PlayStation parental controls and Family app, set up properly

What the risk actually is on PlayStation

PlayStation is where kids play online with friends and strangers, buy games and currency, chat by voice and message, and share clips. The risks are contact, spending, game content and time. Sony's controls are attached to each child's account.

The age rating, and who kids actually meet

Sony's age-rating page names the ESRB for US ratings, and its presets map to ages: Child (PS4 content rated about 6 to 7 and under), Early Teens (12 to 13 and under) and Late Teens or Older. On PS5, games and apps are allowed if their rating is the same as or lower than the child's age.

Sony's pages say the minimum age for a child account varies by country, and that a child who becomes eligible to upgrade to an adult account sees a notification. Upgrading is not required, and it cannot be reversed. VR is described as not for children under 12.

The setup, step by step

Settings as of November 2026. Sony's menus differ by console and by the app, so check its pages if a label differs.

1. Create the family and child accounts. In the PlayStation Family app, sign in or create an account, then Set Up Your Family to create an account for a child. On the web: Account Management, Family Management, Set Up Now, Add a Child. On a PS5: Switch User, Add User, Get Started, Create an Account. Each child needs their own account with the right name and date of birth.

2. Open the child's controls. On the web: Account Management, Family Management, choose the child and Edit. On PS5: Settings, Family and Parental Controls, Family Management, pick the child and then the control. In the app, select the child, the Settings icon and Parental Controls. Sony says the child must have completed email verification and be signed in on their console, and to have them sign out and in again if you change controls while they are playing.

3. Choose a restriction level. Pick Child, Early Teens or Late Teens or Older, then adjust. Sony says changing a specific setting changes the level to Customize.

4. Set playtime. Set the child's time zone first. Then use Restrict Playtime, choose When Playtime Ends (Notify Only or Log Out), a duration and playable hours per day. The family manager or a parent can change playtime for today, and the child can ask for more.

5. Set the spending limit. On PS5: Parental Controls, Monthly Spending Limit. Sony says it is 0 by default, and that the limit applies when your child buys content from the PlayStation Store on their account. Sony's pages do not say how it treats purchases made inside games, so check after setting it.

6. Restrict communication and user content. Under Communication and User-Generated Content, choose Restrict. Sony says this disables text messages and voice chat (pre-written in-game messages are allowed), sharing the child's content, seeing others' content, and linking some third-party services. A child can request an exception per game, and you approve it.

7. Check privacy settings. In Account Management, go to Family Management, select the child, scroll to the Privacy Settings section, choose Edit, then choose whether the Parent/Guardian or the Child manages them. For a young child, choose Parent/Guardian. Sony says you are notified each time a child adjusts a setting they are allowed to change.

8. Lock the console. On PS5: Settings, Family and Parental Controls, PS5 Console Restrictions and enter 0000 (Sony says that is the default if you have never set one), then choose Change Your Console Restriction Passcode and pick a new four-digit code your child cannot guess. Also set a PS5 login passcode, and set User Creation and Guest Login to Not Allowed. Sony says a forgotten console passcode means resetting the console. The login passcode is a separate code.

9. Check web browsing and VR. Sony's presets differ here: Child and Early Teens restrict web browsing, and Late Teens or Older does not. Child also restricts VR, which Sony describes as not for children under 12. If you customize, check these two settings yourself.

10. Look at activity. Sony's app shows an activity summary for the last 7 days, most played games and a Playing Now widget with the game's age rating.

What the controls do not cover

• Unrated content. Sony's terms say parental controls may not apply to it.
• Roblox chat. Sony says Roblox communications are independent from the console's parental controls. Other games may behave differently, and Sony's pages do not list them, so check each game's own settings. See Roblox, Fortnite and Minecraft.
• Chat apps outside PlayStation. We found nothing on Sony's pages about Discord. See Discord.
• A console without a passcode. Without the login passcode and user-creation setting, a child may be able to avoid controls.
• Removing a child. Sony says child members cannot be removed from your family.
• Location. We found no location feature in the pages we read.
• Different features by device and country. Sony's terms say parental control features differ based on the device and country.

What to say to your child

• "You've got your own account so your games and progress stay yours. I can see what you're playing and for how long, and I'll tell you when I'm looking. It's about helping you balance it, not catching you out."
• "If someone you don't know asks you to chat privately or to use another app, show me."
• "If a game is blocked, tap Ask. I'll say yes if I've looked at it."
• "Spending in the PlayStation Store is zero until we agree otherwise. Let's check together how it treats purchases inside games."

Sources

Read on PlayStation's support pages, the PlayStation Family app page, Sony's September 2025 blog and the US terms of service (revised April 2026) on November 12, 2026. Support articles show no revision dates. See the citations.