Minecraft

Minecraft comes in two main versions:

• Bedrock Edition: Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, phones and tablets, Windows. Has the Marketplace.
• Java Edition: Windows, Mac and Linux computers. More mods and community servers.

Minecraft's parental controls live on your child's Microsoft account, not in the game. In the US, an account for anyone under 16 is a child account, and it has to be connected to an adult's Microsoft account. Only the adult can change its settings.

Set Up a Child Account

Multiplayer is off by default on child accounts for both Java and Bedrock, so a new child account starts out single-player only.

Xbox Online Safety and Privacy Settings

Go to account.xbox.com/settings and select your child's account (you'll see their gamertag at the top right).

• You can join multiplayer games: Allow or Block. This one setting turns Minecraft multiplayer, Realms and servers on or off.
• You can create and join clubs: Allow or Block
• You can add friends on Xbox Live: Allow or Block

• Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites: Everyone, Friends, or Block

For younger children, choose Friends or Block.

Multiplayer in a World (Bedrock)

Each world has its own multiplayer switch. When creating or editing a world, open the Multiplayer section and turn Multiplayer Game off to keep that world private.

Chat Settings (Java)

Choose Shown, Commands Only, or Hidden. For children, Commands Only or Hidden keeps chat out of the way.

Player Reporting (Java)

On any multiplayer server, open the pause menu and select Player Reporting. Your child can hide a player's messages or report an abusive message to Minecraft's moderators.

Creative Mode

• Best for young children
• No enemies, no dying
• Unlimited building blocks
• Flying enabled
• Pure creativity

Peaceful Difficulty

In Survival mode, set difficulty to "Peaceful":

• Removes hostile monsters
• Still has survival elements
• Less scary than normal survival

Adventure Mode

• Can't break blocks
• Good for guided experiences
• Used in educational maps

Keep Multiplayer Off

The simplest option for young children: leave You can join multiplayer games set to Block. It's the default for child accounts. Local play on the same device still works.

Friends-Only Play

If you allow multiplayer:

1. Set Others can communicate with voice, text, or invites to Friends
2. Approve friends together
3. Play in invite-only worlds or a Realm

Realms (Private Servers)

For online play with people you know:

1. A parent buys a Realms subscription (a monthly fee; see minecraft.net for current plans)
2. Only invited players can join
3. The Realm owner controls the invite list

Text Chat

Minecraft has text chat in multiplayer worlds, on Realms and on servers. The Xbox privacy setting above controls who can message your child, and Java players can hide chat in Options.

Voice

Minecraft doesn't have built-in voice chat. On a console, voice usually comes from the console's party chat, which follows the same Xbox, PlayStation or Nintendo communication settings. Some community servers add voice through mods or Discord.

Minecraft Marketplace

Bedrock Edition has an in-game store for skins, worlds and texture packs, paid for with "Minecoins."

Limit Purchases

Option 1: Microsoft family settings

• At family.microsoft.com, open your child's Spending settings
• Turn on purchase approval so you approve each one

Option 2: Device-level

• iPhone and iPad: turn on Ask to Buy
• Android: require approval for Google Play purchases in Family Link
• Consoles: use the console's own spending controls

Minecoins

Use Minecoin gift cards if you want to allow a fixed budget.

Featured Servers

Bedrock Edition lists "Featured Servers," official partner servers. They're moderated but full of strangers. They need multiplayer, so blocking You can join multiplayer games blocks them too.

Other Servers

With multiplayer allowed, players can join outside servers (Java) or add servers by address. To prevent this:

• Keep multiplayer blocked, or
• Stick to a Realm with people you know

Microsoft Family Applies

Java Edition requires a Microsoft account (the old Mojang accounts have been retired), and the same Xbox setting gates Java multiplayer: child accounts see multiplayer as disabled until you allow it. Also use:

• Your computer's own controls (Microsoft Family Safety on Windows, Screen Time on Mac)
• Playing in a shared room for younger kids

Server Connections

Java can connect to any server address. Consider:

• Playing only on known, well-moderated servers
• Using a Realm or a whitelist-only private server

Mods

Java Edition supports mods, which can:

• Add inappropriate content
• Change how the game connects online
• Come bundled with malware from unofficial sites

Check what's installed together, and download mods only from trusted sites.

Minecraft Education

• Designed for classroom use
• Collaborative features
• Teacher tools
• No open online play with strangers

Learning Opportunities

Minecraft can teach:

• Mathematics (building, measuring)
• Engineering (redstone circuits)
• Resource management
• Collaboration

Violence

• Survival mode includes combat with monsters
• No blood or realistic violence
• Players can "die" and respawn
• Creative and Peaceful modes remove most of it

Strangers

• Online multiplayer puts kids in worlds with people they don't know
• Text chat is the main contact point
• Keep multiplayer off or use a Realm

Hard to Put Down

• Open-ended gameplay can fill hours
• Set time limits through Microsoft family settings or device controls
• Agree on clear playtime rules

Inappropriate Content

• Player-made content and server chat can be inappropriate
• Featured servers are moderated but not perfect
• Keep younger kids off outside servers

Xbox, PlayStation, Switch

Use the console's parental controls alongside the Microsoft account settings.

Phones and Tablets

• Use Screen Time or Family Link for time limits
• Turn on purchase approval at the device level

Windows PC

• Use Microsoft Family Safety for time limits and app limits
• Java multiplayer follows the same Microsoft family settings as Bedrock

We suggest Minecraft from 8, with family settings on. If your child already plays younger, these are the settings to tighten for their age.

Ages 7–9

• Creative mode
• Multiplayer off
• No chat
• Local play with family
• 30–60 minute limits

Ages 10–12

• Creative or Peaceful Survival
• Multiplayer with friends only, if at all
• Communication set to Friends
• Family Realm for online play
• 1–2 hour limits

Ages 13+

• Survival mode is fine
• Multiplayer with regular check-ins
• Talk about online safety
• Communication set to Friends
• More trust over time