Putting parental controls on your PlayStation 4 or 5 can greatly help any parent concerned with the amount of time their child spends gaming or the content they’re accessing through online features. Thankfully, this process is relatively quick and simple, and can really help you gain control over your child’s screen time.

To enable PlayStation parental controls, you’ll need to first set up a “Family Manager” account for yourself. Then, you’ll set up accounts for each of your children. Once you’ve done this, you’ll be able to limit playtime and access to features as you see fit.

There is a plethora of different PlayStation parental control features to really help you manage the access your children have to the console. Below, you’ll find all the information you ever needed to know about setting PlayStation parental controls.

How to Set PlayStation Parental Controls

Before you can set up parental controls, you’ll need to create or login to a “family manager” account for yourself, and then create a child account for each of your children.

The “family manager” can manage parental control settings and appoint other people under the family account as “guardians,” who can also manage parental control settings. You’ll need to create this account before you can:

• Appoint people as guardians
• Create child accounts
• Assign parental controls

Creating a Family Manager Account

Here’s how to create a family manager account on a web browser:

• Login to your Account Management page, then press “Create New Account.”
• Enter all the required details, including your:
  • Name
  • Date of birth
  • Country
  • Preferred language
  • E-mail (this will be your Sign-in ID)
  • Chosen password
  • Address

• Go through all the on-screen prompts and pages to create your account.
• Once you’ve finished, you’ll need to verify your e-mail address.
• Done!

If you’d like to use your PS5 or PS4 console to create your account instead, you can do so by following these steps:

• On the PlayStation 5, go to your home screen and select your profile picture. Press “Switch User,” then “Add User,” and “Get Started.”
• On the PlayStation 4, press and hold the PS button on your controller to open the Quick Menu. Then, press “Power,” navigate to “Switch User,” “New User,” and finally “Create A User.”
• Once you’re at the user creation screen, follow the on-screen prompts to create an account.
• Verify your e-mail address, and you’re done!

Creating Child Accounts

Once you’ve created or logged into your own account, you’ll be able to add both child and adult family members. As the person who creates the child accounts, you’ll automatically be dubbed the “family manager.” Here’s how to add child family members on your Internet browser:

• Login to your Account Management page, then click on Family Management.
• Once you’re on the Family Management page, click “Add Family Member,” then “Add A Child.”
• On this page, you’ll need to enter your child’s name and date of birth. Once you’re done filling in the required information, click “Next.”
• Accept the user agreement, and follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
• Repeat the process for each child you’d like to add!

You can also add children to your family account via your console. The process for doing so on a PlayStation 5 is very simple! Just follow these steps:

• Sign in under the family manager account.
• Go to Settings, “Family and Parental Controls,” “Family Management,” “Add Family Member.”
• Scan the your mobile device’s QR code to set up your child’s account.
• Repeat for each of your children.

Setting up a child account on your PlayStation 4 is a bit more involved. Here’s how to do it:

• Sign in to your PS4 as the family manager.
• Go to “Settings,” then naviage to “Parental Controls/Family Management.”
• Once you’re there, go to “Family Management.”
• Once you’re on the Family Management page, press Add Family Member > Create User.
• Enter your child’s name and accept the user agreement. Follow the on-screen instructions to finish.
• Do the same for each child.

Now that you’ve created accounts for yourself and each of your children, you can finally begin to set up parental controls for each!

Setting Up Parental Controls

You can set up the parental controls for your system online via your Account Management page or through your console. Here’s how to get started on your browser:

• Sign in to the Account Management page, then go to the Family Management page.
• Select the account for the child you want to set parental controls for.
• Press “Edit,” and adjust the settings to your preferences.

And here’s how you set them up on a console:

• If you’re using a PlayStation 5, you’ll first want to go to “Settings.” Then, you’ll go to “Family and Parental Controls,” “Family Management,” and finally “Parental Controls.”
• To set parental controls on a PlayStation 4, go to “Settings,” “Parental Controls/Family Management,” “Family Management.”
• You might be asked to enter the password to your family manager account. If so, do this before proceeding.
• Select the child you want to set up restrictions for, and go through the list to choose the features you’d like to adjust.
• Repeat for each child.

Once you finish this process, congratulations! You’ve successfully set your console up with parental controls.

Parental Controls Options for PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5

PlayStation offers a ton of parental controls and limits to keep your child safe and their screen time to a minimum. Their system is nearly foolproof, offering several levels of protection to keep your children (as well as your wallet!) safe. With PlayStation’s parental controls and family management system, you can:

• Set play time restrictions
• Restrict communication features
• Restrict access to user-generated content
• Set monthly spending limits
• Set age level restrictions for games, apps, DVDs, and Blu-Rays
• Restrict use of the Internet browser
• Restrict Virtual Reality usage

Play Time Restrictions

With play time restrictions, you can set limits on when and for how long each of your children can access the console. There are a few different settings you can customize when setting up these restrictions:

• Whether to restrict or not to restrict play time
• Whether you’d like to notify children when their play time ends, or simply log them out automatically
• Play time duration
• “Playable hours,” or specified hours throughout the day when play is allowed (for every day or for certain days of the week)

When a child’s play time begins to run low, they’ll receive notifications at the top of the screen. This gives them enough time to save and quit before play time ends.

Restrict Communication Features & Access to User-Generated Content

PlayStation consoles, as well as many games, offer the ability for users to communicate via:

• Chat
• Game invitations
• Messaging

If you’d like to disable this option, there’s a parental control option to do so. It also offers the option to restrict content created by other PlayStation users, including:

• Videos
• Text
• Images

If there is a certain game your child would like the ability to use these features in, they can request an exception. If they do this, you will get an email and can choose to confirm or deny their request. If you’d like to make an exception, here’s how to do it on your web browser:

• Sign onto the Sony Account Management page
• Go to Family Management > Allowed Games
• Once you’re here, you can choose to approve the request by switching the game to “Allow”
• If you ever want to revoke the approval, you can do so by switching it to “Don’t Allow”

Once the game has been approved, your child will be able to use the communication features in that game only.

Set Monthly Spending Limits

If you have a credit card connected to your console, your child can use it to purchase anything they’d like on the PlayStation Store. If you’d like to save your wallet, you can set a monthly spending limit or restrict spending altogether on your child’s account! This limit can be as high or low as you’d like, and only the family manager and guardian accounts can change the limits.

Set Rating Restrictions

Make sure your children aren’t watching anything age-inappropriate by setting content age rating restrictions! You can set these limits for:

• Games
• Apps
• DVDs
• Blu-Rays

Restrict Internet Browser Usage

The PlayStation consoles feature a web browser that can be used to access any page on the Internet. If you’d like to make it so your child cannot access this browser, you can disable the option through the Parental Control settings. This way, you can make sure your children aren’t viewing any harmful or inappropriate content online.

Restrict Virtual Reality Usage

You may have virtual reality (VR) enabled games for yourself or your older children, but PlayStation does not recommend VR for anyone under the age of 12. If you would like to restrict access to these games and apps for your younger children, there’s an option to do so!

PlayStation 5 Preset Parental Controls

You can set all of these controls individually on the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5. If you have made the upgrade to the PS5, you can even choose from three different preset restrictions based on your child’s age! You can select:

• Late Teens
• Early Teens
• Child

Late Teens Preset Settings

If you choose the “Late Teens” preset, it will automatically set these limits to your child’s account:

• Allow PS5 games and apps with a content rating at the same level or lower than their age
• Allow PS4 and PS3 games and apps with a content rating of 15 years and under
• Allow Blu-Rays with a rating of 16 years and younger
• Restricted filtering for PlayStation Store content
• $0 monthly spending limit

Early Teens Preset Settings

Choosing the “Early Teens” preset will create these limits for your child’s account:

• Allow PS5 games and apps with a rating the same as or lower than their age
• Allow PS4/PS3 games with a rating of 12-13 years and under
• Allow Blu-Rays with a rating of 13 years or younger
• Restricted web browsing, communication, and access to user-generated content
• Restricted age filtering for online content
• DVDs and VR will not be restricted
• $0 monthly spending limit

Child Preset Settings

If your child has yet to reach their teen years, you might want to try using the “Child” preset parental controls and limitations. This will:

• Allow PS5 games and apps if the rating is equal to or less than their age
• Allow PS4/PS3 games if the rating is 6-7 years or under
• Allow Blu-Rays to play if the rating is 7 years or under
• Restrict VR, web browsing, communication features, and access to user-generated content
• Enable restricted age filtering for online content
• Enable a $0 monthly spending limit

Other Helpful Information for Managing Your Family’s Console

PlayStation offers a few more tools that can help you manage your family’s accounts and control what your kids can and can’t do with the console. You can:

• Add other adults in your household as “guardians”
• Subscribe to a Web Filter to prevent access to unauthorized pages and prevent being scammed
• Set a login passcode for each family member’s account
• Set a system restriction password
• Disable guest account and new user creation

If any of these features interest you, here’s how to set them up!

Appoint People as “Guardians”

If there are other adults in your household who you’d like to have access to your console’s parental control settings, you can give them access by creating accounts for them and appointing them as “guardians!”

To start, you’ll have to create a profile for them within the family account. Here’s how to do so online:

• Sign in to your Account Management page. Then, go to Family Management > Add Family Member > Add an Adult.
• Then, you’ll enter their email and follow the steps to completion!

To add a new adult profile on a console, follow these steps:

• First, sign into your console under the family manager profile.
• On PlayStation 5, go to “Settings.” Then, navigate to “Family and Parental Controls,” “Family Management,” and “Add Family Member.”
  • Then, scan the QR code onto your mobile device and follow the on-screen instructions.
• On the PS4, you’ll need to navigate to “Settings,” “Parental Controls/Family Management.” Then, choose “Family Management.”
  • Next, you’ll have to press “Add Family Member.”
  • From here, you can invite an existing account to join your family profile or create a new user profile.

Once you’ve created or invited adult users to your family account, you can give them guardian permissions. As with all these settings, you can do so online or on your console. Here’s how:

• On your Internet browser, login to your Account Management page. Then, navigate to “Family Management.”
• Next, select the family member you’d like to make a guardian, and check the box that reads “Parent/Guardian.”
• To do this on your console, you’ll need to be signed in under the family manager account.
• On PS5, go to “Settings,” “Family and Parental Controls,” “Family Management.”
  • Next, choose “Add Family Member.”
  • Then, scan the QR code and follow the on-screen instructions to add a member as a guardian.
• On the PS4, you’ll go to “Settings,” “Parental Controls/Family Management,” “Family Management. “
  • Then, select the appropriate family member and check the “Parent/Guardian” box.

Now, the family member of your choice will have guardian privileges. Just be careful to make sure you don’t accidentally make one of your children a guardian!

Subscribe to a Web Filter

The PlayStation Store offers a couple of different web filtering services for the PlayStation 4. “Trend Micro Kids Safety” is a service that still enables the Internet browser but prevents children from accessing any webpages they should not, and “Trend Micro Web Security” helps users avoid phishing scams.

You can find both programs on the PlayStation Store by searching for “Trend Micro.” This is a subscription service that is billed to your credit card on file periodically, and you can sign up for a bundled version of the two services by installing “Trend Micro for PS4.”

Once you purchase these filters, you’ll need to enable them in your console’s settings. Here’s how to do so:

• Go to “Settings,” “Parental Controls/Family Management,” “PS4 System Restrictions.”
• Now, you’ll have to choose “Web Filter,” “Trend Micro for PS4 Settings.”
• You’ll need to enter your Systems Restrictions passcode to proceed. If you’ve never set one of these codes before, you’ll have to enter the default code (0000).
• After entering the passcode, check the box next to the filter you’d like to enable and exit the Settings screen.

Set a Login Password for Each User

Children are sometimes even more tech-savvy than their parents, and if they’re determined enough, they’ll try everything possible to bypass the play time limits and restrictions you put on their PlayStation account. One way to stop them in their tracks is for each user to set a login password.

When you set a login password, it’ll need to be entered each time you try to switch to another user’s profile on your console. This way, game-addicted children won’t be able to switch to your account to change parental control settings, or to one of their older sibling’s accounts to use their play time or use material you’ve restricted for your youngins!

Here’s how to set a login passcode on your PlayStation:

• On PS5, navigate to “Settings,” “Users and Accounts.” Now, choose “Login Settings,” “Set a PS5 Login Passcode.”
• Then, set a 4-digit code for your account.
• On a PS4, you’ll have to go to “Settings,” “Login Settings,” “Login Passcode Management.”
• Set your 4-digit code, and tell everyone in your household to do the same!

Set a System Restriction Code

Should your child ever gain access to your family manager account, setting a system restriction passcode will prevent them from changing the parental control settings! To set this code, follow these steps:

• First, sign into the family manager account.
• On PS5, you’ll open the “Family and Parental Controls” menu under “Settings.” Then, choose “PS5 Console Restrictions.”
• On PS4, navigate through “Settings,” “Parental Controls/Family Management,” and finally, “PS4 System Restrictions.”
• You’ll need to enter the existing code before you can access the page. If you’ve never set a code before, enter the default code (0000).
• Once you’re on the page, select “Change Your System Restriction Passcode.”
• Enter your desired 4-digit code, then re-enter to confirm.
• Done!

Disable Guest Account & New User Creation

Your children may also figure out how to use the guest login or create a new account to bypass the restrictions you’ve set! Thankfully, you can disable these two features to prevent any more screen time than necessary.

• Login as the family manager.
• On the PS5, go to the “Family and Parental Controls” menu under “Settings.” Then, choose “PS5 Console Restrictions.”
• On the PS4, you’ll go to “Parental Controls/Family Management” under “Settings.” Then, choose “PS4 System Restrictions.”
• Now, just select New User Creation and Guest Login and set it to “Not Allowed.”

Control Computer Gaming Addiction with Limit Launcher

Though PlayStation offers parents and guardians tons of tools to limit their child’s play time and access to content. However, most standard computer parental control features do not offer even close to the same realm of possibilities! The solution? Limit Launcher!

What is Limit Launcher?

Limit Launcher was created by Helfried Stoelzel-Elsner and his partner Nastassja Stoelzel-Elsner to help Helfried curb his addiction to computer video games. He noticed how hard it was to stay focused on important work while having his games available right on the same device. He had the original idea to create a USB device that held the key to his computer’s gaming abilities, and with a few tweaks, Limit Launcher was born!

Today, Limit Launcher is complete parental control tool. It helps parents block or manage their children’s gaming time on Windows, Mac, Chromebook, iOS and Android devices. While blocking gaming is Limit Launchers main focus, it also works for social media and online video content, such as YouTube and Netflix. Limit Launcher has also developed intuitive screentime features that parents love to use.

Using the Computer for School & Work Vs. Using the Computer for Gaming

Most children across the nation reliant on their PC for their education, such as for homework or other types of schoolwork. If computer gaming addiction is a problem, it can be incredibly hard to prioritize important work while your computer games are right there on the same device!

In this case, a screen time limit is not exactly productive. The important distinction between Limit Launcher and other parental control devices is that Limit Launcher doesn’t control screen time, but game time! Computers have become essential for work and schooling purposes, so a program that can control gaming instead of screen time is more essential than ever.

Why Choose Limit Launcher?

Limit Launcher solves many of the problem’s parents or partners of computer game-addicted individuals face while trying to curb the problem. When you subscribe to a Limit Launcher plan, you’ll enjoy the following benefits:

• Managing multiple devices from the same smartphone
• The ability to block all games, social media, online videos, etc. at once
• Keeping all other computer features intact, including Internet access
• Affordable plans (billed on a monthly or yearly basis) with a 14-day free trial
• No unnecessary data collection

Manage Multiple Devices

The number of devices you can manage at once depends on the plan you choose, with options for 5-20 devices.

This is helpful, as most children nowadays have multiple devices.

Block All Games at Once

Limit Launcher works for thousands of games, including popular ones like:

• Overwatch
• Fortnite
• Minecraft
• Grand Theft Auto

For a list of more games supported by Limit Launcher, click here.

You won’t even need to make any adjustments if a new game is downloaded – as Limit Launcher can automatically detect and restrict all games.

Affordable Plans

Limit Launcher is available for less than the price of your monthly Netflix subscription! They offer two different subscription options:

• Basic (manage 5devices)
• Premium (manage 20 devices)

All plans include automatic updates and an automatic 14-day free trial when you first sign up. You can choose to be billed monthly, or save 20% per year with annual billing!

Limit Gaming and other Distractions While Keeping Computer Access Intact

Currently, computer and internet access is all but essential for peak work and school performance. Since people who play computer games usually do their work and gaming on the same device, Limit Launcher helps to prioritize what’s important. Only once the important work is done can the gaming and other forms of entertainment begin!

No Unnecessary Data Collection

Parents are often worried about installing programs from the Internet onto their children’s devices due to privacy concerns. However, you can rest assured that Limit Launcher does not mine for data about you or your children. The only information they’ll receive is the information you enter when you sign up!

Final Thoughts

Setting up parental controls on your PlayStation can do a lot to help curb gaming addiction, but computers and smartphones are a whole other story. In the digital world we’re living in, computers are essential for school and work-related purposes.

This can prove to be difficult for anyone who struggles with gaming addiction and parental controls can help.