Apex Legends

Apex Legends contains cartoon violence that some children might find upsetting so you should check out the game yourself before you let your child use it to decide if it’s appropriate. If you don’t fancy playing it, you could always go on YouTube and watch a video of someone else playing.

If you decide it’s ok for your child to play, you should talk to them about the different communication features available and decide which ones are appropriate for them to use.

Take your child through Childline’s staying safe online page so you can talk about the risks and how to stay safe

Gaming is a fun way for kids to relax and stay entertained outside of school but it’s important to agree rules to keep them safe whilst gaming. These could include which games are safe to play, who they can play with, where they can use their devices at home or how long they can play for.

For example, you might agree with them they can play in the main family rooms at the weekends with their school friends. Different rules will work for different families but often work best when agreed together as a family. That way your child can share things like how long each game lasts which is helpful to know when agreeing time limits.

It can help to write down any new rules together as a family so you can come back to them later. Use our family agreement to get you started.

Apex Legends has communication features that can connect you with people you don’t know. We would recommend they only chat to friends they have actually met, like their school friends or people they know from other offline activities via the Ping system so they don’t use voice chat.

Make sure you check in with your child regularly about who they’re talking to on Apex Legends. Remind them that conversations should only be about the game, and if someone starts asking them other questions or suggests they speak using another app like Snapchat or Instagram they should tell you.

Explore safety settings together like block, report and mute so your child knows how to stop unwanted contact or end an online chat if it's not about the game.

Be aware that some children use third party chat apps like Discord to communicate with other players while gaming. Make sure to ask your child if they’re using any other messaging apps to chat with friends or people they don’t know while playing games online.

Your child might come across upsetting or negative things from other players in Apex Legends. So it’s useful to show them how to report.

EA, the game’s developers, has specific guidance on how to report players for cheating, abuse, and harassment.

And remember to let your child know that they can always talk to you about worrying things they see online.

Explain that you understand the internet is a great place to play, create, learn and connect. But remind them they can talk to you if anything upsets or worries them.

Reassure them that you won’t overreact – you’re just looking out for them.

It’s important to remind your child that they can talk you, another adult they trust, like a teacher, or Childline about anything they see online.