How to Set Up Parental Controls on PS5 (2026)

Step 1: Set up Family Management, the passcode and an age preset

The Family Manager has full control and holds the family wallet. A Guardian is a second adult who can manage controls and change spending limits, so give that role sparingly.

1. Open Family Management. On PS5, sign in as the Family Manager and go to Settings → Family and Parental Controls → Family Management. Enter the Family Manager account password when asked.
2. Add the child. Choose Add Family Member → Add a Child, then enter the child's real date of birth, email and password. You can also use the PlayStation Family app; a QR code can open the setup in a phone browser.
3. Choose adult roles carefully. Keep yourself as Family Manager. Add a second trusted adult as a Guardian only if they need to manage parental controls and spending limits.
4. Change the Console Restriction Passcode. Go to Settings → Family and Parental Controls → PS5 Console Restrictions. The default is 0000. Enter it, choose Change Your Console Restriction Passcode, and set a private 4-digit code immediately.
5. Choose a restriction-level preset. Return to Family Management → [child] → Parental Controls and choose Child (about ages 7–12, the most restrictive and E-rated only), Early Teens (about 13–15), Late Teens or Older (about 16+), or No Restriction. Treat the preset as a starting point, then customize every setting below.

Tip: If your child knows 0000, they can undo console-wide restrictions. Use a unique code, enter it out of sight, and do not reuse the console login passcode.

Step 2: ⭐ Lock down communication and user-generated content

This is the most important online-safety switch. It closes direct contact and player-created material in one place.

1. Open the communication control. Go to Family Management → [child] → Parental Controls → Communicating and User-Generated Content.
2. Set it to Restrict. Choose Restrict. This disables text messaging with other players, voice chat in parties, viewing player-created content, sharing or creating the child's own user-generated content, and linking third-party communication apps such as Discord.
3. Consider blocking online multiplayer. For a young child, block online multiplayer entirely as an additional layer. Keep the Child preset for the strictest contact and content posture.
4. Review exceptions. Check the child's allowed games and any previously approved exceptions. Remove anything that would reopen online contact or content you do not want.

Tip: Test this while signed in as the child. Messages, party voice, and player-created content should be unavailable—not merely hidden from the parent account.

Step 3: Set age levels and disable the browser

1. Set PS5 and PS4 game levels. In Family Management → [child] → Parental Controls, set Age Level for PS5 Games and Age Level for PS4 Games. The numeric levels map to ESRB ratings in the US.
2. Set the app age level. Set Age Level for Apps to the highest level appropriate for your child.
3. Restrict discs. Set the Blu-ray Disc and DVD age limits so physical media does not bypass your game and app settings.
4. Disable web browsing. Set Web Browsing → Restrict. This disables the PS5 system browser rather than filtering sites one by one.
5. Review requested exceptions. Approve a blocked title only when you have checked it. An approved title becomes a specific exception to the general age setting.

Step 4: Make playtime end with a hard stop

1. Open Playtime Settings. Go to Family Management → [child] → Playtime Settings.
2. Set the correct Time Zone. Choose the child's local Time Zone first, or the schedule may start and end at the wrong times.
3. Turn on Restrict Playtime. Enable Restrict Playtime, then set Duration and Playable Hours using Same Every Day or By Days of the Week.
4. Choose Log Out of PS5. Under When Play Time Ends, choose Log Out of PS5 for a hard stop. Notify Only warns the child but lets play continue.
5. Handle extra-time requests. The PlayStation Family app can notify you when your child requests more time and lets you approve or deny the request.

Step 5: Stop purchases and protect checkout

1. Set Monthly Spending Limit to 0. Go to Family Management → [child] → Parental Controls → Monthly Spending Limit and set it to 0 for no spending. Child purchases draw from the Family Manager's wallet, and spending over the limit requires manager approval.
2. Require a password at checkout. Separately, go to Settings → Users and Accounts → Account → Payment and Subscriptions → Purchase Settings and turn Require Password at Checkout on.
3. Review the family wallet. Remove stored payment methods you do not need and check the Family Manager's wallet balance. The spending limit and checkout password protect different parts of the purchase flow, so use both.

Tip: A Monthly Spending Limit of 0 is the strongest child-account setting; Require Password at Checkout is a separate safeguard for the Family Manager account.

Step 6: Restrict PlayStation VR2

1. Open the VR setting. Go to Family Management → [child] → Parental Controls → Use of PlayStation VR.
2. Restrict VR access. Set Use of PlayStation VR to Restrict. Sony says PlayStation VR is not for young children, so keep it blocked unless the child meets the product's age guidance and you have decided it is appropriate.