Steam is an entertainment platform and app where you can play, discuss and create games. You can chat to other members of the community, through groups, clans or in-game chat features. Users can also livestream on Steam.
Official age rating
Check out Steam’s parental controls feature - Family View - and agree with your child which parts of the platform should be accessible to them.
Sitting down with your child and exploring Steam together is a great way for you to learn more about the platform and why your child might want to use it.
Explore the different features and games available and agree some rules around which ones they’d like to use. Be aware in-game features will vary from game to game so it’s important to look at each game invidually and explore the features available.
You might also want to check out our advice article on Livestreaming and video apps.
Help your child think about what they share online and who sees it. Compare it to what they would be happy to share offline.
Use examples that are easy for them to understand: “You shouldn't give your number to somebody you don't know on the street. Is somebody online you don't know any different?”
Listen to their answers. And be positive and encouraging.
Remind them that they shouldn’t share private things, such as:
Steam has a parental controls feature, called Family View, that lets families choose what parts of the platform are accessible.
Family View allows you to select certain games to play, as well as restrict access to community-generated content, chat and forums.
Remember to explore Steam together so you can agree on what your child should see. If you choose to use Family View, Steam has information on how to set it up.
It's important to check the privacy settings on your child's Steam account. As standard, basic details such as your profile and friends list are public but you can change the privacy settings so only your friends can see things like your profile, comments and friends list.
You can view these by:
1) Clicking on your child’s account in the top right corner.
2) Selecting View my Profile.
3) Selecting Edit Profile and Privacy Settings.
To help stop your child from playing games that contain adult themes, you should switch off mature content in their settings.
You can turn this off via Family View or going into Account Settings and selecting ‘mature content off’.
Be aware that there is no guarantee this will stop your child from seeing something they might find upsetting.
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.
We've spoken to over 2,000 parents and kids to find out what they think.
What do children and young people dislike about Steam?
I like the ability to play with your own friends, but the majority of games on this application do tend to have a toxic community.
Boy, 17
What do children and young people like about Steam?
It is a fun social media that connects people that play the same games together. This way you can talk to strangers without revealing your real name or face.
Signing up
It was very easy with my email address and I had a confirmation email.
Mum of a 17 year old
Reporting
The information is there, but you had to go to the Help Centre option, open it on a browser window and then search for the instructions.
Dad of 5 and 13 year olds
Privacy settings
Overall, parents found it easy to turn off their location settings and change their settings so that their profile and account was private.
Under the privacy setting there was only a single option, which has a tick box to say whether you wish to receive messages from 'everyone' or not.
Father of 16 and 17 year olds
It was not straightforward to find the settings button, as it was hidden in a long menu. I could not find anything about location settings at all.
Mum of 12 and 14 year olds
Safety and support
Games and video come with a warning of content, but it’s still too easy to gain access to everything.
Mum of 5 and 9 year old boys
The information is there for community standards and safety information, although it is not obvious and you have to press several links to find it.
Mum of a 15 year old girl
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