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Set up a separate child account inside your PlayStation family, choose age-appropriate content and communication limits, set the spending limit before purchases are enabled, and protect the console’s user settings with an adult-only restriction passcode. Then sign in to the child’s account and check that the controls are active before handing over the controller.
Before you begin: use separate accounts
A child should not use an adult’s PlayStation account as their everyday profile. Each adult and child needs a separate account, and the child’s parental controls are associated with the child’s account. Sony Interactive Entertainment’s PS5 Quick Start Guide says, “Each adult (👤) and child (👶) will need their own separate accounts.” It also says, “You can create a child account and set parental controls at the same time.”
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The adult who manages the family needs a PlayStation account and must be the family manager before adding a child family member. If you already use PlayStation family settings on PS4, those settings carry over for existing accounts. Menu names and rating labels can vary by region, so use the labels shown on your console.
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- Open the user menu. From the PS5 profile menu, choose Switch User.
- Start adding a user. Select Add User, then Get Started.
- Choose account creation. Select Create an Account and follow the on-screen prompts to create the child’s account. The PS5 flow lets you create the child account and set parental controls as part of the process.
- Complete the child’s account setup. Follow the prompts, including email verification, and make sure the child ends up signed in to their own account rather than the adult’s.
If the child already has a PlayStation account, use that child account and add it to the adult’s family rather than creating a duplicate. The controls you choose should apply to the account the child actually uses.
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Choose the limits before the first play session
Open Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management, select the child, and review the available settings. PlayStation offers preset restriction levels, and you can customize individual controls. A preset can be a starting point, but check each category yourself: the right combination depends on the child, the games they play, and how much online interaction you want to allow.
Game and content age access
Review the age-access setting and compare it with the ratings used in your region. Ratings help you identify content intended for different age groups, but they are a screening aid, not a substitute for your own judgment about a particular game. Regional rating labels and account capabilities differ, so do not assume a label or setting will look identical in every country.
Think about the specific titles the child is likely to play, not only the number on a rating label. If you are unsure about a game, check its regional rating and decide whether its content is suitable for this child before changing the account’s access level.
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Communication and other players’ content
Decide whether the child may communicate with other players and whether they may view content created by other players. These are separate considerations: you might allow a game while limiting some forms of online interaction. Choose the limits you are comfortable with instead of treating online play as an all-or-nothing decision.
PlayStation supports requests for exceptions to in-game communication restrictions. A family manager or guardian can review those requests. Explain to the child that a restriction is intentional and that they can ask you to review an exception; do not promise that every request will be approved.
Privacy
Review the child’s privacy settings alongside communication controls. Consider what you are comfortable with other players being able to see or do in the child’s account, using the options presented in Family Management. Revisit those choices as the child’s experience and your expectations change.
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Playtime
Set a playtime arrangement that fits your household and use the available playtime controls to support it. A console setting can help put a boundary in place, but it does not replace explaining when play is okay and what the child should do when their time is up. Check the options shown for the child’s account rather than assuming a particular schedule or alert is available in every region.
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Set the spending limit before purchases
PlayStation says a child account’s monthly spending limit defaults to zero. Purchases made from a child account draw from the family manager’s wallet, so the limit controls spending against the adult’s family wallet rather than giving the child a separate source of funds.
Leave the limit at zero if you do not intend to allow purchases. If you choose to allow spending, set the limit deliberately and explain what it means before the child makes a purchase. Check the current limit in the child’s Family Management settings; do not assume a child can spend independently of the family manager’s wallet.
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Protect the limits from an easy profile switch
Parental controls work through the child’s account, so a restriction is less useful if the child can simply move to a less restricted user. Set a console restriction passcode that only the adult knows. You can also disable new-user creation and guest login to reduce the chance of switching to another profile without the same restrictions.
These measures make an unrestricted profile less easy to access; they are not a reason to share the adult account or passcode. Keep the child signed in to their own account, and avoid telling them the adult-only passcode.
Confirm the controls are active
- Check the signed-in profile. Confirm the PS5 is using the child’s account, not the family manager’s account.
- Finish email verification. Make sure the child has completed the account’s email verification step.
- Review the child’s settings. Return to Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management and confirm the intended limits for content, communication, privacy, playtime, and spending.
- Refresh the session if a change seems ineffective. PlayStation says controls are account-linked across devices. If a control is changed while the child is in a game session, the child may need to sign out and back in for the change to take effect in that session.
If something appears unrestricted, first check that the child is signed in to the account you configured and has completed verification. Then refresh the session by signing out and back in if the setting was changed while a game was open. Check the account settings again before assuming the restriction failed.
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Make the first session easier to navigate
For a less experienced player, spend a few minutes together before leaving them to play. Show them how to use the PS button, return to the home screen, find or resume a game, and get back to you if they are unsure what to select. Let them practice moving between the game and the console menus while you are there.
Explain the household rules in simple terms: which account to use, what to do if a game asks for a purchase or a communication exception, and how to ask for help. This is practical caregiver advice rather than a tested usability procedure, and the right amount of guidance depends on the player.
What this account guide does not cover
The steps above cover family accounts and parental controls, not the physical first-run installation. For connecting the console, pairing a controller, network setup, or system updates, follow the on-screen instructions for your PS5 model and consult its current manual. Do not assume every model’s prompts or regional settings are identical.
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