Sony has launched the PlayStation Family app,a new tool designed to give parents greater control over their children’s gaming experiences on PlayStation 4 (PS4) and playstation 5 (PS5) consoles. The app allows parents to manage playtime, restrict content, and monitor spending, ensuring a safer and more balanced gaming surroundings for young players.

While age verification systems are increasingly common for adult users, parental controls offer a more effective way to manage the content children can access.The PlayStation Family app aims to provide a extensive suite of tools for parents to oversee their children’s gaming habits.

Gaming, while a source of entertainment and stress relief, can become problematic if not managed properly. Excessive screen time can lead to eye strain and may interfere with other critically important activities such as studying and outdoor play. Moderation is key to ensuring a healthy balance.

Although Microsoft (Xbox) and Nintendo (Switch) already offer parental control apps, Sony’s entry into this space provides PlayStation users with similar capabilities. The PlayStation Family app allows parents to quickly create child accounts and customize their gaming experience.

With the app, parents can set daily playtime limits, and children can request additional time, which parents can approve or deny via their smartphone or tablet. The app also provides activity reports,showing daily and weekly playtime,as well as real-time notifications indicating which games a child is playing.

Using game time as a reward for completing homework, chores, or other responsibilities can be a positive way to encourage good behavior. The PlayStation Family app includes content filters to ensure children only access age-appropriate games,avoiding exposure to violent or mature content. Parents can choose from preset age-based settings or customize the experience further. According to Sony, the app also allows customization of privacy settings, enabling parents to control how their children connect, play, and access social features.

“The PlayStation Family app also has activity reports that you can check on their daily/weekly playtime and activity.”

Concerns about online safety, particularly on platforms like Roblox, highlight the need for robust parental controls. The PlayStation Family app also addresses concerns about unauthorized in-app purchases by allowing parents to set monthly spending limits for PlayStation Store content and add funds as needed.

The PlayStation Family app is available for iOS (requires iOS 14 or higher) and Android (requires Android 8 or higher) devices worldwide.