Young Heroes exists so that young players can have real adventures in a space that is safe, welcoming, and built for their age. Great stories are not always gentle ones. The best games let a Young Hero be brave, face a hard choice, lose something they care about, and come out stronger. Our job is to make sure those moments always land in a way that fits your Young Hero, and that a caring adult is guiding the table the whole way through.
This policy explains what kinds of content can show up in a Young Heroes game, how we keep it age-appropriate, the commitment every DM makes to your Young Hero, and exactly what to do if you ever have a concern.
How we think about content
Every Young Heroes game is run by a Dungeon Master (DM), and DMs are trained to treat content as something to shape on purpose, not something that just happens. They are storytellers, but they are also emotional guides and mentors for the players at their table.
Our content standards are grounded in child development research and in the same rating systems many guardians already trust, including ESRB and Common Sense Media. We use those as a starting point, not a finish line. Three simple ideas guide every table:
Match the youngest and the least comfortable. Content is set to fit the player who needs the most care, not the one who wants the most intensity.
Explain more, depict less. Difficult themes can be discussed and understood without being depicted in graphic detail.
Always provide recovery. Hard moments are followed by support, reflection, and a sense that things can be put right.
The themes a game may explore
Adventure stories touch on real and sometimes weighty subjects. Below are the areas a Young Heroes game may include, what they can look like when handled well, and the lines we never cross. How intense any of these get is scaled to the age of the players, which the next section explains.
Theme | What it can look like on Young Heroes | What we never allow |
Adventure and danger | Heroic challenges, rescues, and stylized action that teamwork can overcome | Graphic injury, gore, torture, or cruelty for shock value |
Scary moments | Spooky atmosphere, mysteries, and fantasy monsters with a clear way out | Body horror, gore, or sustained terror with no relief |
Friendship and romance | Crushes, close friendships, and stories that model consent and respect | Any sexual content, and anything that sexualizes a child |
Loss and grief | Saying goodbye, honoring a memory, and healing after a loss | Graphic death or trauma with no path to recovery |
Hard choices and betrayal | Real dilemmas, broken trust, and the work of repairing it | Manipulative or cruel betrayal with no resolution |
Disasters and survival | Rescue, preparedness, teamwork, and rebuilding | Hopeless devastation or graphic harm to victims |
Family and change | Honest emotions, supportive change, and conflict that adults own | Stories that blame children for adult problems or frame abandonment cruelly |
Community and current events | Fairness, civics, and respectful disagreement | Partisan propaganda, hate speech, or extremist messaging |
Risky choices | Consequences, refusal skills, recovery, and help-seeking | Glamorized, stylish, or instructional substance use |
Identity and belonging | Respectful representation, inclusion, and a sense of belonging | Mockery, deadnaming, or forcing assumptions onto a player |
How content changes with age
A story that is exciting for a sixteen-year-old will likely be too much for a nine-year-old, so DMs adjust tone, intensity, and how long a difficult moment lasts based on the age band at the table.
Age band | What games tend to feel like | What guardians can expect |
9 to 10 | Concrete and reassuring, with light challenges and clear, positive outcomes | Strong emphasis on teamwork, safety, and comfort |
11 to 12 | Problem solving and early moral questions, with mild tension | Emotional safety kept front and center |
13 to 14 | Identity exploration and ethical dilemmas, with nuanced motives | Heavier themes handled with reflection and debriefing |
15 to 16 | Abstract and ethical reasoning, including weightier subjects | Intensity balanced with hope and recovery |
17+ | Complex systems and real consequences | Heavy themes only with clear consent and ongoing support |
How DMs manage content in the moment
DMs do not just pick the right story ahead of time. They stay attentive to how players are actually doing while they play, using a simple before, during, and after approach.
Before a game, they preview the emotional tone of a story and set expectations. Many use tools like lines and veils, which let the table agree in advance on topics that are off limits (lines) and topics that can happen but stay off-screen (veils).
During a game, they read players in real time. Laughter, questions, and engagement usually mean the content is landing well. Going quiet, looking away, or pulling back can signal that a scene feels too intense, and a DM can pause, soften, or redirect the moment right then.
After a game, they help players reflect with gentle questions like what felt fun, what felt uncomfortable, and what they would like more or less of next time. This is where a lot of the real learning and reassurance happens.
The commitment behind every game
When a DM joins Young Heroes, they agree to more than a set of rules. They accept a standard of conduct for working with young players, sometimes called a morality clause, that runs through our Terms of Service, our Code of Conduct, and the addendum that applies to DMs running games for children. In plain terms, it means every DM commits to keeping content age-appropriate, to protecting the emotional and physical safety of the players at their table, and to upholding the standards described in this policy.
That commitment is not just a promise. Young Heroes reviews concerns and reports, and we can pause, restrict, or remove a DM who does not meet these standards. Keeping this space safe for your Young Hero is a responsibility we share with the adults running the games, and we hold that line.
If you have a concern
You are always part of your Young Hero's experience, and raising a concern is welcome at any point. Nothing here is a test that a game has to pass on its own. If something feels off to you, that is reason enough to speak up.
As a guardian, you can:
Ask a DM about the tone and content of a game before it begins.
Stay nearby or check in during a session, and talk with your Young Hero afterward about how it felt.
Raise a concern directly with the DM, who can adjust content, pacing, and boundaries.
Report a concern to Young Heroes at any time through [SAFETY REPORTING LINK / SUPPORT CONTACT]. Our team reviews every report, and more serious issues are prioritized and escalated accordingly.
DMs are expected to:
Use in game tools such as lines, veils, pausing, and redirecting to keep content within bounds as a session unfolds.
Listen when a guardian or a player raises a concern, and adjust without making anyone feel singled out.
Report anything that raises a safety concern through [SAFETY REPORTING CHANNEL], in line with the Code of Conduct and their reporting obligations when working with minors.
You never need to know the exact category of a problem to say something. If you are unsure whether something is worth reporting, report it. We would always rather hear from you.
Working together
No policy replaces the trust between you, your Young Hero, and the DM running their game. Think of this as the shared understanding underneath that trust. We build the standards, train and hold our DMs to them, and give you clear ways to be heard. Your job is the easy and important part: know your Young Hero, ask about their games, and tell us when something matters. Together that keeps Young Heroes a place where young players can be brave, curious, and safe at the same time.
Resources and Research
Links here to PDF content guides Hunter made
List of all research cited by Lee