Report, Block, Mute
Understanding safety tools and when you should use them
Your daughter has had enough of a player who keeps shouting at her team. But she doesn’t mute him.
‘I don’t want to make it a big deal.’
Some children hold back like this. In a Singapore government survey, nearly half of 13- to 18-year-olds who had been bullied in a game said they did nothing about it.1
Mute, block and report give players different ways to deal with unwanted contact or behaviour. They can sound similar at first glance, but they do quite different jobs.
What Report, Block, and Mute Do in Games
Tool | What it does | Use it when |
Mute | Stops you hearing them | Someone is loud, annoying or rude |
Block | Stops unwanted contact | You don’t want someone messaging, inviting or contacting your child |
Report | Sends a concern to the platform/game for review | Someone may have broken the rules, such as through bullying, threats, scams or hateful behaviour. |
Mute and block are about controlling your child’s experience. Your child can use them whenever they want more control over their gaming experience. Reporting is different: it’s for behaviour or content that may violate the game’s or platform’s rules.
⭐IRL: Muting is like putting on headphones, and blocking is like not answering the door. Reporting is telling the building manager when someone is breaking the rules for everyone. |
The controls may also appear in different places. Your console or gaming platform may have its own controls, while the game may have separate ones.3 It’s worth finding both with your child.
If another player keeps bothering your child, or the situation feels serious, ask your child to save a screenshot or other evidence if they can, mute or block the person, report the behaviour through the appropriate platform or game, and tell a trusted adult.
Common Questions Kids Ask
Will they know I reported them? It depends on the game or platform. Reporting is often not shared with the person you report, but the rules vary. Check the game’s help page if you’re worried.
Will my friend be angry if I mute them? Muting only changes what you hear. If you need a break from someone’s voice, it’s okay to take one.
Should I report someone who was just annoying? If they’re just annoying, muting may be enough. Report when their behaviour breaks the game’s or platform’s rules.
What if they keep contacting me after I block them? Tell a trusted adult. Save the new messages and report the new account too.
Will reporting get them banned? Not always. The platform or game reviews the report against its rules. You might not hear what happened, and that doesn’t mean nothing was done.
If your child tells you they’ve muted, blocked or reported someone, respond positively: ‘Good call.’ Making these tools a normal part of gaming can make it easier for them to use them again.
It’s also worth spending five minutes finding the tools together in the game they play most. They’re much easier to use when your child already knows where they are.
Keep Reading: Resources for Parents
Tencent Game Transparency Center- Parental Guide: covers age requirements, privacy, and what to do if your child receives inappropriate messages in a Tencent game.
Citations:
1. MDDI: Survey on children’s online gaming activities