Gaming is so much fun! Whether you’re a kid, teen, or adult, playing your favourite game can be both relaxing and exciting. And the selection of games available today… so many options and so little time. Then you have the online games which connect players from all around the world. While this can be a great way to meet people who have similar interests to you, it always means that you could be chatting to people who are there for malicious purposes. Your child could be chatting to strangers that might expose them to inappropriate content or worse.
There are ways to protect your kids though – all major gaming consoles come with their own built-in parental controls. So, let’s look at how you can set up parental controls on your PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch.
🎮 PlayStation (PS4 & PS5) parental controls
Let’s start with the incredible Sony PlayStation. Sony has made it easy to set up parental controls on the console. There’s even a PlayStation app that allows you to manage the parental controls remotely.
Step 1: Create a child account
- Go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management.
- Create a Child Account which will be part of your primary account.
- Set your child’s date of birth because that will be important for age-based restrictions.
Step 2: Adjust the parental controls
Go to Parental Controls > PS5 (or PS4) Console Restrictions. This will give you various options that you can set as is best suited for your kids:
- Set the age restriction for games, Blu-ray/DVDs, and apps.
- You can block web browsing on the PlayStation browser.
- You can control the communication such as limiting voice chats, messaging, and friend requests.
- Don’t forget to set the spending limits for any PlayStation Store purchases. Seriously, don’t forget this one – those store purchases can stack up very quickly.
Step 3: Set playtime restrictions
- Go to Family Management > Select Child’s Account > Play Time Settings.
- Select the daily limit that best suits you. You can even set specific times for when your kids can play.
🎮 Xbox (Series X|S and Xbox One) parental controls
Microsoft has the cool Xbox console that offers some of the most detailed family controls of all the consoles. Microsoft also offers the Xbox Family Settings app that you can access from your phone. Great job Microsoft.
Step 1: Set up a family group
- Go to account.microsoft.com/family and add your child’s Microsoft account.
- Sign in with your account on the Xbox console and ensure that you link the family group.
Step 2: Restrict content
These steps need to be performed from your child’s profile:
- Go to Settings > Account > Family Settings > Manage Family Members.
- Set the content restrictions based on your child’s age.
- Select if they can join multiplayer games or chat with other players online.
Step 3: Control the screen time and spending
- Log on and navigate to the Microsoft Family Group dashboard and set the daily playtime limits.
- It even gives you’re the option to schedule gaming sessions or time limits (no playing after bedtime!).
- Microsoft gives you the option to add money to your child’s account instead of linking a credit card – so much safer.
- You can also set spending limits or enable the option to request approval before a purchase can be completed.
🎮 Nintendo Switch parental controls
Nintendo Switch – the best handheld gaming device. The pure enjoyment of taking your Switch out to play a quick game is amazing. Nintendo also does a really great job at keeping things family-friendly with their own Parental Controls app.
Step 1: Download the app
Ensure that you always download apps from the legitimate App or Play Stores – you need to stay safe online too!
- Download and install the free Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app on your smartphone.
- Ensure that you link the Nintendo Switch to the app.
Step 2: Set playtime limits
- In the settings, you can create daily screen time limits.
- You can even enable automatic sleep mode once the daily limit is reached.
Step 3: Restrict content and monitor activity
- You can set age restrictions based on your child’s age.
- You can prevent posting screenshots to social media and disable in-game communication features.
- The monitoring allows you to view monthly gameplay reports and see which games your child plays the most.
Gaming safety tips
Setting up the initial parental controls on gaming consoles is a great way to start protecting your kids when they’re playing online, but there are a few additional tips that can take it a step further:
- Instead of keeping the console in your child’s room, consider setting up a shared gaming space where anyone can access the console.
- Talk to your kids about online stranger danger and ensure that they know not to share their personal information with anyone.
- Teach your kids about the difference between real money and virtual money BEFORE they purchase everything listed in the store.
- Sometimes things go wrong – we all make mistakes. Ensure that your child is comfortable to talk to you about anything that they may have done or that makes them uncomfortable.
- Find games that you can play together. Playing games with your kids can give you insight into what they are experiencing and can be a great way to spend more time together.
Enjoy your new, safer online gaming experience and make the most of it. While you are trying to keep your kids safe online, don’t forget to have fun along the way. It is gaming after all. Be secure!
