PS5 Parental Controls: Spending, Playtime and Communication

PS5 parental controls let a family manager or appointed parent or guardian manage a child’s access to games, online communication, spending and playtime. The controls work through the child’s PlayStation account, while separate console restrictions protect the PS5 itself from guest or new-user workarounds.

This guide uses Sony’s current UK support information. Menu labels and available features can change, so check the linked PlayStation pages on the device you use.

Sources checked: 9 October 2026. This is an independent guide and does not claim hands-on testing of a particular console or game.

Start With a Separate Child Account

Sony recommends setting up a separate account for each child, using an accurate date of birth and activating parental controls before play. The family manager first needs an adult PlayStation account.

The date of birth matters because it helps determine which settings and age-related restrictions apply. Do not create one shared child profile for several people if you want individual playtime, privacy and content settings.

The PlayStation Family app guide says that when a child is added to a family, you configure parental controls, playtime settings and privacy settings. These settings can be changed later.

Within the app:

1. Select the child at the top of the home screen.
2. Select the settings icon next to the child’s name.
3. Choose Parental Controls, Playtime Settings or Privacy Settings.

You can also access parental controls through the PS5 console and PlayStation’s account-management website. Some family features may be available only in the Family app.

What PS5 Parental Controls Cover

The current PlayStation Family app groups controls into several areas:

• Games and apps.
• Online communication.
• Monthly spending.
• Web browsing and age filtering for online content, where available.
• PlayStation VR and video-disc restrictions.
• Playtime.
• Privacy, social activity and followers.
• Linked services and authorised apps.

These settings do not all do the same job. Age controls limit access to content by rating. Spending controls set a monthly purchase ceiling for the child account. Communication controls restrict interaction and user-generated content. Privacy controls decide who can see or interact with account information and activity.

Review each area instead of relying on one preset to cover every family rule.

Set Age Levels for Games and Apps

Sony’s age-ratings guide explains that ratings describe the content of a game, not its difficulty. In the UK, game packaging and PlayStation Store product pages show the relevant age rating and content information.

In the Family app, select:

Child > Settings > Parental Controls > Games and Apps

From there, you can manage age levels, game requests and allowed games.

If a child tries to open a restricted game on PS5, the console can present a request option. The family manager or guardian can review the notification and allow or deny an exception for that game. An exception should be a deliberate decision, not a change to the child’s general age setting.

Before approving a request:

• Check the displayed age rating and content descriptors.
• Read the product page rather than judging only by the title or artwork.
• Consider online interaction and user-generated content separately.
• Revisit an exception if the game or family circumstances change.

An age rating does not describe every online interaction that may occur inside a game.

Manage Monthly Spending Limits

A child purchase from PlayStation Store uses the family manager’s wallet. The Family app provides a Monthly Spending Limit control to help manage spending for each child account.

Sony states that the default monthly limit is 0. A child cannot make paid purchases through that account unless the limit is changed and the family manager’s wallet has funds available.

In the Family app:

1. Select the child.
2. Find the Monthly Spending Limit widget.
3. Use it to set limits for what the child may spend each month.

The widget also lets the family manager view the wallet balance and add funds. Sony notes that an appointed guardian can change spending limits, so the family manager should know which adults have guardian permissions.

A monthly limit is a ceiling, not a promise that every purchase is suitable. Continue to review:

• The item being bought.
• Whether it is a game, add-on, subscription or virtual currency.
• Recurring charges or renewal terms shown at checkout.
• The child’s remaining monthly allowance.
• The family’s own rules for requesting purchases.

Keep the limit at 0 if no child purchases should be possible.

Set Playtime by Day

The Playtime widget in the PlayStation Family app lets a parent or guardian manage how long and when a child can play each day.

The app shows current play information and a seven-day activity summary. Sony notes that playtime data updates when the app is opened or refreshed, and that games should be closed before the child logs in for accurate information.

When the child’s time is up, the app can send a notification. A child using a PS5 can also ask for more playtime through a reminder notification. The parent or guardian can then change the time or decline the request.

A useful setup process is:

1. Decide the permitted days and times with the child.
2. Set playtime limits in Playtime Settings.
3. Explain what will happen when the limit is reached.
4. Review requests rather than approving them automatically.
5. Check the activity report periodically and adjust the family rule when appropriate.

Playtime controls are a management tool, not a substitute for breaks, sleep routines or conversation about healthy gaming.

Restrict Online Communication and User-Generated Content

In the Family app, go to:

Child > Settings > Parental Controls > Online Communication

This area lets you restrict communication features and user-generated content. It also manages communication requests and games for which communication has been allowed.

If a restricted communication feature is blocked, the child may be able to request an exception for that game. The parent or guardian receives a notification and can allow or deny it. Some communication features may depend on the child’s account settings.

Communication settings deserve a separate review from game age levels. A game may be appropriate by age rating while still including:

• Parties, voice chat or direct messages.
• Friend or follower requests.
• Player-created text, images or video.
• Cross-play invitations.
• Interactions with people the child does not know offline.

Ask the child to tell a trusted adult about unwanted contact, pressure to share personal information or abusive content. Use PlayStation’s current reporting and blocking tools for account-specific incidents.

Review Privacy Settings

PlayStation privacy settings determine who can see and interact with a child’s account and activity. Sony’s privacy-settings guide says a child’s privacy profile is managed by the family manager and parents or guardians, although the child may be allowed to change some settings.

In the Family app, Privacy Settings can cover:

• Who can ask to be the child’s friend.
• Who can interact through parties, games and messages.
• Who can see the child’s friends.
• Who can see games, trophies, online status and current play.
• Whether cross-play invitations are allowed.
• Who can follow the child and see follower information.

Choose settings based on the child’s age and maturity, then review them as the child gets older. A privacy profile is a starting point; the individual controls show the actual audience for each activity.

Protect the Console Settings

Account controls are only one layer. Sony’s console-restriction guide explains how to stop children changing controls or using an unrestricted route on the PS5.

The guide recommends:

• Changing the PS5 console restriction passcode from its default.
• Setting a login passcode on adult accounts.
• Disabling new-user creation and guest login.

To change the console restriction passcode, sign in as the family manager and open:

Settings > Family and Parental Controls > PS5 Console Restrictions

Sony warns that forgetting this passcode may require resetting the console, so store it securely without sharing it with the child.

To protect an adult account, go to:

Settings > Users and Accounts > Login Settings > Set a PS5 Login Passcode

The login passcode and console restriction passcode are separate controls.

To block an easy guest-account workaround:

Settings > Family and Parental Controls > PS5 Console Restrictions > User Creation and Guest Login > Not Allowed

These settings matter because a well-configured child account cannot help if the child can simply enter an unrestricted adult profile or create a new user.

Use the PlayStation Family App for Requests and Review

The PlayStation Family app can centralise routine changes and notifications. Sony documents controls for games and apps, communication, privacy, playtime and monthly spending in the app.

It can also show:

• What the child is currently playing and the game’s age rating.
• A seven-day activity summary.
• Requests for a restricted game.
• Requests for communication in a game.
• Requests for more playtime.

Treat requests as prompts for a decision, not as alerts that must be approved. Check the content, why the child wants access and whether a narrower exception would meet the need.

If the app behaves differently from the documentation, update it through the official app store and consult PlayStation Support. Avoid entering account credentials into unofficial support pages.

Important Limits to Understand

Parental controls reduce risk but do not guarantee that every activity, purchase or conversation will be prevented.

Keep these limits in mind:

• Some features vary by country, region, device or app version.
• Third-party games and services may have their own settings and accounts.
• A console setting does not control another platform the child uses.
• PlayStation controls that apply on consoles may not all apply to PlayStation games on PC.
• An allowed game can still contain changing online interactions.
• A spending limit does not assess whether a purchase offers value.
• A child may use an unprotected device or adult account if access is available.

Sony’s PC parental-controls page specifically says that several console controls, including playtime, PS5 game age level and monthly spending limits, do not apply to PlayStation PC games. Check the controls on the PC platform separately.

PS5 Parental-Control Checklist

Before handing over the console, confirm that you have:

• Created a separate child account with the correct date of birth.
• Selected appropriate game and app age levels.
• Reviewed any allowed-game exceptions.
• Set the monthly spending limit, leaving it at 0 if purchases are not allowed.
• Configured playtime and explained the family rule.
• Reviewed communication and user-generated-content settings.
• Chosen privacy settings for friends, messages, activity and followers.
• Changed the console restriction passcode.
• Protected adult profiles with login passcodes.
• Disabled new-user creation and guest login if those routes are not needed.
• Tested the child account and reviewed the setup together.

For another family-management example, see our Steam Families guide. The platforms use different controls, so apply each provider’s own documentation.

Final Takeaway

PS5 parental controls work best as a combination of child-account settings and console restrictions. Use the child account to manage age levels, spending, playtime, communication and privacy. Use console and adult-account passcodes to protect those settings and prevent unrestricted guest access.

Review the controls as the child, games and devices change. Technical settings are strongest when children understand the reason for them and know they can ask for help with an online interaction or purchase.

Fact check completed 9 October 2026 using current Sony PlayStation UK support pages. No hands-on product-testing claim is made.