How to Use PS4 Parental Controls

Gamers of all ages have used the PlayStation 4 for hours of entertainment. However, concerned parents and guardians have used the PlayStation Parental Controls to prevent their children from being able to watch or play violent or sexually charged content. Here's how to turn PS4 parental controls on and off.

In order to take advantage of the PS4’s Parental Control features, you will need to create a Family account and designate yourself as the Family Manager. This account allows the Family Manager to create accounts for their children and set administrative privileges that dictate what they can access.

Given that the PS4 offers access to potentially unsuitable games and video, it is important to set age-appropriate restrictions for underage users. With the PS4’s ability to use internet browsers, it can be even more complicated to restrict access to inappropriate content.

Fortunately, the PS4’s Parental Controls allow parents and guardians to limit mature content, turn off the chat function, and eliminate youngsters' ability to make purchases. They can also restrict or remove a child’s ability to access the internet via the device, set age-appropriate filters for viewing PlayStation Store content, and even limit the amount of playtime for each account.

To use the PS4’s Parental Controls, you will need to have a PSN or PlayStation Network ID that will serve as the administrative account that can set restrictions. This can be easily accomplished after turning your PS4 on and logging in.

There is no single button that allows Family Managers to turn everything on and off. With parental controls on, you can prevent your kids from logging in as guests or create new user accounts, use a web filter to block harmful websites, set age levels for video games and DVD/Blu-ray discs, and prevent them from using PlayStation VR or browsing the internet using the PS4.

Should you happen to forget your passcode or if your child happens to change it without your permission, there is one method that will allow you to remove Parental Controls. Unfortunately, this will require that you reset your PS4 back to factory settings.