Sony is now offering a new way for parents to manage their children’s gaming experiences on PlayStation consoles with the launch of the PlayStation Family app.
This new mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices and acts as an extension of the existing parental controls found on the PS5 and PS4 consoles. It puts the power of managing playtime, spending, and privacy directly in the hands of parents, all on their phones or tablets.
The PlayStation Family app includes an effortless and guided setup process, which helps parents create child accounts with age-based recommendations. This experience is designed to be intuitive, making it more convenient for parents who may prefer managing settings on their mobile devices rather than using the console itself.
Once set up, the app allows parents to do everything they could previously do on the console, including setting limits on how long their children can play, reviewing daily and weekly activity reports, and restricting access to age-inappropriate content.
One of the standout features of the app is its real-time notifications. Parents can see what game their child is playing at any given moment and receive instant alerts when their child asks for extra playtime or requests access to a restricted game.
These requests can be approved or denied directly through the app, giving parents the final say without needing to be near the console.
In addition to playtime management, Sony’s app allows parents to control spending on the PlayStation Store. They can add funds, check balances, and set monthly spending limits to help manage their child’s purchases.
Privacy settings for social interactions are also customizable, enabling parents to manage how their children connect and play with others online.
Although Sony is late to the mobile parental controls scene compared to competitors like Microsoft and Nintendo, this new app brings all these features together in one dedicated place.
This marks an important step by Sony to enhance family safety and convenience in gaming. The app is rolling out globally starting today, and it supports devices running iOS 14 or higher and Android 8 or higher.
Sony’s PlayStation Family app offers families a simpler and more effective way to ensure that gaming remains safe and balanced. It reflects Sony’s ongoing commitment to creating positive and controlled gaming environments for players of all ages while giving parents straightforward tools to support healthy gaming habits.
