In today’s interconnected world, kids have more access to digital spaces than ever. We know that healthy gaming habits are a top priority for many families, especially for those with young gamers. A recent report from the Family Online Safety Institute found that parents are more likely to use parental controls on tablets and smartphones than on any other device. We have also heard from parents that it’s not always easy to be informed and involved with their kids’ gaming experiences. To further support families and customize rich gameplay experiences, I’m proud to announce the launch of the PlayStation Family app as the next step in our journey to improve and evolve family experiences on PlayStation. This builds upon the existing tools we currently offer on the PS4 and PS5 console to make play safer for gamers of all ages.
What to Expect
The PlayStation Family app is available on the App Store and Google Play
Play comes in all shapes and sizes. We’re building upon our current parental controls available on PlayStation consoles to help all families feel more connected and confident in managing the settings that work best for their family, and supporting their children’s healthy play. Giving parents tools to manage gameplay isn’t just about setting limits, it’s about opening up dialogue, building trust, and helping families get the most out of their gaming experiences together.
With our new app, parents have simple tools at their fingertips that they can navigate with ease. I’m especially proud of new features like the activity dashboard, an app-only feature that shows your child’s weekly playtime in a simple interface. Through this and other updated features and customization options, including a new app-only Playing Now feature, we’re offering ways for parents to manage and understand what is important to their children. It doesn’t end here. We’ll continue to expand our efforts with additional PlayStation Family app enhancements and updates that will help kids thrive through play.
The app launch highlights how we continue to evolve our approach by taking our online safety commitment beyond the console. We see it as an opportunity to grow alongside our players, with tools and features that adapt to individual family needs.
Prioritizing Safer Experiences for Families
The PlayStation Family app is just one of several new initiatives we’re working on to further build trust, make tools more accessible and intuitive, and create a long-term entertainment experience our consumers can rely on.
“When children and parents play together, openly with patience and understanding, it builds a healthy relationship where gameplay is a collaborative family experience. Tools you can tailor to your family, like the PlayStation Family app, supercharge this gaming dialogue and empower parents to make informed choices rather than just lock everything down,” says Andy Robertson, video game journalist and author of Taming Gaming1.
The app joins pilot initiatives like our Nudge feature and a joint program with Save the Children Sweden, which reinforces our long-term commitment to fostering positive, protected experiences for players. Every initiative we undertake is grounded in our three safety pillars: Control Your Experience, Shield Our Players, and Enforce Our Standards. We believe that creating safer online spaces means not only setting clear standards for player behavior but also empowering them to reflect on their actions and access support early on. We are grateful for our players who share our values and work with us to create a welcoming online community.
Online safety includes opening the conversation and teaching families how to participate in an evolving online community safely and confidently. By supporting players with empowering tools such as the PlayStation Family app and other online safety tools, we allow our players to create meaningful family engagement and build a safer online world. At Sony Interactive, we are committed to the safety of our players and will continue to invest in parent and family experiences to ensure all players are supported with positive play experiences.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source sonyinteractive.com ’
