Classification, parental controls and in-game spending in Australia
How do classification, family settings and spending limits fit together? This page compares the layers a household can use and what each one covers.
Quick answer
Three layers help a household manage online games: the game's classification, which tells you about content; family settings in the operating system, store or game, which control access and time; and payment controls, which limit spending. Each layer covers what the others do not.
Layer one: classification
In Australia, computer games are classified under the National Classification Scheme, and the Australian Classification Board website is where to look up a game's classification and read what each category means. A classification comes with consumer advice that summarises the content behind it. The Board's website also explains how it considers interactive features, and its current guidance is the place to check how in-game purchases and gambling-like content are treated.
This site does not state classifications for particular games, because the Board's database is the authoritative and current record. It also does not present any game with purchasable randomised items or simulated gambling as suitable for minors. If you are deciding whether a game is appropriate for a younger player, the classification, the consumer advice and the vendor's own minimum account age are the three things to read.
Layer two: family settings
Family settings exist at several levels, and they overlap. Operating systems, game stores and launchers, and some individual games offer controls. Using more than one level is common, because each controls different things.
| Level | What it can usually control | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Which programs run, screen time, sometimes web content | Covers everything on the computer | Only applies when the child uses their own account on that computer |
| Store or launcher | Purchases, which titles are visible, sometimes chat | Covers all games bought through it | Does not cover games installed from elsewhere |
| In-game settings | Chat, friend requests, sometimes purchases | Specific to how that game works | Varies widely, and some games offer little |
| Payment method | Whether purchases can be completed at all | Works regardless of game | Does not affect content or time |
The exact options differ by product and change over time, so this page does not list menus or features of particular systems. The provider's own help pages are the reliable source. The eSafety Commissioner publishes guidance for parents and carers on online gaming, including how to talk with children about it, which complements the technical settings.
Layer three: spending controls
Free-to-play games, as explained on the pricing comparison, are designed around optional purchases made during play. That makes spending controls especially relevant to them. Controls range from simple to thorough:
- Do not save a card. Removing saved payment methods from game accounts and launchers means every purchase requires an adult to enter details.
- Use the store's purchase approval. Many family accounts let an adult approve each purchase a child requests.
- Use prepaid credit. A gift card or prepaid balance sets a hard upper limit on spending.
- Set limits with your bank. Some banks and card issuers let you block or cap online gaming transactions. Your bank can tell you what it offers.
- Review statements. Small game purchases can be easy to miss individually but significant together.
If unauthorised purchases happen. Contact the store or game publisher first, using their official support channel, and explain that the purchases were made by a child without permission. If you are unsatisfied, the ACCC explains your consumer rights, and your bank can advise on disputing a card transaction.
Communication and contact settings
Online multiplayer games usually include ways to communicate: text chat, voice chat, friend requests and private messages. These are worth reviewing alongside content and spending, since they determine who can contact a player. Many games and platforms let you limit chat to friends, turn off voice or block messages from strangers. The eSafety Commissioner's website explains online safety issues in games and how to report serious online abuse.
Reading a classification and its consumer advice
A classification is more useful when read with its consumer advice than on its own. The category tells you the broad level of content; the consumer advice tells you which kinds of content led to it, such as violence, language or online interactivity. Two games in the same category can differ considerably in what they contain, and the consumer advice is how you tell them apart. The Classification Board's website explains each category and lets you search its database by title.
A classification describes the content a game ships with. Online games also contain content created by other players, such as chat messages, player names and custom designs, and that content changes constantly. A classification cannot fully account for what other players say or make, which is why communication settings, covered below, matter separately.
The vendor's own minimum account age is a different thing again. It is set by the vendor's terms, not by the classification system, and it may be higher or lower than the classification would suggest. Where the two differ, the stricter one is a sensible guide for a household.
Talking about online games at home
Settings work best alongside conversation. Technical controls can be switched off, worked around on another device or outgrown, while an agreed understanding travels with a young player. The eSafety Commissioner's guidance for parents and carers suggests approaches to these conversations. Common topics include what to do if someone online makes them uncomfortable, why passwords and sign-in codes are never shared, why purchases need an adult's agreement, and how long sessions should run on school nights.
It also helps to agree in advance what happens when a game asks for money, so the moment does not need to be negotiated mid-session. A simple household rule, such as "ask first, and we decide together", is easier to keep than a list of exceptions, and it gives a young player a clear answer when a game presents a tempting offer.
Older teenagers may manage their own accounts. For them, the spending and security habits on this site's other pages apply as they do to adults: unique passphrases, multi-factor authentication, no saved payment methods unless deliberately chosen, and a clear personal limit on spending.
A household checklist
- Look up the game's classification and consumer advice on the Classification Board's website.
- Read the vendor's minimum age for accounts and its privacy policy.
- Give the child their own account on the computer and apply operating-system family settings to it.
- Set up the store or launcher's family features, including purchase approval.
- Remove saved payment methods, or use prepaid credit instead.
- Review chat and friend-request settings in the game.
- Agree household rules about time and spending, and revisit them as children get older.
Where adults playing alone fit in
Spending controls are not only for families. An adult who wants a clear limit on in-game spending can use the same tools: not saving a card, using prepaid credit and checking statements. If gaming or spending is becoming hard to control, talking to your GP or a support service is a reasonable step; this site does not offer advice on that and suggests seeking it from a qualified professional.