Communication Safety Hub
Last verified: Oct 14, 2026 against official sources. "Not confirmed" = not yet verified.
Chat is where most online risk comes from. Here's who can contact your child on each platform and how to control it.
Lock it down: quick checklist
- Set console/device communication first (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, iPhone, Android). This is the outer layer.
- Then set each game or app's own chat (Roblox, Fortnite/Epic, Minecraft/Xbox, Discord). Console settings don't always reach them: PlayStation says it doesn't control Roblox chat.
- Turn off console party chat separately. Epic says its chat setting doesn't affect party chat.
- Require approval for new friends wherever available (Roblox trusted friends, Epic friend PIN, Xbox add friends, Apple contacts).
- Lock settings with a PIN or passcode the child doesn't know.
- Show your child how to block and report, and agree they'll tell you about anything uncomfortable.
- Recheck after birthdays and updates. Defaults change by age.
How the layers work
Console/device settings (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch) can restrict chat for the games on them. EA says Xbox communication settings also apply in its games. But some apps run their own chat: PlayStation says Roblox chat is independent of console settings, and Epic says its chat setting doesn't control console party chat. Phone settings (Apple Allowed Contacts, Family Link contacts) cover only built-in calling and texting apps, not chat inside games.
Cross-platform comparison
| Platform | Text | Voice | DMs | Friend requests | Parent visibility | Defaults by age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roblox | Experience chat (under 9 needs parent consent). Direct chat (under 13 needs consent). Friends chat: All friends / Trusted friends / No one | Not available under 13. Ages 13–17: only with same-age-group trusted friends | Direct chat On/Off | Under 13 need parent permission for trusted friends | Friends list (All or Trusted) in Parental controls | Under 9: experience chat needs consent. Under 13: direct chat needs consent, no voice. 13–17: voice only with trusted friends |
| Fortnite / Epic | Everybody / Friends, team members & connections / Friends Only / Nobody | Same four options | Covered by text chat setting | Optional PIN to send or accept Epic friend requests | Settings in the Epic parental controls | Under 10: max Friends Only. Under 13: max Friends, team members & connections. Under 13 or local consent age: Cabined account with chat off until a parent consents |
| Minecraft | "Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites": Everyone / Friends / Block | Same Xbox setting | Same Xbox setting | "You can add friends": Allow/Block | Not confirmed | Multiplayer is off by default on child accounts (Java and Bedrock) |
| Call of Duty | Not confirmed | Voice Chat Off, or Game Chat Voice: Party Only / Friends Only / Friends & Chat Channels | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Rated M (Mature 17+) titles |
| GTA Online | Not confirmed | Voice chat monitored through Modulate | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | ESRB M 17+, Users Interact |
| Riot (VALORANT / League) | Off or friends only | Off or friends only | Not confirmed | Block sending/accepting friend requests | Friends list | Under 18 can be parent-managed. Child can't remove it until 18 |
| EA (Apex, EA FC) | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Child accounts may block online features in M games |
| Pokémon GO | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Friends toggle (emails you on new friends) | Email when a new friend is added | Under 13: parent-managed Niantic Kids account |
| Supercell (Brawl Stars, Clash) | Text-only in alliances/clubs with an age-tailored filter | None (text only) | Not confirmed | Visible via a parent-controlled Supercell ID | Friend list if you control the Supercell ID email | Young players only join Family Friendly Teams with a stricter filter |
| Among Us | Set in Parent Portal permissions | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Child accounts need parental consent |
| Discord | Servers and DMs | Server voice channels and calls | Not confirmed | New friends appear in the Activity Feed | Activity Feed and weekly email summary (new friends, servers joined) | 13+. Linking is opt-in for both parent and teen |
| Steam | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Child must be on your Friends list to be invited | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Rocket League | Same as Fortnite/Epic | Same as Fortnite/Epic | Not confirmed | Epic friend PIN (Sideswipe has no friend requests) | Not confirmed | Cabined accounts apply |
| YouTube (supervised) | Writing comments and live chat off for supervised kids | n/a | n/a | n/a | Family Link settings | Under 13: supervised or YouTube Kids |
| TikTok | DM settings adjustable | Not confirmed | Adjustable via Family Pairing | Not confirmed | Screen-time summaries | 13+ |
| Instagram / Meta | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | See who they follow and who follows them | Followers/following, contact settings, general Meta AI topics | Teen Accounts, opt-in supervision |
| Snapchat | Friends and phone contacts only (teen default) | Not confirmed | Friends/contacts only | See their friend list | Friends, who they recently messaged, location on request, settings | 13+. Teens can't change their birthday |
| Not confirmed | n/a | Messaging settings lockable with passcode | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Under 18 can be passcode-locked | |
| Twitch | Not confirmed | n/a | DM restrictions available | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | 13+ with supervision |
Console & device communication controls
📣 Communication controls (start here)
Who can talk to your child is the most important setting. Controls stack in layers: console/device → platform account → in-game. Set every layer, because one layer doesn't always control another. Communication Safety Hub →
Xbox (Microsoft family): system-level communication
- Xbox: Settings → Account → Family settings → Manage family members → child → Privacy & online safety → Xbox privacy → View details & customize → Communication & multiplayer.
- "Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites": Everyone / Friends / Block.
- "You can communicate outside of Xbox with voice & text": Block.
- "You can add friends": set so you approve friends.
Even on Block, members of a club can still talk to your child if Clubs is set to Allow. Mute stops a player speaking to you; Block stops their messages and invites, removes them as a friend, and hides your online activity from them.
PlayStation (PS5/PS4): system-level communication
- PS5: Settings → Family and Parental Controls → Family Management → child → Parental Controls → Communication and User-Generated Content → Restrict. Also in the PlayStation Family app.
Restrict turns off text messages and voice chat (pre-written in-game messages still allowed), sharing and viewing user-generated content, and linking some third-party communication apps. Kids can request a per-game exception, which you approve in the Family app. Roblox chat is NOT controlled by this setting.
Nintendo Switch / Switch 2: system-level communication
- Parental Controls app or System Settings → Parental Controls → "Communicating with Others" (In-Game Communication with Others): Restricted, for all software or per game.
Presets: Teen = not restricted; Child and Young Child = restricted. This covers chat, messages, images and user-generated content.
iPhone / iPad: system-level communication
- Settings → Family → child → Allowed Contacts: choose who they can call, message and FaceTime, and require approval for new contacts.
- Settings → Family → child → Communication Safety On.
Covers Messages, FaceTime and Phone only, not chat inside games or other apps. Communication Safety blurs detected nudity, gore or violence. Under 13s need the Screen Time passcode to view it. Apple doesn't see the images.
Android (Family Link): system-level communication
- Family Link → child → contacts: "Only contacts I add" or "Contacts I add & limited groups."
Only applies to Google Messages, Google Dialer and Samsung Messages on watches. Other messaging apps aren't covered, so block them in Family Link if needed. If your child changes their default apps, the limits may stop working.
Grooming warning signs
NCMEC lists these common tactics used to entice children online, on every kind of platform including games:
- Building rapport with compliments, shared interests, or "liking" posts
- Sexual conversation or role-play
- Asking for sexually explicit images, or offering to swap images
- Sending sexually explicit images of themselves
- Pretending to be younger
- Offering gift cards, money, game currency, alcohol, drugs, lodging, transportation or food
- Asking the child to keep secrets or move to a private app
If you're worried: what to do
- Stay calm and reassure your child that it isn't their fault.
- Save everything (screenshots, usernames, messages). Don't delete the account or chats first.
- Report to NCMEC's CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org, or call 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678), 24/7.
- If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.
- Report and block the account on the platform (links below).
Report to NCMEC CyberTipline →
Platform safety & reporting pages
Sources: [1] [2] [3] · This page is general safety information, not legal advice.