Sony on Tuesday rolled out a new PlayStation Family App for iOS and Android, giving parents additional tools to monitor and manage their children’s gaming activity on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles.
The company described it as a “new dedicated parental control mobile app” with customizable features designed to expand the parental settings already available on consoles. The app allows parents to track real-time play activity, accept or deny requests for additional gaming time, and set restrictions on specific titles.
Guided onboarding helps parents quickly create accounts for children, while activity reports provide weekly summaries of playtime. Parents can also approve or reject time extension requests through their phone, add funds to accounts, and set monthly spending limits.
The app introduces preset filters tailored to different age groups and allows customization of content moderation for the PlayStation Store. Notifications keep parents updated on what their children are playing and enable immediate approval or rejection of requests for extended sessions.
Sony said it plans “to continue adding enhancements to PlayStation Family app to evolve the experience over time.” The app is available for download in most markets starting today.
The launch comes amid heightened scrutiny of child safety in gaming. Roblox, one of the largest online gaming platforms, has faced criticism and legal challenges over its protections for younger users, even as it reached a record 47.4 million concurrent players in August.
Source: PlayStation Blog