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To block mature-rated games, place your child’s account in your console family group and set that child account’s game age restriction. On PlayStation, manage it through Family Management and, where supported, review a request for an individual game without changing the general restriction. On Xbox, Microsoft directs parents to the Xbox Family Settings app or account.microsoft.com/family; use the current controls shown there because the exact game-filter menu labels are not established here.
Before you start: use a child account in a family group
Parental controls apply to the child’s account, not to everyone who uses the console. Add the child as a family member, then choose that child when setting restrictions. On PlayStation, Sony says the child’s email should be verified and the child signed in for controls to work effectively. Microsoft likewise says a parent in the family group manages a child account’s Xbox privacy and online settings.
Game age restrictions control access to games. They are separate from controls for communication, user-generated content, spending, and playtime. If your concern also includes chat, purchases, or time limits, review those settings separately.
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Set a game age restriction on PlayStation
Sony offers game age-level controls through PS5, PS4, web Family Management, and the PlayStation Family app. The console paths below are the direct routes documented by Sony in its parental-controls instructions.
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PS5
- Open Settings > Family and Parental Controls > Family Management.
- Select the child’s account.
- Open the parental control for games and content, then set Age Level for Games to the appropriate level shown on the console.
PS4
- Open Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management.
- Select the child’s account.
- Choose the game/content parental control and set the game age level using the available options.
Web or PlayStation Family app
On the web, sign in to Account Management and open Family Management. The PlayStation Family app also provides parental-control settings and a way to review game requests. The app is available from Sony’s PlayStation Family App page.
Choose the level by the rating shown for the game
PlayStation provides presets and customizable controls. If you change an individual setting in a preset, the restriction level changes to Customize. Ratings and preset behavior can vary by game generation and territory, so check both the rating displayed for the specific game and the age-level choices displayed on your console. Sony’s PS5 quick-start guide notes that each game carries a rating icon to help determine age appropriateness: PS5 manuals and documentation.
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Approve a restricted PlayStation game individually
On supported PS5 flows, a child who tries to start a restricted game can see a blocked screen and send a request. The family manager and an appointed parent or guardian receive a notification and email. You can review the request in the child’s Allowed Games section under Family Management, use the PS5 notification flow, or review it in the PlayStation Family app. Sony describes this request process in its PlayStation Family app information.
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Set Xbox content filters through Microsoft Family
Microsoft identifies the Xbox Family Settings app and account.microsoft.com/family as the channels for managing a child’s age-appropriate limits, including content filters. Start with the child selected in your Microsoft family group and use the current content-filter options shown in the app or account site. Microsoft’s family hub is region-specific; its UK page is titled Xbox family settings: peace of mind for parents.
The cited Microsoft guidance does not establish an exact menu path or label for a game-age filter, so the labels may differ by app version or region. Follow the live app’s content-filter prompts rather than relying on an assumed console path. The guidance also does not establish a per-game approval workflow comparable to PlayStation’s documented request flow; do not assume a specific Xbox exception process.
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Make the restrictions harder to bypass
Protect PlayStation settings and accounts
- Set a console restriction passcode and keep it private. Sony documents this as a way to stop a child from changing parental controls.
- On PS5, disable new-user creation and guest login if you do not want the child to switch to an unrestricted profile. On PS4, disable guest login.
- Do not confuse the console restriction passcode with an account login passcode: they protect different things. Sony warns that forgetting the PS5 console restriction passcode requires resetting the console. See Sony’s instructions for preventing changes to parental controls.
- If you change PlayStation controls while the child is in a game, have the child sign out and back in so the change takes effect.
Check which account is being used
On either platform, verify that the child is playing on the managed child account rather than a guest or another account with fewer restrictions. Family controls cannot govern activity conducted under a different, unrestricted profile.
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PlayStation and Xbox controls compared
| What you need to do | PlayStation | Xbox |
|---|---|---|
| Account setup | Put the child in the family group and select that child in Family Management. | Use the child account in the Microsoft family group; a parent manages the child’s settings. |
| Where to manage age-related limits | PS5 or PS4 Family Management, web Account Management, or the PlayStation Family app. | Xbox Family Settings app or account.microsoft.com/family; exact game-filter labels are not established in the cited Microsoft guidance. |
| One-game exception | Supported PS5 request flow lets a parent or guardian review a child’s request for a restricted game. | A comparable per-game request workflow is not established by the cited Microsoft guidance. |
| Reduce account or settings workarounds | Use a console restriction passcode; disable new-user creation and guest login on PS5, or guest login on PS4, where appropriate. | Keep the child under the family group and manage the child’s account through the parent account; the cited page does not specify console guest-account controls. |
If a restriction does not seem to work
- The child can still launch a game: confirm the child is signed in to the managed account and that the game’s displayed rating is above the level you intended to restrict.
- A PlayStation change has not taken effect: if the child was playing when you changed the control, have them sign out and back in.
- The child can change PlayStation controls: set a console restriction passcode and review guest and new-user access settings.
- You cannot find the Xbox filter: open the Xbox Family Settings app or account.microsoft.com/family, select the child, and follow the content-filter controls currently displayed. Menu wording can vary; Microsoft’s cited guidance does not specify an exact game-age path.
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