PlayStation consoles have a suite of safety tools to help parents and guardians keep young players safe. Allowing you to manage their accounts and determine what is appropriate for them to access, you can set play time limits, restrict age-inappropriate content and even disable messaging and chat features. This can all be done from the console, PC or the PlayStation App.

Here we help you through some key points in order to get to grips with the various safety features that PlayStation offers within their ecosystem.

Setting up the PlayStation Family Account

Creating a PlayStation Account

The first thing you will need to do, before setting up your family on the console, is to create a PlayStation account. This can be done via web browser, the PlayStation app or on the PlayStation console.  You will need a valid email address, a secure password, and to select a unique online ID.

On a web browser, head to the PlayStation website and click ‘Create New Account’ and follow the instructions on screen.

If setting up via the PS5 console, select your profile picture on the home screen, choose Switch User > Add User > Get Started, and then select ‘Create an Account’.

Setting up on the PS4 is slightly different, as you’ll need to go to the function area, select Power > Switch User > New User > Create a User.

You can also create an account via the PlayStation App on your phone or smart device and follow the sign-up prompts.

Adding Family Members

Now that you have your primary account in place, you can begin to set up family accounts. The easiest way to do this is via the PlayStation Family app, that let’s you manage family users and monitor screentime from the app.

You can add adult members and child members to the family account, allowing parental controls to other adults by assigning them as parent/guardians. The Family Manager automatically has these parental controls as well.

To add a child through the app, find Set Up Your Family in app then Settings > Family Management > Add a child. Repeat the process for multiple child accounts.It’s the same for adding an adult account but you choose Add an Adult instead of ‘Add a Child’.  Enter the adult’s PSN sign-in ID (email), which sends an invitation to their email to join the family. They can be given parental controls too.

To add users on the PS5 console, select your profile icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen then Select Switch User > Add User > Get Started> Create Account and then follow the on-screen instructions to set up parental controls on the account.

It’s similar on the PS4, where you would go to Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management. If adding an account for the first time, navigate to Set Up Now > Create User. If adding an account after this, simply select Add Family Member > Create User.

Using the PlayStation Mobile App to Monitor Playtime

The PlayStation app is a great resource for parents who want to control how much screentime their child gets and to also ensure that their little gamers aren’t seeing inappropriate content.

By navigating the app, you can see specific hours of playtime for the last three most recently played titles. You can do this by navigating to your library by tapping the controller icon at the bottom of the menu, and scrolling down to the ‘Recently Played’ section to see the hours of playtime of these games.

The limitations of this are that it only shows the three most recently played games and includes time when the game is opened in menus or loading screens and not necessarily being actively played.

For a more comprehensive breakdown, you can view your library on the console by selecting your profile picture on the home screen, going to your profile and then selecting the ‘Games’ tab which will bring up a list of games with the total hours of playtime next to them. You can sort this list by ‘Most Played’ for a view on what is getting the most game time.

You can set daily limits for children’s accounts via the PlayStation Family app, so that the machine refuses to play content once this time has been reached.

Restricting Spending and Purchases

Through the Family Management settings you can set a monthly spending limit for child accounts, meaning that you can restrict what they spend and monitor the purchases they are making. The default is set to zero, so you needn’t worry about any unwanted expenditure if you haven’t adjusted these settings.

Navigate to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management, select the child’s account you want to set a limit on, then choose Parental Controls > Monthly Spending Limit to set a budget or block purchases. This can be done both via the console or the app. However, you can use the app to manage these restrictions remotely.

You can do more than just set a budget by also requiring authorisation of the Family Manager for each purchase and also adding a password at checkout (via the PlayStation Store settings) to prevent accidental or overspending.

Managing communication: voice chat, messages, friend requests

Playing online can open up avenues of socialisation and be a fun way to test gaming skills. However, talking to others over the web can have risks so you can restrict communications.

You can mute in‑game voice chat by pressing the PlayStation button on your controller, opening Sound, and switching on Mute Game Voice Chat. Communication can be restricted even further through system settings. Go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management, select the account, then choose Communication and Online Safety. From there, you can limit voice chat, messaging, and user‑generated content, and decide exactly who is allowed to contact the account and what they can send.

You can also turn off messages entirely using Privacy Settings so no one can contact you outside of games. Navigate to Communication and Multiplayer, then set Who can interact with you through parties, games, and messages to Nobody to block all messages, or Friends Only to allow communication from trusted contacts only.

PlayStation enforces a code of conduct, and players who violate it can be reported. Each game has its own reporting process, typically accessible by selecting the offending player via their player ID. You can also block or mute players at any time, even if they haven’t breached the code of conduct.

Blocking and Reporting Tools

The PS5 has in-built blocking and reporting tools to make it easy to block and report inappropriate behaviour. The ‘Game Base’, found in the ‘Control Centre’, allows you to manage user safety.

Blocking users, you don’t wish to play with or contact you is a simple task where you can search for their profile in the Game Base, then select it and go to the (More) option and then blocking. Reporting a profile is the same except you select ‘Report’ rather than ‘Block’ and then specify the reason for the report. The PS4 has similar features but profiles have to be found via ‘Friends’ list

You can also report specific chats by pressing the PS button and selecting the voice chat card where the harassment occurred then selecting ‘Report’. If it’s a text message that has caused concern, highlight the offending chat and press the ‘OPTIONS’ button on the controller. Select ‘Report’ and then choose the reason for the report in the first place.

Many games themselves will have their own reporting features that can be accessed through the game’s settings. This is best for behavioural issues relating to the game (cheating, abusing the game systems etc).

Age‑Appropriate Game Filters

All games with have a PEGI age rating (which you can read more about here), and you can set filters that mean gamers cant play games out of set age ranges that apply to these ratings.

It’s a simple action of going to Settings > Family and Parental Controls> Family Management and then selecting the child user you want to apply these settings to. Then go to Parental Controls > Games and Apps and set the desired age rating that can’t be exceeded. The console will then restrict any content that has an older age rating applied to it.

Ensuring safe and fun play is a priority for all parents and researching specific consoles and games can help you get a better handle on their settings and features. Discover our gaming hub for more products and information on all the best gaming gear.

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