Confronting Hate Speech in Gaming: Tips to discuss the harmful impact of hate speech

Your child was exposed to hate speech in the game.

confronting hate speechwith your child

Tips for conversation with the child

1. Explain that you got a notification that they were exposed to hate speech during their game.

2. Start a conversation with your child, ask them how they feel about the comments.

3. Let your child know that you would like them to share these things with you so that you can support them and keep them safe.

4. Help your child understand that this kind of language is definitely hurtful and they shouldn’t feel scared or ashamed, they need to be proud of who they are.

5. Tell them that sometimes kids use toxic comments but don’t understand the meaning of it.

6. Let your child know that this kind of language could continue if none of the kids in the game speak up to say they disagree/do not think it is ok to use that kind of language. Discuss ways of being a positive bystander or upstander. Encourage your child to speak up when they hear hate speech or report it to the game company. Help your child practice what they could say, such as “Hey–we don’t talk like that here–that’s offensive” or “Come on guys, there’s no need to say that.”

7. Let your child know that they can stop playing with this person. Help your child block or report the person who used hate speech.

If you need more tips for the conversation you can use this website or this one.

Recommendations written by Kidas Experts.