Age restrictions should be enforced by chess.com

One of my school students recently shared a troubling experience on chess.com. He joined the platform to improve his skills, excited to engage with other players and learn from the community. Unfortunately, what should have been a positive learning experience quickly turned sour.

While playing against other users, he faced several who resorted to using negative and abusive language in the chat. He was called names, mocked for his moves, and even received offensive messages in the forums. As his teacher, it was heartbreaking to hear how this affected him, he began to doubt himself and felt discouraged from continuing to play online.

This experience made me realize how vulnerable young players are on open platforms without proper safeguards. Age restrictions on forums and in game chat could prevent such incidents by limiting access to more mature discussions and ensuring that young users are shielded from toxic behavior.

Chess is supposed to be a game that builds confidence, critical thinking, and patience. For young players, especially those just starting out, a safe and respectful environment is essential to foster growth and maintain their interest in the game. Implementing age restrictions would go a long way in ensuring that chess.com remains a welcoming place for everyone.

There's an option to turn off the chat unless you specifically turn it on. It will tell you that the other player sent a message but you won't see it unless you choose to. It was set to this by default for me, so I'm not sure where to find it, but I'm pretty sure it exists.

This website actually has good moderation as well (for the most part), so those guys may very well be gone in a flash.

How old was this student? chess.com doesn't allow accounts from anyone under age 13, unless they have filled out a parental consent form. Chat can also be disabled, but even if the student is old enough to be here, chess.com never allows "negative and abusive language in the chat" and you can (and should) report anyone who does that.

How to report someone on chess.com https://support.chess.com/article/209-how-do-i-report-someone or https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/how-to-contact-support-1

I think it should be fine for children to join the site and play chess - chess is for all ages. I'm not really sure what inappropriate things there would be on a chess site - if the child has an internet connection then chess.com is probably one of the best places for them to be on. There is an option to turn off chat in the settings.

That is the nature of internet on any platform. Kids should be taught to a) behave on the internet and b) not to take things too seriously because people online are ruthless. Some are more sensitive than others.