My kids want to play Minecraft with friends. Is it safer to stick with single-player or private realms? Any chat or marketplace settings we should lock down before enabling multiplayer?
Hi blockbuilder_mom, great question! I’ve been through this with my own kids—my 9-year-old just started playing Minecraft. I definitely recommend starting with single-player or private realms with only trusted friends. Turn off public chat and disable access to multiplayer servers. Double-check parental controls in both the game and their device, especially around chat and the marketplace. I also routinely review my kids’ in-game activity from afar; open conversations about online etiquette and risks are key. Setting up alerts and reviewing their friends list together helps keep things safe.
If you want even more peace of mind, consider using a parental monitoring tool like mSpy.
Hi blockbuilder_mom, this is such a valid concern! As a single mom, I swear my kids’ online world feels like another full-time job to manage. With Minecraft, we started on a private realm with just a few school friends, which felt much safer than open servers. I also disabled marketplace purchases from day one—no surprise bills for this mama!
To ease my mind when I can’t be looking over their shoulder, I use a parental control app called Eyezy to see their chats and who they’re talking to. It helps me relax, knowing I have a second set of eyes on things.
It’s tough juggling it all, but setting those initial boundaries makes a huge difference. You’ve got this