TL;DR: Game ratings (ESRB) are a great starting line, but they often miss the finish line of how kids actually play today. An "E for Everyone" rating doesn't account for a 12-year-old screaming profanities at your 7-year-old in a voice chat. Focus less on the age number and more on the Interactive Elements—specifically "Users Interact" and "In-Game Purchases."
Quick Links for Context:
When you look at the bottom corner of a game box or an app store description, you see that black and white ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) logo. It feels official. It feels like someone in a suit did the homework for you.
And they did—to an extent. The ESRB is great at catching "hard" content: blood, gore, sexual themes, and language written into the game’s script. But modern gaming is a moving target. The rating on the box describes the game as it exists on the shelf, not the game as it exists when your kid connects to a server with 50,000 strangers.
This is the "safe" zone. Think Super Mario Odyssey or Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Content is generally suitable for all ages. It might have "comic mischief" (someone getting bonked on the head with a hammer), but no one is bleeding.
This is where things get "fantasy violent." Minecraft sits here. You’re hitting skeletons with swords, but they puff into smoke. It’s the PG-13 of the gaming world but slightly softer. It’s usually the sweet spot for elementary schoolers who want something a bit more "real" than Mario.
Ages 13 and up. This is where you’ll find Fortnite, The Sims 4, and Hogwarts Legacy. Expect more realistic violence, some suggestive themes (characters flirting), and mild swearing.
Ages 17 and up. This is Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto V. We’re talking intense violence, blood and gore, sexual content, and every swear word in the book. If your 10-year-old is asking for an M-rated game because "everyone at school has it," they are likely looking for the social status, not the actual "mature" content.
Ask our chatbot for M-rated games that have "safe" alternatives
If you take one thing away from this, let it be this: The ESRB does not rate online interactions.
There is a small label below the rating that says "Users Interact." This is the ESRB’s way of saying, "Hey, we checked the code, but we can't control the people."
In games like Roblox or Among Us, the game itself might be rated E or E10+, but the experience is entirely dependent on who else is in the lobby. You could have a perfectly wholesome game of digital tag, or you could have a 19-year-old using the chat function to bypass filters and say things that would make a sailor blush.
When you see "Users Interact," it means:
- Unfiltered Chat: Even with "safe" settings, kids find ways to communicate.
- User-Generated Content: In Roblox, users build the worlds. Some are great; some are creepy recreations of horror movies that the ESRB never saw.
- The "Ohio" Factor: This is where the brain rot lives. Viral trends, weird memes (looking at you, Skibidi Toilet), and toxic "alpha" posturing happen in the headsets, not in the game's script.
The other label to watch for is "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)."
This is the industry's polite way of saying "this game contains gambling-adjacent mechanics" or Loot Boxes. If your kid is playing Brawl Stars or FIFA (now EA Sports FC), they are being hit with psychological triggers designed to make them spend money on "mystery" packs.
It’s not just about the money (though your bank account will feel it); it’s about the dopamine loop. If a game is rated E but has heavy "Random Item" purchases, it’s teaching the same brain pathways as a slot machine.
Learn more about how Robux is in fact real money
We see parents stressing over a "T" rating for a kid who is 11, while totally ignoring an "E" rated game that is basically a digital casino. Here’s how to actually weigh these:
Ages 5-8: Stick to the E
At this age, stick to the classics. Super Mario Bros. Wonder is a masterpiece. If they want to be creative, Scratch is a fantastic way to "make" games without the social toxicity of Roblox. Avoid anything with "Users Interact" unless you are sitting right there.
Ages 9-12: The Gray Zone
This is where the pressure for Fortnite starts. The "T" rating is mostly for the fact that you’re shooting at people, but it’s stylized and bloodless. The real danger here isn't the "violence"—it's the pressure to buy "skins" to look cool in front of friends.
Ages 13+: The Conversation Phase
By now, they’ve seen it all. If they want to play an M-rated game like Elden Ring, the question isn't "is there blood?" (there is), but "can my kid handle the frustration and the dark themes?"
- Ratings are conservative on "Themes" but liberal on "Systems": A game might get a higher rating for a single "damn" in the script, but a lower rating despite having predatory monetization that targets children.
- The "Brain Rot" isn't in the rating: You won't find a descriptor for "This game is mindless and will turn your kid into a zombie for three hours." For that, you need to look at the gameplay loop. Games like Candy Crush Saga are E for Everyone, but they are designed to be addictive time-sinks.
- Reviews are your friend: Before you buy, check a site like Screenwise or even YouTube. Search for "[Game Title] gameplay no commentary" to see exactly what your kid will be looking at for 20 hours.
Instead of saying "You can't play this because it's rated T," try:
- "I see this game has 'Users Interact.' That means you're going to hear people saying things we don't say in this house. How are you going to handle it when someone starts being toxic in the chat?"
- "This game has 'Random In-Game Purchases.' That’s a trap to get our money. Let’s look at the cool stuff you can unlock just by playing instead of paying."
- "The rating says 'Fantasy Violence.' Show me what that looks like in the first level so I can see if it's too much."
A game rating is a data point, not a parenting decision. Minecraft can be an architectural masterpiece or a platform for cyberbullying, and both versions have the exact same E10+ label.
Your best tool isn't the black-and-white box on the screen; it's the 15 minutes you spend watching them play. If the game makes them angry, anxious, or obsessed with your credit card, the rating doesn't matter—it's not the right fit.