['
If
', 'your
', 'kids
', 'are
', 'into
', 'video
', 'games,
', "it's
", 'only
', 'a
', 'matter
', 'of
', 'time
', 'before
', 'you
', 'start
', 'hearing
', 'about
', 'Steam.
', 'Launched
', 'in
', '2003
', 'by
', 'Valve
', 'and
', 'now
', 'boasting
', 'over
', '150
', 'million
', 'users,
', 'Steam
', 'has
', 'become
', 'one
', 'of
', 'the
', 'most
', 'important
', 'platforms
', 'in
', 'the
', 'world
', 'of
', 'PC
', 'gaming.
', "It's
", 'a
', 'one-stop
', 'shop
', 'where
', 'you
', 'can
', 'buy,
', 'sell,
', 'and
', 'store
', 'games,
', 'plus
', 'do
', 'tons
', 'of
', 'other
', 'stuff
', 'like
', 'trade
', 'items,
', 'watch
', 'demos
', 'of
', 'up-and-coming
', 'titles,
', 'and
', 'interact
', 'with
', 'a
', 'passionate
', 'community.
', 'Steam
', 'also
', 'runs
', 'some
', 'sweet
', 'sales
', '(often
', 'timed
', 'to
', 'line
', 'up
', 'with
', 'school
', 'breaks).
', 'Steam
', 'is
', 'to
', 'gaming
', 'what
', 'Netflix
', 'or
', 'Amazon
', 'Prime
', 'Video
', 'are
', 'to
', 'TV.
', 'Like
', 'other
', 'content-streaming
', 'platforms,
', 'Steam
', 'has
', 'oodles
', 'of
', 'content,
', 'but
', 'the
', 'quality
', 'varies
', 'a
', 'lot,
', 'and
', 'not
', 'all
', 'of
', 'it
', 'is
', 'age-appropriate.
', 'While
', 'it
', 'has
', 'plenty
', 'of
', 'fantastic,
', 'family-friendly
', 'games
', 'like
', 'Rocket
', 'League
', 'and
', 'Sid
', "Meier's
", 'Civilization
', 'VI
', ',
', 'it
', 'also
', 'has
', 'games
', 'where
', 'the
', 'main
', 'draw
', 'is
', 'the
', 'graphic
', 'violence
', 'or
', 'explicit
', 'sex,
', 'like
', 'Counter-Strike:
', 'Global
', 'Offensive
', 'or
', 'Grand
', 'Theft
', 'Auto
', 'V
', '.
', 'The
', 'platform
', 'has
', 'even
', 'come
', 'under
', 'fire
', 'for
', 'boldly
', 'announcing
', 'that
', 'it
', 'would
', 'sell
', 'any
', 'title,
', 'no
', 'matter
', 'how
', 'extreme
', '(including
', 'a
', 'controversial
', '2018
', 'school-shooter
', 'game
', 'that
', 'was
', 'only
', 'removed
', 'for
', 'violating
', "Steam's
", 'terms
', 'of
', 'service).
', 'Fortunately
', 'for
', 'parents,
', 'Steam
', 'has
', 'parental
', 'controls
', 'that
', 'let
', 'families
', 'pick
', 'and
', 'choose
', 'precisely
', 'which
', 'titles
', 'and
', 'features
', 'their
', 'kids
', 'can
', 'have
', 'access
', 'to.
', 'So
', 'is
', 'Steam
', 'a
', 'dream
', 'platform
', 'for
', 'die-hard
', 'gamers
', 'or
', 'a
', 'nightmare
', 'for
', 'parents?
', 'Check
', 'out
', 'these
', 'frequently
', 'asked
', 'questions
', 'to
', 'learn
', 'more
', 'about
', 'this
', 'versatile
', 'gaming
', 'platform.
', 'What
', 'is
', 'Steam?
', 'How
', 'does
', 'Steam
', 'work?
', 'What
', 'age
', 'should
', 'my
', 'kid
', 'be
', 'to
', 'use
', 'Steam?
', 'Is
', 'Steam
', 'safe
', 'for
', 'kids?
', 'Is
', 'there
', 'chat
', 'on
', 'Steam?
', 'Are
', 'there
', 'parental
', 'controls
', 'on
', 'Steam?
', 'Are
', 'there
', 'privacy
', 'or
', 'security
', 'settings
', 'on
', 'Steam?
', 'Does
', 'Steam
', 'cost
', 'money?
', 'What
', 'is
', 'Steam
', 'Wallet?
', 'What
', 'is
', 'Steam?
', 'Steam
', 'is
', 'an
', 'online
', 'platform
', 'from
', 'game
', 'developer
', 'Valve
', 'where
', 'you
', 'can
', 'buy,
', 'play,
', 'create,
', 'and
', 'discuss
', 'PC
', 'games.
', 'The
', 'platform
', 'hosts
', 'thousands
', 'of
', 'games
', '(as
', 'well
', 'as
', 'downloadable
', 'content,
', 'or
', 'DLC,
', 'and
', 'user-generated
', 'features
', 'called
', '"mods")
', 'from
', 'major
', 'developers
', 'and
', 'indie
', 'game
', 'designers
', 'alike.
', 'How
', 'does
', 'Steam
', 'work?
', 'Steam
', 'is
', 'a
', 'cloud-based
', 'gaming
', 'library.
', 'One
', 'of
', 'its
', 'most
', 'popular
', 'features
', 'is
', 'the
', 'ability
', 'for
', 'users
', 'to
', 'use
', 'any
', 'computer
', 'to
', 'play
', 'games
', 'they
', 'buy/download
', 'to
', 'their
', 'Steam
', 'accounts.
', 'This
', 'also
', 'allows
', 'users
', 'to
', 'store
', 'a
', 'large
', 'collection
', 'of
', 'games
', 'without
', 'using
', 'too
', 'much
', 'computer
', 'memory.
', 'To
', 'use
', 'Steam,
', 'you
', 'have
', 'to
', 'download
', 'and
', 'install
', 'the
', 'Steam
', '"engine"
', 'or
', 'app
', 'on
', 'your
', 'computer.
', 'Once
', 'you
', 'do
', 'that,
', 'you
', 'can
', 'access
', 'the
', 'full
', 'library
', 'of
', 'games,
', 'software,
', 'and
', 'forums.
', 'What
', 'age
', 'should
', 'my
', 'kid
', 'be
', 'to
', 'use
', 'Steam?
', 'Steam
', 'requires
', 'users
', 'to
', 'be
', 'at
', 'least
', '13
', 'years
', 'old
', 'to
', 'use
', 'the
', 'product.
', 'Because
', 'of
', 'the
', "platform's
", 'communication
', 'features
', 'such
', 'as
', 'open
', 'chat
', 'and
', 'community
', 'forums,
', 'Common
', 'Sense
', 'Media
', 'also
', 'recommends
', 'users
', 'be
', 'at
', 'least
', '13
', 'years
', 'old
', 'to
', 'use
', 'it,
', 'although
', 'many
', 'available
', 'games
', 'are
', 'not
', 'appropriate
', 'for
', 'young
', 'teens.
', 'But
', 'with
', 'the
', 'right
', 'settings
', 'and
', 'monitoring,
', 'parents
', 'can
', 'use
', 'the
', 'platform
', 'to
', 'find
', 'and
', 'download
', 'age-appropriate
', 'games
', 'for
', 'younger
', 'kids.
', 'Is
', 'Steam
', 'safe
', 'for
', 'kids?
', 'Like
', 'any
', 'other
', 'app
', 'store
', 'or
', 'video-streaming
', 'platform,
', 'Steam
', 'can
', 'be
', 'extremely
', 'safe
', 'or
', 'extremely
', 'iffy
', 'depending
', 'on
', 'the
', 'content
', 'kids
', 'are
', 'exposed
', 'to.
', 'While
', 'there
', 'are
', 'thousands
', 'of
', 'family-friendly
', 'games
', 'available
', 'on
', 'the
', 'platform,
', 'many
', 'of
', 'the
', 'games
', 'on
', 'Steam
', 'feature
', 'graphic
', 'violence,
', 'swearing,
', 'or
', 'sexy
', 'stuff.
', 'Kids
', '
can
', 'also
', 'find
', 'plenty
', 'of
', 'swearing
', 'and
', 'mature
', 'content
', 'in
', 'the
', 'groups
', 'and
', 'forums.
', 'And
', 'the
', 'trading
', 'system
', 'can
', 'expose
', 'unsuspecting
', 'gamers
', 'to
', 'scammers.
', 'However,
', 'Steam
', 'also
', 'has
', 'robust
', 'parental
', 'controls
', '(see
', 'below)
', 'that
', 'can
', 'greatly
', 'reduce
', 'the
', 'risks
', 'kids
', 'face
', 'while
', 'using
', 'Steam
', '--
', 'if
', 'parents
', 'take
', 'the
', 'time
', 'to
', 'figure
', 'them
', 'out.
', 'Is
', 'there
', 'chat
', 'on
', 'Steam?
', 'Steam
', 'supports
', 'both
', 'text
', 'and
', 'voice
', 'chat.
', 'You
', 'can
', 'add
', 'friends
', 'and
', 'chat
', 'individually
', 'or
', 'in
', 'groups
', 'with
', 'both
', 'people
', 'you
', 'know
', 'and
', 'people
', 'you
', "don't
", 'know.
', 'You
', 'can
', 'also
', 'join
', 'public
', 'chat
', 'rooms
', 'and
', 'talk
', 'to
', 'anyone
', 'on
', 'the
', 'platform.
', 'Keep
', 'in
', 'mind
', 'that
', 'not
', 'all
', 'of
', 'these
', 'chat
', 'groups
', 'and
', 'community
', 'forums
', 'are
', 'game-related.
', 'Groups
', 'related
', 'to
', 'just
', 'about
', 'anything,
', 'from
', 'TV
', 'to
', 'sports
', 'to
', 'memes,
', 'also
', 'attract
', 'users
', 'to
', 'Steam.
', 'Many
', 'teens
', 'share
', 'their
', 'handles
', 'with
', 'each
', 'other
', 'so
', 'they
', 'can
', 'play
', 'games
', 'and
', 'chat
', 'with
', 'their
', 'real-life
', 'friends.
', 'Steam
', 'members
', 'are
', 'generally
', 'civil,
', 'but
', 'parents
', 'may
', 'want
', 'to
', 'stay
', 'on
', 'top
', 'of
', 'who
', 'their
', 'kids
', 'are
', 'following
', 'or
', 'engaging
', 'with
', 'online.
', 'Are
', 'there
', 'parental
', 'controls
', 'on
', 'Steam?
', 'Steam
', 'offers
', 'a
', 'sophisticated
', 'set
', 'of
', 'parental
', 'controls
', 'called
', 'Family
', 'View
', 'that
', 'gives
', 'parents
', 'full
', 'control
', 'over
', 'what
', 'their
', 'kids
', 'have
', 'access
', 'to
', 'on
', 'the
', 'platform.
', 'Steam
', 'offers
', 'step-by-step
', 'instructions
', 'for
', 'setting
', 'up
', 'Family
', 'View
', ',
', 'which
', 'are
', 'worth
', 'reading
', 'since
', 'the
', 'interface
', 'can
', 'be
', 'overwhelming
', 'and
', 'complicated
', 'for
', 'newcomers
', 'or
', 'non-gamers.
', 'However,
', 'once
', 'enabled,
', 'parents
', 'can
', 'choose
', 'whether
', 'kids
', 'can
', 'play
', 'any
', 'game
', 'or
', 'only
', 'games
', "they've
", 'approved
', 'and
', 'added
', 'to
', 'the
', 'Family
', 'Game
', 'Library.
', 'Family
', 'View
', 'also
', 'lets
', 'parents
', 'control
', 'whether
', 'kids
', 'have
', 'access
', 'to
', 'the
', 'Steam
', 'store,
', 'community-generated
', 'content,
', 'chat,
', 'forums,
', 'or
', 'online
', 'profiles.
', 'All
', 'of
', 'these
', 'features
', 'are
', 'PIN
', 'protected,
', 'so
', 'kids
', "can't
", 'easily
', 'override
', 'them.
', 'There
', 'is
', 'also
', 'the
', 'option
', 'to
', 'set
', 'your
', 'account
', 'preferences
', 'to
', 'restrict
', 'titles
', 'that
', 'feature
', 'frequent
', 'violence,
', 'gore,
', 'nudity,
', 'or
', 'sexual
', 'content
', 'and
', 'to
', 'warn
', 'about
', 'mature
', 'user-generated
', 'content,
', 'but
', 'these
', "aren't
", 'PIN
', 'protected.
', 'Are
', 'there
', 'privacy
', 'or
', 'security
', 'settings
', 'on
', 'Steam?
', 'Steam
', 'profiles
', 'are
', 'public
', 'by
', 'default,
', 'but
', 'the
', 'platform
', 'does
', 'allow
', 'you
', 'to
', 'make
', 'your
', 'game
', 'details,
', 'friends
', 'list,
', 'description,
', 'comments,
', 'and
', 'group
', 'ownership
', 'private
', 'or
', 'only
', 'available
', 'to
', 'your
', 'friends
', 'list.
', 'Steam
', 'also
', 'has
', 'a
', 'security
', 'feature
', 'called
', 'Steam
', 'Guard
', 'that
', 'provides
', 'an
', 'additional
', 'level
', 'of
', 'security
', 'to
', 'an
', 'account.
', 'It
', 'uses
', 'either
', 'an
', 'approved
', 'address
', 'or
', 'two-factor
', 'authentication
', 'via
', 'the
', 'Steam
', 'mobile
', 'app
', 'to
', 'protect
', 'accounts
', 'from
', 'hackers.
', 'Does
', 'Steam
', 'cost
', 'money?
', 'Steam
', 'itself
', 'is
', 'free
', 'to
', 'download
', 'and
', 'use,
', 'but
', 'many
', 'of
', 'the
', 'games
', 'available
', 'do
', 'come
', 'with
', 'a
', 'cost.
', 'Some
', 'games
', 'are
', 'free-to-play
', 'or
', 'cost
', 'as
', 'little
', 'as
', '$1,
', 'but
', 'new
', 'releases
', 'from
', 'the
', 'biggest
', 'and
', 'best
', 'developers
', 'can
', 'cost
', 'as
', 'much
', 'as
', '$60–70
', 'each.
', 'Savvy
', 'gamers
', 'can
', 'wait
', 'for
', 'one
', 'of
', "Steam's
", 'many
', 'sales
', 'for
', 'serious
', 'savings.
', 'Keep
', 'in
', 'mind
', 'that
', 'when
', 'you
', 'buy
', 'games
', 'from
', 'the
', 'Steam
', 'store,
', 'you
', 'can
', 'only
', 'play
', 'them
', 'on
', 'the
', 'Steam
', 'network.
', 'What
', 'is
', 'Steam
', 'Wallet?
', 'Steam
', 'Wallet
', 'is
', 'a
', 'way
', 'that
', 'users
', 'can
', 'buy
', 'games
', 'or
', 'other
', 'content
', 'on
', 'the
', 'Steam
', 'store.
', 'Users
', 'can
', 'either
', 'add
', 'money
', 'to
', 'a
', 'Steam
', 'Wallet
', 'using
', 'a
', 'credit
', 'card
', 'or
', 'buy
', 'a
', 'physical
', 'Steam
', 'gift
', 'card
', 'at
', 'a
', 'store
', 'or
', 'supermarket
', 'and
', 'enter
', 'the
', 'code
', 'to
', 'access
', 'the
', 'funds.
', 'Using
', 'Steam
', 'Wallet
', 'can
', 'be
', 'a
', 'useful
', 'way
', 'for
', 'parents
', 'to
', 'manage
', 'their
', "kids'
", 'spending
', 'on
', 'Steam,
', 'especially
', 'since
', 'some
', 'games
', 'are
', 'pricey
', 'to
', 'download
', 'or
', 'offer
', 'in-game
', 'purchases
', 'that
', 'can
', 'add
', 'up
', 'fast.
']