The best gaming spaces don't just happen: they’re built through small, intentional actions by their members.
In July 2025, Discord participated in ECPAT's TrustCon panel, Boys, Gaming, and Online Safety: Rethinking Risk and Protection Strategies, alongside GamerSafer and Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice. Those conversations made clear that we’re all asking similar questions: what does it actually take for young people, especially teen boys, to feel comfortable asking for help online? What gets in the way, and what can platforms, parents, and community members do differently? From that alignment, a partnership took shape.
That’s the core of a new partnership between Discord's Wellbeing & Empowerment team and ECPAT International. Together, we’ve created three articles to guide guardians, teens, and volunteer community moderators on how to best help keep gaming spaces safer, more inclusive, and worth being in.
Beneath the surface of every gaming community are dynamics that shape who feels a sense of safety, who speaks up, and who reaches out when something goes wrong. ECPAT's research on gender-sensitive teen safety in online platforms shows that many of the barriers to help-seeking are tied to rigid gender norms — like the cultural expectation that teenage boys, in particular, should brush things off or handle problems on their own. Online banter, teasing, and mocking are treated as a normal part of gaming culture, which can make it harder for young people to name when something doesn't feel right.
The resources we're developing together are designed to empower teens and families to start conversations about online activities and to provide guidance on maintaining healthy online communities.
Visit the Wellbeing Hub to check out the resources once available.
