiberuflicher Autor für verschiedene Publikationen in den Bereichen Technik, Sprachwissenschaften und Wissenschaft. Er interessiert sich für viele Dinge und lernt gerne Neues über den Tech-Sektor, das ständig wachsende Feld der Cybersicherheit sowie zum Thema Datenschutz. Schreibt er nicht für die Arbeitt, schreibt er wahrscheinlich Belletristik, liest über obskure Themen oder spielt ein <em>Final Fantasy</em>-Videospiel.