To stop a child from buying games on a Nintendo Switch, change the purchase settings on the parent or guardian’s Nintendo Account—not just in the console’s Parental Controls menu. Sign in to the parent account, open the family group, select the child’s supervised account, turn on Spending Restrictions, and save. You can separately turn on Age-Based Content Restrictions to limit which eShop content the child can see.
This guide explains the exact account path, what each restriction does, which purchases it covers, and how to use a fixed account balance when you want a budget rather than a complete block.
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The correct place to block Nintendo Switch purchases
Nintendo divides parental controls between two systems. The Nintendo Account family-group settings control Nintendo eShop purchases and related auto-renewals. The console’s Parental Controls menu and the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smart-device app handle other limits, such as age ratings, communication and play time.
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That distinction is the reason a child may still be able to buy a game even when you have configured the console or app. For eShop purchase restrictions, Nintendo says that only a parent or guardian Nintendo Account in a Nintendo family group can make the change.
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What you need before changing the setting
- Access to the parent or guardian Nintendo Account that belongs to the child’s Nintendo family group.
- The child’s Nintendo Account must be supervised in that family group. If it is not supervised, complete the family-group and supervision setup before looking for spending controls.
- A web browser or another way to sign in to Nintendo Account settings. The purchase restriction is an account setting, not a control that can be completed only from the Switch console.
- The child’s account must be the one used for the eShop activity you want to restrict. Changing a different family member’s account will not change the child’s permissions.
Nintendo’s support pages use US account wording. Account labels or the order of screens can differ in other regions, so use your regional Nintendo support site if the labels below do not match what you see.
Step-by-step: turn off game purchases and auto-renewals
- Sign in to the parent or guardian account. Use the Nintendo Account that is the parent or guardian in the child’s family group. A child account, or an adult account that is not the family-group parent or guardian, cannot set these eShop purchase restrictions.
- Open Family group. From Nintendo Account settings, go to the family-group area that lists the accounts connected to your family group.
- Select the child’s supervised account. Choose the specific child whose purchases you want to control. If the account is not supervised, Nintendo requires supervision or family-group setup first.
- Open the purchase restriction settings. Look for the settings named Spending Restrictions and Age-Based Content Restrictions.
- Enable Spending Restrictions. This disables purchases and auto-renewal options on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and through the Nintendo Store, including physical orders, within the channels Nintendo lists for the setting.
- Enable Age-Based Content Restrictions if needed. This is a separate control that limits the content visible in the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch eShops according to the player’s age.
- Save the changes. Do not leave the page until Nintendo confirms or otherwise shows that the new settings were saved.
After saving, the restriction belongs to the child’s Nintendo Account. It is not merely a setting on one console, so signing that account into another supported Nintendo console or using Nintendo’s store channels does not turn the restriction off.
What Spending Restrictions actually block
Spending Restrictions are an on/off purchase block, not a configurable allowance. Nintendo describes the setting as disabling purchases and auto-renewal options for the supervised account across Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Store, including physical orders.
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Purchases and auto-renewals
The setting covers both one-time purchases and the auto-renewal options Nintendo includes in its purchase-restriction flow. That matters for subscriptions or services that renew automatically: blocking only a new game purchase would not, by itself, explain what happens to renewal choices. Nintendo groups both under Spending Restrictions.
Supported Nintendo channels
Nintendo lists Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Store, including physical orders, when describing the restriction. Treat that list as the scope of the account setting. It is not a promise that purchases made in an unrelated app store are controlled by the Nintendo Account.
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Age-Based Content Restrictions are a different control
Age-Based Content Restrictions limit what the child can see in the Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch eShops according to the player’s age. They address content visibility, not the amount of money available.
You can enable age-based restrictions alone, Spending Restrictions alone, or both:
- Spending Restrictions only: the child’s Nintendo Account cannot make the purchases and auto-renewal changes covered by Nintendo’s setting, but this option is not described as an age-based filter for eShop listings.
- Age-Based Content Restrictions only: age-related eShop visibility is limited, but this is not a purchase block.
- Both settings: the child sees a narrower range of eShop content and also has purchases and covered auto-renewals disabled.
Choose both when you want to manage what appears in the store as well as whether transactions can occur. Do not substitute the age setting for a spending block.
Why the Switch console menu or phone app may not be enough
Nintendo’s parental-control overview separates eShop purchase restrictions from console and smart-device controls. The console settings and the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app are useful for age ratings, communication and play-time features, but Nintendo assigns eShop purchase restrictions to Nintendo Account settings.
The app’s own guidance also points parents to Nintendo Account settings for eShop product or service purchases. Therefore, installing the app, setting a play-time limit or restricting communication does not automatically disable the child’s ability to buy a game.
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Use the console or app when your goal is a play or content rule rather than a payment rule. Those tools complement the account-level spending setting; they do not replace it for eShop transactions.
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- Digital Card balances can be shared across Nintendo Switch, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS family of systems, but may only be used on a single Nintendo eShop account.
Purchases made through a smart-device app
Nintendo warns that purchases made through a smart-device app require checking the settings on that device. Do not assume that an eShop restriction automatically governs an unrelated app store, mobile payment method or purchase flow. Review the phone or tablet’s own purchase controls when the transaction is happening outside Nintendo’s listed store channels.
Want a budget instead of a complete block? Use an account balance
Nintendo suggests a separate approach for parents who want to make a specific amount available: add that amount to the child’s account with a Nintendo eShop card. The child can then use the available balance for purchases.
This approach is not a parental-control setting and the card does not configure Spending Restrictions. It is a funding method:
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- Add that amount to the child’s Nintendo Account using a Nintendo eShop card.
- Leave Spending Restrictions off if the child needs to use the balance for purchases.
- Monitor the remaining balance and add funds only when you choose.
An account balance is bounded by the funds you add, but it is not the same as a monthly cap or a per-purchase approval workflow. Once the balance is available, the child can use it for eligible purchases allowed by the account’s other settings.
Choose the right approach
| Parent’s goal | Setting or method | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prevent the child from buying games and covered services | Spending Restrictions in the parent Nintendo Account | Disables purchases and auto-renewal options across the Nintendo channels listed by Nintendo, including Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Store with physical orders. | It is not described as a monthly allowance, dollar cap or approval request. |
| Limit which eShop products the child can see | Age-Based Content Restrictions | Restricts eShop content visibility according to the player’s age. | It does not by itself create a spending limit. |
| Give the child a controlled amount to spend | Nintendo eShop card added to the child’s account | Places a chosen amount in the account balance for purchases. | It does not configure parental controls or guarantee per-purchase approval. |
| Limit play time, communication or other console behavior | Console Parental Controls or the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app | Manages the play and content features offered by those tools. | It is not the Nintendo Account eShop purchase restriction. |
How to verify that the restriction is on the intended account
Most mistakes come from changing the wrong family member or using an account that is not the parent or guardian. Before you finish, check the following:
- The signed-in account is identified as the parent or guardian in the family group.
- The selected profile is the child’s supervised Nintendo Account, not your own account or another family member’s profile.
- Spending Restrictions is enabled if your objective is to block transactions.
- Age-Based Content Restrictions is enabled if your objective includes limiting eShop visibility.
- You saved the page after changing each setting.
Then use the child’s profile to check the result in the relevant Nintendo store flow. A blocked purchase or unavailable purchase option is the expected result for a covered transaction. If the transaction occurs in a separate mobile app store, check that device’s controls instead.
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- Digital Card balances can be shared across Nintendo Switch, Wii U and Nintendo 3DS family of systems, but may only be used on a single Nintendo eShop account.
Troubleshooting common problems
The Spending Restrictions option is missing
Confirm that you are signed in to the parent or guardian Nintendo Account and that the child belongs to the same family group. Nintendo limits eShop purchase restrictions to a parent or guardian account in a Nintendo family group. If the child’s account is not supervised, complete the supervision setup first.
The child can still see a game in the eShop
Seeing a listing and being able to buy it are different outcomes. Spending Restrictions address purchases and auto-renewals; Age-Based Content Restrictions address visibility. If you want a title hidden because of age, enable the age-based setting as well.
The child can buy through a phone or tablet
Identify where the payment is processed. Nintendo says smart-device app purchases require checking the device’s own settings. An unrelated app-store purchase may not be controlled by the Nintendo Account eShop restriction.
A purchase or renewal was already made
Turning on a restriction changes what the supervised account can do after the setting is saved. It is not described as a refund, cancellation or reversal tool for a transaction that has already completed. Review the relevant Nintendo account or store support process for an existing charge.
The labels look different
Nintendo’s documented flow and labels are based on its US support pages. Regional account systems can present different wording or navigation. Use the Nintendo support page for the country or region attached to the account rather than guessing which similarly named setting applies.
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A practical setup for families with more than one child
Apply restrictions per supervised account. A family group can contain children with different ages and different rules, so select each child’s profile before saving. For example, you might block spending for one account, set age-based visibility for another, and use an eShop-card balance for a third. The setting follows the selected Nintendo Account, not a blanket rule for every profile on the console.
When a child uses more than one Switch, sign in with the same supervised account and keep the account-level rules in place. Console-specific play-time or communication rules may still need separate configuration on each device or through the app, but the eShop purchase restriction belongs to the Nintendo Account family-group settings.
Quick decision checklist
- Ask whether you want no purchases, age-filtered visibility, or a fixed amount available to spend.
- For no purchases, use the parent account’s Family group page and enable Spending Restrictions.
- For age-filtered store visibility, enable Age-Based Content Restrictions separately.
- For a chosen budget, add that amount with a Nintendo eShop card rather than treating Spending Restrictions as a spending cap.
- For a phone or tablet transaction, inspect that device’s own app-store controls.
- Verify the child’s supervised account and save the settings before testing.
What Nintendo’s purchase controls do—and do not—provide
Nintendo provides an account-level way for a parent or guardian to disable purchases and auto-renewals, plus a separate age-based eShop visibility filter. It also identifies an eShop-card balance as a way to make a chosen amount available. The documented controls do not describe a monthly spending ceiling or a parent approval prompt for every purchase. Selecting the control that matches your actual goal prevents a common mismatch: expecting a console play-time setting to block eShop payments, or expecting a full purchase block to behave like a budget.
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