How to Create a Child Account on PS5

Introduction

Tired of your kids buying things on the PlayStation Store without your permission, sitting in front of the PS5 for hours on end, or playing or watching content on the console that they shouldn’t be without your permission? Creating separate accounts for your kids who will be using your PlayStation 5 lets you manage the amount of time they can play, manage purchases and spending, manage access to specific games, videos and applications, disable communication methods, and more. The only caveat is that it’s a bit time consuming to set up. Examples of all instructions in the steps can be seen in the YouTube video below.

Steps to Create a Child Account on PS5

1. Open a web browser and navigate to PlayStation.com/acct/family. Log into your PlayStation account if prompted. You’ll land on the Sony PlayStation Family Management page.
2. Click “Set Up Now.” The Add a Family Member dialog box is displayed.
3. Click “Add a Child.” The Add a Child dialog box is shown.
4. Enter the date of birth information for the child, and then click “Next.” A Parent Guardian Verification dialog box is displayed, letting you know that moving forward will result in a $.50 charge to your chosen payment method that will be refunded back to your PlayStation wallet. Click “Next.” A screen displaying your current payment method is displayed. Click “Verify.” A screen is displayed letting you know the charge was successful. Click “OK.” The Add a Child window is shown.
5. Enter the email address you want to be associated with your child’s sign-in ID, and then enter the password twice. Click “Next.” The next window asks if you’re alright with Sony collecting information about you based on your PlayStation usage to improve your experience.
6. Click “Confirm.” The next screen lets you know that Sony will receive some personal information from your child’s account, and what you’ll be able to change about their account.
7. Click “Confirm” to agree. The Parental Controls screen is shown, where you can change the age level for games, Blu-ray and DVDs, whether they can use PlayStation VR, and web browsing.
8. Click “Confirm.” The next screen will let you choose whether or not your child can use communication features and see user-generated content, set an age filter for online content, and set a monthly spending limit.
9. Set this information and then click “Confirm.” The next screen prompts you to set your time zone.
10. Set your time zone and then click “Confirm.” A Playtime Settings screen is displayed, where you can choose to set what hours and on what days your child can use the console. Set this information and then click “Confirm.”
11. The next screen asks you agree to the Sony terms of service associated with adding a child to your PlayStation Network family account. Click “Agree and Add to Family.” The final screen confirms that your PlayStation Network child account has been successfully created.
12. Click “OK.” You’ll return to the Family Management screen where you’ll see your newly created child account displayed.
13. Now you need to turn on your PS5, click your profile icon on the home screen to open a drop-down menu, and then choose “Switch User” in the menu. The Switch User screen is displayed.
14. Click “Add User” on this screen. Another Add User screen is shown.
15. Click “Get Started” in the section to add a user to this PS5. Agree to the terms of service shown on the following screen. A Sign In screen is displayed.
16. Enter the email address and password associated with the child account you want to add, and then click “Sign In.” A message to update your account is shown. Click “Next.”
17. Enter the first and last name associated with your child, and then click “Next.” Enter your location information on the next screen and then click “Next.” Choose an avatar associated with the child account on the next screen. The Online ID screen will be displayed.
18. Enter an Online ID and then click “Next” after you find an available ID. The next screen prompts you to choose a profile type for this account.
19. In this example I’ll choose “Solo and Focused” for this child account’s privacy settings. An overview screen for your privacy configuration is shown.
20. Click “Review and Customize.” Review and adjust your child’s settings over the next couple of screens. You’ll land on a screen informing you that you need to verify your child’s email account before you can shop at the PlayStation Store and use online multiplayer. Keep this screen open.
21. On a separate device, open your child’s email account, locate the email from PlayStation with a subject line that reads Account Creation Confirmation, and then click “Verify Now” in that message. A window appears with a message that your child’s PlayStation Network account has been successfully verified.
22. After verifying your account, click “Already Verified” on your PS5.

Going forward when you turn on your PS5 you’ll see your child account available to log into automatically.