Quick answer: The ESRB rates Among Us E10+ and PEGI rates it 7, for mild cartoon violence. The gameplay is not where most of the risk sits. Chat is, and the rating does not control chat: your child's account and lobby choices do. For a younger child, a lower-risk setup is a child account with the correct birthday, Quick Chat, and private lobbies with people you know.

Rating body

Rating

What it lists

ESRB (North America)

E10+ (Everyone 10+)

Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood. Interactive elements: Users Interact, In-Game Purchases

PEGI (Europe)

PEGI 7

Mild violence. In-game purchases

Both listings are for Among Us: Crewmate Edition on PC and consoles. On a phone or tablet, check the age label in that device's app store. The ESRB's rating summary says players can attack other characters with weapons such as knives and pistols, and that brief animations show characters being eliminated (for example stabbed or shot), "leaving behind a cartoony corpse for others to discover." Some parents watch a gameplay video first, which the ESRB also suggests.

If your child already plays, you have not done anything wrong. Most of what matters here is a handful of settings and one conversation.

The rating is not the chat age

The ESRB and PEGI ratings describe the game's content. Whether your child can type freely is a separate question, and Innersloth answers it by age and country.

Innersloth says a full account can use Free Chat once the player reaches the age of digital consent in their country: 13 or older in the United States and the United Kingdom, 15 in Australia and 16 in Germany. Below that age, the account is a child account. So a 10 year old who meets the ESRB rating is still on a child account in all of those countries.

Innersloth also says the age cannot be changed once it has been submitted. The birthday your child enters at setup decides which protections apply, so it is worth being there for it.

Quick Chat vs Free Chat: the setting that matters most

Quick Chat lets players communicate with preset phrases instead of typing. Innersloth says a player who self-identifies as a child, is identified as a child, or cannot fully log in and prove their age is automatically set to Quick-Chat Mode, unless a verified adult or parent grants permission. Innersloth says players with a child account in Quick-Chat Mode are restricted from sharing their personal information with other players.

Free Chat lets players type their own messages. Innersloth says it is available to a full account, or to a child account with parental permission. Players on temporary accounts, because they cannot fully log in, cannot use Free Chat.

When hosting or searching for a game, players can filter between "Free or Quick Chat" and "Quick Chat Only." Innersloth says that if those options cannot be toggled, the player is either not logged in or does not have parental permission for Free Chat.

Among Us child-account chat: Quick Chat, parent permission, then Free Chat

How parental permission works

Innersloth uses Kids Web Services for parental consent. When a child account is set up, the game asks for a parent's or guardian's email address. Kids Web Services sends that address an email with a link, which Innersloth says expires after 24 hours. From there the parent can set permissions for Free Chat and custom display names. In the US, the EU and Brazil, Innersloth says the parent must also prove they are an adult, for example with a credit card or, in the US, the last four digits of a Social Security number.

After verification, permissions are managed in the Innersloth Parent Portal, and Innersloth says they can be changed at any time. Granting Free Chat is a real choice, not a formality, so decide it on purpose rather than to end an argument.

Private lobbies

When your child hosts a game, they can switch the lobby from Public to Private on the lobby screen. A private lobby needs a six-letter code to join, so only people who have the code can get in. Codes can be passed on, but for a younger child this is the simplest way to help keep strangers out of the match.

On PlayStation and Xbox, the console's own parental controls also apply. Innersloth notes that console restrictions on online play and communication can stop the game connecting or joining matches until they are adjusted.

Is Among Us safe for 7 and 8 year olds?

Our view: playable for some families, below the ESRB age, with a tighter setup and a parent nearby.

The ESRB rating points to 10 and up. PEGI's 7 reflects the mild violence. Neither tells you your child is ready to be in a lobby with strangers. If you decide to let a 7 or 8 year old play, use a child account with the correct birthday, keep Quick Chat, play in private lobbies with family or friends you know, and stay close enough to see the screen. Playing a few rounds together is the fastest way to learn what the game is like.

One weak point is someone else's device or account. A sibling's phone or a friend's tablet may be on a full account with Free Chat, and your child's protections do not travel with them.

Is Among Us safe for 9 and 10 year olds?

Our view: a reasonable age for most families, with Quick Chat and a conversation about public lobbies.

Ten is the age the ESRB rating points to. Your child may want to play with classmates in public lobbies. Your child's account is still a child account in the US, the UK and Australia, so Free Chat stays off unless you grant it.

If your child asks for Free Chat, it is fair to say not yet for public lobbies. Typed chat with friends in a private lobby is a smaller step to consider first.

Is Among Us safe for 11 and 12 year olds?

Our view: usually fine for gameplay. The decisions are about Free Chat and other apps.

By 11 or 12, your child may ask for Free Chat because their friends have it. If you grant it, private lobbies with friends are the easier place to start. The bigger question is what happens when a stranger in a public lobby gets personal or pushy, and whether your child knows to tell you.

Some groups also talk over a separate voice app, such as Discord, while they play. That app has its own age requirements and settings, separate from Among Us, so it needs its own rules.

What to watch for

Requests to move somewhere private. "Add me on Discord" or "message me somewhere else" is the pattern worth teaching your child to recognise. It is the request worth naming, whoever it comes from.

Personal details. School, suburb, age, other usernames. Quick-Chat Mode limits this for child accounts. With Free Chat, it is up to your child.

Spending. Innersloth says purchasing cosmetics is optional and does not affect gameplay. Stars are the paid currency. Beans are earned through online play, and on mobile Stars can also be earned by watching ads. If a payment method is saved on your child's device or console account, check the purchase settings there.

How to report a player

Innersloth's steps: in the lobby or during a meeting, open the chat, select the Kick icon, choose the player, select Report, pick a reason and confirm. After a match, your child can also report a recent player from their Friend List. Innersloth says moderators review reports and decide on any action; a report alone does not cause a ban.

If something serious happens, such as a request for photos or to meet, keep any screenshots, report the player, and contact the NCMEC CyberTipline in the US, CEOP in the UK, or the ACCCE in Australia.

What the settings cannot do

Among Us's parent tools control permissions such as Free Chat and display names. Innersloth's help pages do not describe a way for parents to read chat from past matches. If something went wrong in a session, you would usually only know if your child told you.

We make Halo, a gaming safety app, so read this part with that in mind. Halo monitors voice chat and sends you an alert and a summary when it detects grooming, bullying, or threats. The original Among Us has text chat, not voice, and Halo does not read Among Us's text chat, so do not count on it for that; the Halo boxes on this page describe Halo in general, not this game. On Mac and Windows it covers Discord voice, which matters if your child's group talks on Discord while they play. Halo does not cover PlayStation, Xbox or Nintendo Switch, and it is not available on Android. On iPhone and iPad your child starts each session. By default Halo uses cloud analysis. On iPhone and iPad, in current app versions, that means the session's game audio and your child's microphone audio are sent to Halo's processing service for analysis; on Mac and Windows, a transcript is sent instead. A parent can switch a device to on-device analysis. Read the in-app disclosures before you start. No alert is not proof that nothing happened, and your child should know Halo is there.

What to say to your child about Among Us

The settings buy you time. The conversation is what keeps them safer.

Ages 7 to 9

Ages 10 to 12

Frequently asked questions

What age rating is Among Us?

The ESRB rates Among Us E10+ (Everyone 10+), with content descriptors for Fantasy Violence and Mild Blood and the interactive elements Users Interact and In-Game Purchases. PEGI rates it 7 for mild violence, with an in-game purchases notice. Both listings are for Among Us: Crewmate Edition on PC and consoles. On a phone or tablet, check the age label in that device's app store. Neither rating covers what other players type.

Is Among Us safe for 7 year olds?

No game is risk-free, and the ESRB rating points to 10 and up. Some families let a 7 year old play anyway. If you do, a lower-risk setup is a child account with the correct birthday, Quick Chat, a private lobby with family or friends you know, and a parent nearby. That is a judgement for your family, not a rating or a guarantee.

Does Among Us have voice chat?

Innersloth's help pages describe the original game's chat as Quick Chat (preset phrases) or Free Chat (typed messages). Innersloth documents voice chat for Among Us 3D and Among Us 3D: VR, which are separate standalone games. Some groups also talk over a separate voice app such as Discord while they play. That conversation sits outside Among Us's own settings.

What is Quick Chat in Among Us?

Quick Chat lets players communicate with a set of preset phrases instead of typing. Innersloth says a player who self-identifies as a child, is identified as a child, or cannot fully log in and prove their age is automatically set to Quick-Chat Mode, unless a verified adult or parent grants permission. A parent can change permissions such as Free Chat through the Kids Web Services process and the Innersloth Parent Portal.

Can strangers chat with my child in Among Us?

Public lobbies can include players your child does not know. Innersloth says child accounts in Quick-Chat Mode are restricted from sharing their personal information with other players. With Free Chat, players can type their own messages. A private lobby, joined with a code you share only with people you know, helps keep strangers out of the match.

Is Among Us free to play?

Innersloth says Among Us is free to play on Android and iOS and costs $4.99 USD on other platforms. Prices can vary by store and region. Cosmetics bought with Stars, the paid currency, are optional and do not affect gameplay. Beans are earned through online play, and on mobile Stars can also be earned by watching ads.

Can I see what my child types in Among Us?

Innersloth's parent tools control permissions such as Free Chat and custom display names. Its help pages do not describe a way for parents to read chat from past matches. If something happens, you will usually hear about it from your child, which is why the conversation matters as much as the settings.

Should I let my child play Among Us with strangers?

That is a family decision. For younger children, private lobbies with people you know are the lower-risk choice. If your child plays in public lobbies, make sure they know how to report a player and that they should tell you if anyone asks to move the conversation to another app.

How this guide was put together

This is a guide to published ratings and Innersloth's own help pages, not a hands-on review. Age guidance marked "our view" is editorial judgement, not part of any rating. Sources were checked on 5 and 6 November 2026; Innersloth changes its settings over time, so the in-game screens are the final word. Halo publishes this guide and sells the Halo app.

Sources