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Freedom251 › Blog › child accounts

How to Restrict Mature Games and In-Game Purchases on PlayStation and Xbox

By Freedom251 Team · · 10 min read

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The reliable way to block mature games and control V-Bucks, add-ons, and other in-game purchases is to use a child account inside the platform’s family system. Set the child’s allowed game or app age below the mature rating, configure spending separately (zero, a small limit, or approval-based where offered), then test the child account. Console-wide settings are easier to bypass when a child can use an adult account.

PlayStation and Xbox both provide age filters and purchase controls, but the menu names and approval features differ by platform, region, and firmware. The steps below identify the current control areas and explain what to verify after saving them.

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What the controls actually do

Two independent decisions are involved:

  • Content access: which games and apps the child may launch or obtain, based on an age or content level.
  • Money access: whether the child can buy games, downloadable content, subscriptions, virtual currency, or other items inside a game.

A game can be suitable under your chosen age level and still contain optional purchases. Conversely, a mature-rated game may be blocked even when the account has no payment method. Set both controls; an age filter is not a substitute for a spending limit.

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Prepare the family account before changing limits

Use a child account, not an adult profile

Create or add the child as a supervised member of the platform family. Restrictions attached to a child account follow that account when it signs in on the console. If the child plays through an adult profile, the platform treats the session as the adult’s session and the child-level limits may not apply.

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Make the parent the family manager

The adult who controls the settings must be the family manager (PlayStation) or the organizer of the Microsoft family group (Xbox). Keep the manager account protected by its own passcode and do not share that credential with the child.

Update the console and identify the local rating system

Parental-control labels can change with firmware and region. Install pending system updates, then look for the wording described below. In the Americas, PlayStation documents its game-age controls against ESRB ratings; other regions may display a different rating scale. Xbox presents an age-appropriate setting for apps and games. Use the labels shown on your own console when selecting the level.

PlayStation: block mature games and control purchases

1. Add or select the child in Family Management

  1. Sign in with the family-manager account on the PlayStation console or through PlayStation’s web-based Family Management.
  2. Open Family Management and select the child’s account. The PlayStation App and PlayStation Family app can also expose family controls, although the exact path varies by region and firmware.
  3. Confirm that the child is using this account on the console. If multiple profiles exist, sign out of the adult profile before testing.

PlayStation allows up to seven accounts in one family, including the family manager. Each child can have separate permissions, so changing one child’s profile does not automatically change another’s.

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2. Set the game age level below mature

  1. With the child selected in Family Management, open the game-content controls.
  2. Set Age Level for Games to a level below the mature threshold. In the Americas, PlayStation’s documented ESRB mapping places M (Mature) at level 9; selecting a lower level excludes M-rated content.
  3. Review the related controls for communication and user-generated content. A game may be age-appropriate yet include voice chat, messaging, or player-created material that you do not want enabled.
  4. Save the setting, then allow the console a moment to synchronize the child profile.

The menu wording can differ between PS4 and PS5 software and by country. If you do not see the exact phrase “Age Level for Games,” open the child’s content or parental-control section and choose the equivalent age setting.

3. Set a monthly spending limit

  1. In the same child profile, open Monthly Spending Limit.
  2. Enter the maximum amount the child may spend during the month. Set it to 0 to block spending, or choose a small amount if you want a defined allowance.
  3. Save the limit and check the displayed balance or allowance in the PlayStation Family app.

Sony describes the PlayStation Family app as a place to add funds, view balances, set a monthly limit, and respond to requests for access to restricted games. The limit applies to the child account; it does not remove the family manager’s ability to buy content on the adult account.

4. Use requests when you want approval instead of an open allowance

When a child asks for access to a restricted game, the PlayStation Family app can present the request to the family manager. Review the title and decide whether to approve that request. PlayStation’s product copy summarizes the control model as “You have the final say – anytime, anywhere.” Approval of one request should not be treated as a permanent change to the child’s age level; check what the approval changes on your account before accepting it.

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5. Test the child account

  1. Sign out of the adult profile and sign in as the child.
  2. Try to find an M-rated title in the PlayStation Store and try to launch any mature game already installed on the console.
  3. Open a game with optional purchases and attempt to reach its purchase screen.
  4. Confirm that the age restriction appears and that a purchase is blocked, limited by the amount you set, or routed into an approval request.
  5. Switch back to the manager account and verify that any request or notification appears in the Family app.

Age filters can affect both access to installed games and the ability to obtain new content, but the behavior can depend on account state and platform software. Testing both an installed title and a new-store acquisition reveals whether your particular setup enforces both paths.

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Xbox: set age limits and require purchase approval

1. Add the child to your Microsoft family group

  1. Add the child’s Microsoft account to the family group and make sure the child signs in with that account on the Xbox console.
  2. Open the Xbox Family Settings app on the parent’s device. Availability and labels can vary by country.
  3. Select the child’s profile so that changes are applied to the supervised account rather than to the organizer.

2. Choose the allowed age for apps and games

  1. In Xbox Family Settings, open the child’s content or app-and-game access control.
  2. Choose the age-appropriate level you want the child to use. The setting determines which apps and games the child may access; select a level below the rating of titles you want to block.
  3. Save the change and allow the console to synchronize.

Xbox also exposes related controls on the console at Settings > Privacy and online safety. The exact labels can change, so follow the age or content option shown for the child account rather than relying on an older screenshot or guide.

3. Configure spending and purchase permissions

  1. In the Xbox Family Settings app, open the child’s spending or purchase-permission controls.
  2. Choose the strictest option that matches your household: block spending, allow a defined amount, or require the organizer’s approval when the option is presented.
  3. Save the setting and check that the child account, not the adult organizer account, is selected.

The Xbox Family Settings workflow is the place to manage spending controls and approval behavior. Xbox’s console privacy-and-online-safety menus handle the broader account restrictions, while the family app is the practical place to review child permissions.

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4. Test both installed games and new purchases

  1. Sign in on Xbox with the child account only.
  2. Attempt to launch an installed game above the selected age level.
  3. Search the store for a game or add-on above the allowed age and try to acquire it.
  4. Open an in-game store and attempt to buy virtual currency or another item.
  5. Confirm that the child receives a block, a permission prompt, or an approval request rather than an immediate completed purchase.

Age filters may govern launching installed games, acquiring new content, or both, depending on the account and platform state. Testing all three actions is the only dependable way to confirm what your current console enforces.

5. Check Xbox support guidance when a label is missing

Xbox maintains separate support guidance for blocking inappropriate content, restricting access when nobody is signed in, child-account safety, and online-safety and privacy settings. Those pages are JavaScript-driven and can be regional, so verify the current wording on the console or on the support site for your country before changing a setting that is not obvious in the app.

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PlayStation and Xbox compared

Control area PlayStation Xbox
Age-rating control Family Management includes Age Level for Games. In the Americas, PlayStation maps ESRB ratings and documents M (Mature) as level 9. Xbox Family Settings provides an age-appropriate setting for apps and games.
Purchase control A child Monthly Spending Limit can be set to zero or another amount; the PlayStation Family app supports access requests. Xbox Family Settings provides spending controls and purchase permissions, including approval workflows where available.
Where settings live Family Management on the web or console, plus PlayStation App and PlayStation Family app workflows. Xbox Family Settings app and the console path Settings > Privacy and online safety.
Exceptions and notifications The Family app can show requests for restricted games and provide real-time notifications for the family manager. Approval behavior is managed through Family Settings when the feature is available for the account and region.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Support on Ko-Fi

How to handle common household scenarios

You want mature games completely blocked

Use a child account, set the game or app age level below the mature rating, and set spending to zero. Test an installed mature title as well as a store listing. If the child can still launch the title, check that the console is signed in with the child profile and that the adult account is not being used for automatic sign-in.

You allow games but want no V-Bucks or other virtual currency

Keep the game-age setting at the level you consider appropriate, then set the child’s spending control to zero or require approval. This matters because age suitability and purchase capability are separate settings. Test an in-game purchase screen after saving; a successful test purchase means the spending control was applied to the wrong account or was not synchronized.

You want a small, controlled allowance

On PlayStation, enter the amount in the child’s Monthly Spending Limit. On Xbox, use the child’s spending control in Family Settings and select the permitted amount if your version offers a cap. Explain whether the amount is an allowance or an approval threshold, and review the account after the child attempts a purchase.

You want to approve individual exceptions

Leave the child’s normal age level below the mature rating and use the request workflow for a specific title. On PlayStation, review restricted-game requests in the PlayStation Family app. On Xbox, use the purchase or access approval option shown in Xbox Family Settings. Do not raise the permanent age level just to allow one game unless you intend to allow other titles in that range as well.

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Troubleshooting when a restriction appears not to work

The child can still play a mature game

  • Verify that the game was launched under the child account, not an adult account left signed in.
  • Reopen the child profile and confirm the age level saved successfully.
  • Restart the console or sign out and back in so the latest family settings synchronize.
  • Test another mature title. A single title may have different account or platform behavior, especially if it was installed or accessed before the setting changed.

A purchase still goes through

  • Check the spending control on the child profile, not the organizer’s profile.
  • On PlayStation, review the Monthly Spending Limit and the balance shown in the Family app.
  • On Xbox, revisit the child’s spending and purchase-permission controls in Family Settings.
  • Attempt the test while signed in only as the child. If an adult approval prompt appears, verify whether the transaction is waiting for approval or has already completed.

The menu names do not match

Firmware, console generation, and region can change the wording. On PlayStation, look under Family Management for the child’s game-age, communication, user-generated-content, and spending controls. On Xbox, start in Xbox Family Settings and then check Settings > Privacy and online safety on the console. Use the current labels presented for your account instead of following a menu path from a different region.

The child receives no request notification

Confirm that the child is in the correct family group and that the manager is signed in to the Family app. Check the app’s notification permissions and open the request list manually. PlayStation explicitly supports notifications and restricted-game requests; Xbox approval availability can depend on the account, region, and current Family Settings version.

Maintain the controls after setup

  • Recheck after updates: console firmware can move controls or change labels.
  • Review new accounts: a newly added adult profile can bypass child restrictions if it is used for play.
  • Inspect both dimensions: whenever you approve a game, consider its age rating and its in-game-purchase capability separately.
  • Repeat the test: launch a blocked title, view a store listing, and open an in-game purchase screen after major account or console changes.
  • Keep the manager credential private: anyone who can use the family-manager account can change the limits.

With a properly supervised child account, an age level below the mature threshold, and an independent spending rule, both platforms can prevent routine access to mature games and stop unapproved in-game purchases. The final check should always be performed on the child account itself, because regional settings, firmware, and whether content is already installed can change the result.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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