Welfare

Are You Okay?

You are not in trouble.

Something in chat worried us. We paused your account to keep you safe.

The most important part

  • It is not your fault. Even if you talked back. Even if you thought they were your friend.
  • We are not mad at you.
  • You can always tell someone. Even if they said to keep it a secret.

Things that are never okay, even in Minecraft

Some people on Minecraft servers act nice so they can trick kids. These are things we have really seen on servers. It is not okay if someone:

  • Asks you to TP to them, or to accept their TP, so you can be "alone" or go "somewhere private."
  • Does "roleplay" with stars, like *kisses you* or *touches you*. Pretend touching in chat is still not okay.
  • Talks about private parts or sex, or says they want to do sexual things to you. Even as a "joke."
  • Asks how old you are, or if you're a girl or a boy, and then gets weird about it.
  • Says things like "you're the perfect age" or "our age gap isn't that big."
  • Tells you to type something with /say or /me that feels gross or that you don't understand.
  • Asks for your Discord, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok, or phone number, or wants you to join a voice call.
  • Says "I'll show you my face if you show me yours," or asks for any picture or video of you.
  • Asks for your real name, where you live, or what school you go to.
  • Offers you diamonds, netherite, a rank, or other stuff, then wants something back.
  • Tells you to keep your chats a secret from your mom, dad, or other grown-ups.

Some grown-ups pretend to be kids online. Someone who says they are 12 or 13 might really be much older.

A real friend will never ask you to keep secrets from your grown-ups.

If someone is scaring you

People who trick kids often say scary things so you won't tell. Like:

  • "I'll send your pictures to everyone."
  • "I'll call the police on you."
  • "I know where you live."
  • "I'll hurt your family."

They say these things to scare you. Here is the truth:

  • You will not go to jail. You didn't do anything wrong. They did. The police help kids like you.
  • Most of the time, they can't do what they say. They are scared of getting caught.
  • Don't send them anything. Don't give them money or game items. It never makes them stop.
  • Telling a grown-up keeps you safe. That's why they don't want you to tell.

If they say they are coming to find you, tell a grown-up right now. You can also call 911, or the number for your country at the bottom of this page. Nobody will be mad at you for calling.

What to do now

  1. Stop talking to them. You don't have to say goodbye.
  2. Block them in Minecraft and on every other app, like Discord or Snapchat. Don't accept their TP requests.
  3. Don't delete the messages. They help grown-ups keep you safe. Minecraft also saves your chat on your computer, in a folder called logs inside your .minecraft folder. Don't delete that folder. We keep chat logs too, but your copy helps a lot.
  4. Tell a grown-up you trust. Like a parent, an aunt or uncle, a teacher, or a school counselor.

Not sure what to say? Show them this page. Or say: "Something happened online that made me feel weird. Can I show you?"

Did you send a picture of yourself? You are still not in trouble. Tell a grown-up. A free website called Take It Down can help get it off the internet (takeitdown.ncmec.org). You don't have to give your name.

Talk to someone who helps kids

These are free. You don't have to say your name. Someone is there day and night.

In danger right now? Call 911 (USA and Canada), 999 (UK), 000 (Australia), or 112 (most other places).

Can I play again?

Yes, later. Your account is paused. This is not a punishment. Staff just want to make sure you're okay first.

To ask, make an account on our forum at totalfreedom.tf and start a thread. A grown-up can help you if you want.

You don't have to do that to use this page. This page is for you either way.

For parents and guardians

Our chat safety system paused this account because a conversation looked like an adult or older player may have been talking to your child in a sexual way, or trying to build a secret relationship with them. Your child is not being punished.

  • Stay calm and thank them for telling you. Children stop telling adults when they think they'll be blamed or lose their games.
  • Keep the messages. Don't confront the other person.
  • Minecraft saves chat on your child's computer. Keep the logs folder (latest.log and the dated .log.gz files): on Windows it's %appdata%\.minecraft\logs, on Mac ~/Library/Application Support/minecraft/logs, on Linux ~/.minecraft/logs. Launchers like Prism or CurseForge keep a logs folder inside each instance's folder instead. We keep server logs too; your copy lets the two be checked against each other.
  • If someone is threatening to share images or demanding money (sextortion), don't pay and don't reply. Paying almost never ends it. If images of your child were shared, Take It Down helps remove them from participating platforms.
  • In the US, report online enticement to the NCMEC CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.
  • In the UK, report to CEOP at ceop.police.uk. In Australia, report to eSafety at esafety.gov.au/report.
  • To get your child's account reviewed, register on our forum at totalfreedom.tf and start a thread. Staff will follow up.
  • The helplines above also give advice to parents.