Designing Player Support That Works
Age and gender considerations in platform and community safety. New research from ECPAT International, in collaboration with GamerSafer, based on a survey of 1,991 child and youth players in the Minehut community.
Download the report (PDF)Why we did this
Most games have reporting tools, moderators, and help channels. But having safety features available is not the same as players feeling comfortable using them.
ECPAT International and GamerSafer surveyed nearly 2,000 young players, ages 13 and up, about where they actually turn when something goes wrong: in the game, or in their lives. The survey ran inside Minehut, the world's largest independent Minecraft server network, which GamerSafer owns and operates. That made it possible to reach young players directly in a live gaming environment, rather than through a panel or classroom. The answers depend heavily on who they are: age, gender identity, and how players feel about their community all shape whether support tools get used at all.
For trust and safety professionals, community managers, and platform teams, this research offers a rare look at a blind spot: the gap between the support you build and the support players reach for.
What's inside
Where young players turn for game-related problems versus personal struggles, and why around one in three don't seek help at all.
Help-seeking declines steadily with age, and ages 15 to 17 emerge as a critical intervention window.
Half of young players have used AI for help. What they use it for splits sharply by gender.
Players who feel positively about their community are more likely to reach out when struggling. Community health is protective.
How in-game identity connects to belonging, and what that means for trust in safety tools.
Concrete, testable suggestions for designing age-appropriate, gender-informed player support.
Key findings at a glance
1 in 3 young players say they don't seek help at all, and that silence grows with age.
48% turn to in-game chat first for game-related problems, making it the dominant support channel.
49% have used AI tools for help, in-game or in real life.
Only 7% use formal support services or hotlines for personal struggles.
36% still prefer to talk to someone close in real life, like a family member, teacher, or friend.
About the collaboration
This data snapshot was produced through a collaboration between ECPAT International and GamerSafer. ECPAT International is a global network of civil society organizations working to end the sexual exploitation of children, with 143 members in 114 countries. ECPAT led the research design, analysis, and writing; GamerSafer designed and deployed the in-game survey across the Minehut community, the world's largest independent Minecraft server network.
The findings are exploratory and platform-specific, offering directional insight for the wider games industry rather than universal conclusions.
For more about ECPAT International and their important work, visit ECPAT.org.