Parental controls on consoles and in Fortnite: a practical guide

When a child gets their first console or creates their first Fortnite account, parents tend to ask the same questions: how long will they play, who will they talk to, will they spend money by accident and are the games right for their age. The good news is that the manufacturers themselves offer free tools to handle all of this, and many of them can be adjusted from a parent's phone.

This guide summarizes what each tool does, based on the official pages from Nintendo, PlayStation, Xbox and Epic Games. Menu names may change with updates, so the links are at the end. For game age ratings in Brazil, we have a separate article on the rating system.

First of all: one account per person

Every tool works best when each child has their own account, linked to an adult's account as a family member. That's how the console knows the age of whoever is playing, which limits to apply and whom to ask for permission. Avoid letting the child play on the adult's account: no limits apply there, and the credit card is usually saved.

Nintendo Switch and Switch 2

Nintendo splits controls across three places. On the console itself, you can restrict games by age rating and limit free communication with others. The free Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app, for iOS and Android, has those same settings plus some that exist only there, such as playtime limits and the activity report. Purchase restrictions on the Nintendo eShop are set through the parent's Nintendo Account.

• Playtime: a daily limit, with a bedtime and a morning start time. When time runs out, the parent chooses between just showing a notice or suspending the game; in the app, you can also extend by 5, 15 or 30 minutes or turn off the limit for the day.
• Suspend software: the console goes to sleep immediately and only works again when the restriction is lifted or the day's period ends. Usually the child picks up where they left off.
• Age rating: there are presets for young child, child and teen, plus a custom option.
• GameChat on Switch 2: users under 16 and supervised users can only use the chat feature after the app is linked and the extra controls are set up. Parents can approve friends and each video session and see who the child talked to and for how long.
• PIN: a 4-digit PIN chosen during setup is needed to bypass or change restrictions, and also to reset the console or delete a user.

PlayStation 5

On PS5, controls live in Family Management and can be adjusted on the console, in the PlayStation Family app or on the account management website. The family manager, or a guardian they appoint, approves exception requests, for example to unlock a blocked game.

• Age of games and apps: the child can only open content rated the same as or lower than their age.
• Playtime: a daily control, with the option to change the allowed time just for today.
• Spending limit: a monthly cap on PlayStation Store purchases, paid from the family manager's wallet. According to PlayStation, the limit starts at zero.
• Communication and content created by other players: the restrict option blocks text and voice chat, sharing what the child creates and viewing other players' content. Pre-written in-game messages remain allowed.
• Web browser: can be restricted, and the presets for children and early teens come with this restriction already on.

Xbox

On Xbox, everything centers on the free Xbox Family Settings app, for Android and iOS, which lets you change settings from anywhere, even away from the console. In a December 2025 post, Xbox Wire summed up the features like this:

• Screen time: a daily limit. The child can ask for more time, and the parent approves or rejects it in the app; you can also pause gaming temporarily.
• Content filters: block games rated too mature and the option to keep the child to approved content only.
• Spending: the ask-to-buy feature requires the parent's approval for each purchase. You can also add funds to the child's account.
• Friends and chat: the parent manages the friend list, reviews friend requests and can limit communication to friends only or block it.
• Reports: a weekly summary shows what the child played, for how long and any requests for more time or new games.

Fortnite and the Epic Games account

In Fortnite, there's an extra layer, because the Epic account works on any device. Since December 2022, Epic asks for a date of birth at login. Anyone who says they are under 13, or under their country's age of digital consent if that is higher, gets a restricted account, which Epic calls a cabined account, where features such as chat and purchasing are turned off. Players keep what they had already bought or earned.

The parent receives an email with links to review Epic's privacy practices, consent to extra features, set up parental controls and verify they are an adult. After consent, the account is no longer restricted and follows the controls the parent chose. Epic also changed the defaults for under-18 players who hadn't given their age before: chat with nobody, hidden profile, invite-only parties and personalized recommendations off; for under-16s, the mature language filter is on.

Console controls and Epic account controls add up. If the child plays Fortnite on PS5, for example, it's worth adjusting both.

How to build a setup that works

• Talk before setting things up. Agreeing on the rules with the child, explaining the reason for each, works better than having them discover the blocks mid-match.
• Start with spending. A zero limit or approval for every purchase prevents the most common surprise: the credit card bill.
• Set communication by age. For younger kids, chat off or only with approved friends; for older ones, open it up gradually.
• Use time limits with a warning before the cutoff. Interrupting an online match can hurt the team, so give a few minutes of slack or prefer the notice over immediate suspension.
• Keep your PIN and account password safe and don't use easy-to-guess dates.
• Look at the weekly reports together with the child. They help you talk about what they're playing without feeling like surveillance.
• Review everything from time to time. Needs change with age, and manufacturers add features with updates.

Tools don't replace conversation

No filter is perfect, and curious kids often find loopholes. That's why the most important thing is that they know they can tell an adult when something strange happens in a game, such as a stranger asking for photos, personal details or passwords, or offering free items. Show them how to block and report a player and make it clear they won't be punished for speaking up.