Comics have played this all across the board.
You have some heros who only listen in on what people broadcast. And often these characters can not turn off the power. Rare have been the hero who can dig deeper and they tend to keep that power reigned in for whatever reason.
When you get abuse of those powers its usually, but not allways, seen as a bad thing or at least as a general no-no when used outside combat situations. Eros with his emotion controlling power for example. Moongragon editing peoples memories. (Though she is only nominally a hero. Every depiction I've seen had her come across as allmost a villainess.) And a few others who have crossed the line.
In the Micronaut/X-Men case you had a hero who was very under control have a part of himself section off and become a villain with far more powers than telepathy in the Microverse.
In the end its no different from alot of other powers. In the hands of one person its used well. But in the hands of someone with less restraint or morals it can and likely eventually will be abused. Example in the same comic Karza in Kitty's body uses her phasing power to kill people.
Or look at the whole pointless point of Squadron Supreme. A device meant to rehabilitate criminals. But in the hands of one rejected lover it is used to alter another members mind. (Much to his regret.)
Or the Invisible Woman. At various times shes pointed out just how easily she could kill anyone. In various
creative ways.
But the big factor is. How much control does the telepath have over the power. Is it allways on? Allways picking up surface thoughs? Thats a nightmare for the character.
Real world example: I have a better than average sense of smell. I can pick up stuff normal people cant. Its not enough to be useful. Aside from sometimes telling when certain people walk into the house, or when food is close to going bad, etc. (my mom and aunt used to use me as a sort of smoke detector when they were out driving and smoking pot. (I didnt know. It was just a game to me.
)) But it was enough to make my life hell when I lived in a town with several large factories.
So I tend to judge this stuff on a case by case basis rather than as a whole because to just say "No one can ever have a pen-knife because someone might use it to kill someone else" is so knee jerk its not even remotely funny. There are so many nuances to just about anything and just about anything can be abused in the wrong hands.
Addendum: so if the game doesnt have a distinction then consider adding one. Also look at wether the power is under the users control or not. Rang can be another added nightmare for the user with no control. And depth just adds more problems. What if all the telepath can read are subconcious thoughts? Or what if the memories they can access are fragmented. Or worse. What if they get EVERYTHING? Every time they get in range of someone.