How to set up parental controls on your PS5

Today's kids have become tech-savvy at a very young age, but you probably wouldn't want your kids to sit in front of a PS5 without any handrails. Parental controls are built-in to the software for Sony's consoles, and they can be used in conjunction with the User Profiles feature to place limits on what your kids are able to do.

These limits cover everything from the number of hours your child can spend gaming to how much they can spend on in-game purchases, all tied to accounts configured on your console. Most of these parental controls can be managed on the web as well as on the PS5, although new child accounts must be created on the web itself.

Family Management on the Web

First, you'll need to let Sony know who's in your household before it starts restricting what they can do on the home PS5. Assuming you already have a PlayStation Network (PSN) account:

Go to your Account Management page in a web browser.

Click Family Management > Set Up Now > Add a Child.

You'll need to provide the child's date of birth, an email address, and a password so they can sign in to the PS5.

You'll then be shown a series of parental control settings that will be applied to the account, including which games, VR features, and websites can be accessed on the PS5.

Click Age Level for PS5 Games to set a new age level - by default, this will be calculated based on the date of birth you provided.

If you have a virtual reality headset, click PS VR2 and use PS VR. Choose Restricted, and your child won't be able to use these devices without your permission.

To prevent games and chat from opening web links without your permission when your child is signed in to the PS5, click Web browsing, and then click Restrict.

Select Confirm.

Now, you'll get another bunch of settings to work with.

Select and restrict communications and user-generated content to block features such as voice chat, sending and receiving messages, and screenshot sharing.

Choose a monthly spending limit to place restrictions on how much your child can spend through the PS5 - amounts range from zero to unlimited, with many amounts in between.

Click Confirm, then set your time zone. Next, you'll immediately be asked to configure screen time restrictions, based on how long your child can stay on the console and between what times per day. Confirm and agree again and select Add to Family, and you're done.

For any setting where you have selected Restrict instead of Do not restrict, if your child attempts to use

the relevant feature, you will be sent a permission request via email or on the PlayStation Mobile app if you have enabled it is installed. have done . You can make a one-time exception if you want.

You can return to the Account Management page on the web at any time to change these settings or view your child's activity on PS5 (for example, how many hours per day they're gaming). You can also access the same parental controls as on the console.

Add Kids Accounts on PS5

Now that Sony knows who's in your family, you can add them to user accounts on your PS5. Your child will be able to sign in to their own account, with their own games, high scores and preferences, and your parental control settings.

Log out of your account by selecting your avatar (top right on the homescreen) and then selecting Log Out. Then, select Add User to let your child sign in – they'll be able to set their own username and profile picture along the way.

How does a child account work

A child account does not have the same privileges as an adult account. If your child opens Settings (via the cog icon in the top right), then Family & Parental Controls, they won't be able to edit those controls - but they will be able to see how much time they have left to play for today.

If you want to make changes or tweak the controls, all you have to do is go back to your account on the PS5 and open the console settings via the cog icon in the top right corner of the homescreen. From there, you can access all of the parental controls we've covered earlier on the web interface.

Choose Family and parental controls > Family management, and then select the child's account to make changes to.

Select Change play time for today to give your child more time on the PS5 or to see how much time they've already spent gaming.

Select Allowed games to see your child's pending requests for games that have been blocked or communication options (such as voice chat) that are not allowed.

Select Parental Controls to change all the settings you've already configured on the web, from monthly spending limits to age restrictions on games.

It's a good idea to secure your PSN account on PS5 with a PIN code — otherwise, your child can log into the console like you and turn off parental controls. To do this, from the PS5 Settings screen, choose Users & accounts > Login settings > Require PS5 login passcode.

It doesn't really matter whether you manage the parental controls on the web or on the PS5. It's quite the same selection of options, so use whichever feels most convenient to you – although you get more information about your child's activity if you log in on the web. For example, if your child has permission to change privacy settings, you can see what the settings are and when they were changed.