Is Call of Duty safe for kids? The short answer
No — not for children, and that's not me being precious. Call of Duty is built and rated for adults. The realistic violence, the blood, the strong language and the live voice chat with strangers put it well outside what's appropriate for primary-age kids, and for most young teens too.
The short answer: Call of Duty is built for adults — Mature 17+ in the US, PEGI 18, and MA15+ to R18+ in Australia. Even CoD: Mobile is MA15+ here. The free entry points (Mobile and Warzone) pull a lot of kids in young. The biggest risk is live voice and text chat with strangers, then graphic violence and CoD-Points spending. If you do say yes for an older teen, voice chat off and spending locked at the device level are non-negotiable.
What Call of Duty is
A first-person military shooter. The free doorways are CoD: Mobile on phones and Warzone on PC and console — both feed into the wider, paid Call of Duty universe. Matches are quick, lobbies are public, cross-play widens the unknown-adult pool.
The real risks
- Live chat with strangers. Voice especially — there's no profanity filter that works on speech. Adults trash-talk, abuse and groom in CoD lobbies.
- Graphic mature violence. Realistic gore, dismemberment, war themes. Designed for adults, not kids.
- Spending & toxicity. CoD-Points, battle passes and bundles add up fast. Cross-play means the lobby is full of unknown adults.
The COD age rating explained
This is the number that surprises parents most: Call of Duty is rated ESRB Mature 17+ in the US and PEGI 18 in the UK/Europe. It sits in the same rating bracket as an R-rated film. The COD age rating isn't a marketing thing — it reflects sustained, realistic gun violence, graphic blood and gore, and strong language throughout. The gap between how it's marketed (slick, everywhere, all their friends) and what's actually in it (an 18) is huge.
Voice chat: the bit parents underestimate
Multiplayer Call of Duty is famous for its voice chat, and not in a good way. Open lobbies mean your child can be hearing — and be heard by — adult strangers. If you do allow an older teen to play, set voice chat to friends-only or off, disable open chat in public lobbies, and turn off crossplay chat. The same stranger-contact risk appears in Fortnite, while our games-console guide shows how to back up in-game settings at device level.
Spending: CP, bundles and the battle pass
Like most big games now, COD sells Call of Duty Points (CP) for real money — used on bundles, skins and the battle pass. Warzone is free-to-play, which lowers the barrier and raises the spending pressure. Remove saved cards and turn on purchase approvals before it becomes an issue. If you're not sure where to start, see how to set up parental controls.
So what age?
The proper console titles are adult games. CoD: Mobile is store-rated teen but still MA15+ in Australia. We'd say not under 13, and only carefully from around 15+ with voice and text chat off and spending locked at the device level.
What we do
If Call of Duty is a yes in your house, don't run it on the defaults — there's a proper lockdown sequence and it matters that you do it in order. I've put the full step-by-step, screen by screen, in the members guide.
The bottom line: Call of Duty isn't a kids' game. If an older teen plays it, voice chat off and spending locked are the two musts.
Call of Duty FAQs
Is Call of Duty safe for kids?
It's built for adults — Mature 17+ in the US, PEGI 18 in Europe, and rated MA15+ to R18+ in Australia. Even CoD: Mobile is MA15+ here. The biggest risk is live voice and text chat with strangers, then graphic violence and CoD-Points spending. If you do allow it for an older teen, voice chat off and spending locked are non-negotiable.
What age is Call of Duty OK for?
Not under 13, and even then only carefully from around 15+ with voice and text chat off and spending locked at the device level. The proper console titles are 17+/18+ adult content.
How do I turn off voice chat in Call of Duty?
The meaningful categories are account age and privacy, voice and text chat, crossplay and contact permissions, purchase controls and reporting. The members guide walks through the lockdown in the right order.
What age rating is Call of Duty?
ESRB Mature 17+ (US) and PEGI 18 (UK/EU) — an adult game.
Is Warzone safe for kids?
Warzone is free and slightly less graphic than the campaign, but it carries the same mature rating, open voice chat and spending — the free price tag doesn't make it kid-safe.
Can you turn off voice chat and crossplay in COD?
Yes — both can be limited to friends or switched off in Settings. Essential if an older teen is playing.
Lock it down — start tonight
Mom's quick wins for Call of Duty. Do step 1 tonight; the rest are in the members' guide.
- 1Set the correct date of birth on the Activision account so age protections and the consent flow apply
The rest of the Call of Duty lockdown
5 more steps — every toggle, screen by screen.
Not ready for the full guide? Grab the free age-by-age checklist
Six things that actually matter at each stage — by a mom of two. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
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See the signsSources: eSafety — Call of Duty; ESRB — Call of Duty: Warzone; Internet Matters — Call of Duty; Activision Parent Portal. Settings current as of June 2026.