How To Set Up PS5 Parental Controls

The Sony Playstation 5 (PS5) encompasses more than just video gaming — users can stream music, movies, and TV, as well as browse the web. Because of this, the PS5 can create potentially harmful situations for children, so it’s important to monitor and restrict access to inappropriate content.

Sony’s Video Game Rating System

All PS5 video games hold ratings based on the criteria and judgment of the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). The most common of these ratings include “E” for games appropriate for everyone, “T” for content acceptable for most teenagers, and “M” for content deemed appropriate only for mature players.

It is important to remember that the ESRB rating system provides only a general idea of a video game’s content. While this can help parents determine what games are appropriate for their children, parents are greatly encouraged to research and review games before purchasing to determine the content they’d like their children to access.

A simple breakdown of how to use ESRB ratings in conjunction with Sony’s parental controls include:

• Level 0: ESRB RP – RATING PENDING
• Level 2: ESRB EC – EARLY CHILDHOOD
• Level 3: ESRB E – EVERYONE
• Level 4: ESRB E10+ – EVERYONE 10+
• Level 5: ESRB T – TEEN
• Level 9: ESRB M – MATURE
• Level 10: ESRB AO – ADULTS ONLY

Setting Up PlayStation 5 Parental Controls

If you already have an account on a PlayStation 4 console, you can use the same account for your PS5 console. If your family is new to the PlayStation universe, you’ll need to create an adult account before creating accounts for your children. The adult who creates a child account is known as the family manager. The family manager can:

• Manage play time.  
• Manage purchases from the family manager wallet.
• Manage access to games, videos, and applications.
• Disable text, video, and voice chat messages.  
• Block user-generated video, streams, and pictures.  
• Appoint other adults in the family as “guardians.” This allows them to set and change controls on all the child family members, including how much can be spent from your wallet.

How to create an adult account to use as the family manager

1. Go to the home screen and select the profile picture.
2. Select Switch User > Add User > Get Started.
3. Select Create an Account from the sign-in screen.
4. Enter the necessary information.
5. Verify your email address. Check your email for a verification message. Follow the instructions in the message to verify your email address.
6. The next time you need to sign in, enter your sign-in ID (email address) and password.

How to create a child account on PlayStation 5

1. Sign in to your PS5 console as the family manager and go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management > Add Family Member.
2. Scan the QR code on your mobile device to set up a child account.

How to set a system restriction passcode

1. Sign in as the family manager and go Settings > Family and Parental Controls > PS5 Console Restrictions.
2. Enter the existing system restriction passcode. If you haven’t set one before, the default is 0000.
3. Select Change Your System Restriction Passcode.
4. Enter a new four-digit passcode. Make sure it’s something memorable that only you know.
5. Enter the passcode a second time to confirm.

After setting up a system restriction passcode, you’ll be able to set up other parental controls on your console, including for each individual user if you have multiple children.

How to implement parental controls on PS5

1. Go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management > Parental Controls.
2. Select the child account you want to set restrictions for and choose Edit to adjust each feature or adjust the preset parental control level. Parental controls on PS5 allow you to restrict child account access to network features, applications, and devices in the following ways:

• Preset restriction level
  This setting will adjust all of the parental controls for a child account. Select from presets for:
  Late Teens or Older
  Early Teens
  Child
• Set age rating levels for games, Blu-ray™ and DVD
  Games and videos are rated by age level to help parents figure out whether the content is appropriate for their child.
• Set play time restrictions
  Play times give family managers (and adult family members who are set as guardians) the ability to set limits on when, and for how long, each child can access the PS5 console.
• Restrict communication and user-generated content
  Prevent child accounts from communicating with other players. This setting also restricts viewing content created by other players such as videos, images, and text created by other users.
  Note: Child accounts can request an exception to use communication features in a specific game.
• Allowed games
  If your child tries to start a game or communicate with another player but is blocked by parental controls, they can then request that you make an exception. You’ll receive an email request to allow the game. This menu allows you to manage a child’s allowed games.
• Set monthly spending limits
  If you set a spending limit for a child account, we will let that child spend up to that amount each month on PlayStation Store. The funds are taken from the family manager’s wallet.
• Restrict use of internet browser

 How to access Play Time parental controls

1. Sign in as the family manager or guardian account of the child account you’d like to manage.  
2. Go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management and select the child account,
3. Set a Time Zone then select Play Time Settings.
4. Once you have set your restrictions, select Save to apply the changes.

How to disable guest profile creation

Disabling the creation of guest profiles or additional profiles is important because this is a popular workaround for kids who want to bypass the set parental controls. Here’s how to prevent that:

1. Log in as the family manager and go to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > PS5 Console Restrictions.
2. Select User Creation and Guest Login > Not Allowed. 

Bark — The Parental Control Solution

In addition to setting parental controls on your child’s device, the next safety layer parents and caregivers should strongly consider is a monitoring solution to assess the content their kids encounter (and produce) across text messages, social media, email, and more.

Bark helps families manage and protect their children’s entire online worlds. Our award-winning service monitors 30+ of the most popular apps and social media platforms for signs of issues like cyberbullying, suicidal ideation, online predators, threats of violence, and more. Our web filtering and screen time management tools empower families to set healthy limits around the sites and apps their kids can access and when they can visit them. Sign up today to start your free, one-week trial.