Family Safety Guide: Canada

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
ESRB ratings use a three-part system of rating categories, content descriptors and interactive elements. Parents are advised to look beyond the age rating to understand a game's content and features.See it on page 3
02
Every major video game console, PC platform and mobile device comes with built-in parental controls. These can set playtime limits, restrict content by ESRB rating and manage spending.See it on page 4
03
In 2018 the ESRB introduced the In-Game Purchases element for games offering virtual item purchases. In 2020 it added a second element for games where players don't know what they will receive before buying.See it on page 5
04
For randomized purchases such as loot boxes, the player always receives something, but the exact reward is a surprise, so these mechanics involve chance.See it on page 5
05
Parents can use parental controls to require approval for purchases, set spending limits or block payments entirely.See it on page 5
06
The guide advises parents to encourage children never to share personal information, such as their real name, school or location, with people they only know online, and notes that what is shared online can often stay online permanently.See it on page 7

Summary

The document is a family safety guide to video games in Canada, written for parents. It covers four essentials: using ratings to choose games, setting up parental controls, managing spending and microtransactions, and protecting privacy and safety online. It describes the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) as assigning the ratings that appear on video games and apps for video games sold in Canada. Ratings use a three-part system: rating categories such as E, E10+, T and M, content descriptors explaining why a game was rated, and interactive elements highlighting online features. The guide states that every major console, PC platform and mobile device comes with built-in parental controls, which can set playtime limits, restrict content by ESRB rating, manage spending, control communication and track activity. On spending, it explains that since 2020 the ESRB has labeled games offering random-item purchases such as loot boxes with the Interactive Element "In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items)". The guide also recommends that families set rules together and discuss online privacy, including not sharing personal information with people met online.