Short answer: Both consoles let you manage spending, screen time, chat, and age ratings from your phone, but only on a child account that sits in your family group. On PS5, a child's monthly spending limit starts at 0. On Xbox, turn on Ask a parent for purchases. On both, add a passcode or PIN so the settings stick.
Last verified 2026-10-01 against the official sources listed with this post.
Set up a new console before the wrapping paper comes off: make the child account, set the four basics, and lock it. Every step below comes from Microsoft's and Sony's own help pages.
Do this tonight
Xbox (Series X|S or Xbox One)
- Get the Xbox Family Settings app on your phone and sign in with your own Microsoft account.
- Add your child: tap the green Accounts icon (top right of the Family screen), then Add child → Add existing account or Create new account.
- Set ratings, chat, and screen time in the app: in Settings for your child, use Content restrictions and Social. On your child's tile, use Screen time.
- Turn on Ask to buy in the app: select your child, then under Spending, tap the Ask to buy tile and switch on Ask to buy. (Console: Ask a parent, path below.) Money already in their account, including Xbox gift cards, can be spent without asking.
- Create a PIN on the console: Profile & system → Settings → Account → Sign-in, security & PIN → Create my PIN.
PS5
- Get the PlayStation Family app and select Set Up Your Family to create your child's account.
- Pick a preset: Child, Early Teens, or Late Teens or Older, then adjust from there.
- Check the four basics: Monthly Spending Limit, Playtime Settings, Communication and User-Generated Content, and the age level for games.
- Change the console restriction passcode from the default (more below).
First, the account
The main settings below follow your child's account, not the box. A few lock settings are set on the console itself: the PS5 console restriction passcode and guest login, and Xbox's access PIN. Microsoft says to check the birthdates on your family members' accounts before you set age-based settings. PlayStation says every child needs their own child account, created with their name and date of birth.
On PlayStation, a child account can't be removed from your family, so set it up on purpose. And after you change settings on either console, have your child sign out and back in. Both companies say that's when changes take effect.
Xbox: the four settings
You can do all of this in the Xbox Family Settings app, or online at account.microsoft.com/family. To find a setting in the app, select your child's tile, then the Settings icon in the top-right corner.
Spending. In the app, Ask to Buy sends you a notification when your child asks to buy a game, app, or in-game item they don't have the funds for. To turn it on, select your child on the home screen (or Settings → your child), then under Spending, tap the Ask to buy tile and switch on the Ask to buy toggle. You can also add money to their account and review their spending history. To set it on the console: press the Xbox button, then Profile & system → Settings → Account → Family settings → Manage family members → your child → Privacy & online safety → Xbox privacy → View details & customize → Buy & download, and set Ask a parent to On.
Screen time. Select your child's tile, then Screen time → Schedule. You can choose the days, a daily time limit in 30-minute steps, and a time range such as after school only. If they ask for more, Add time now grants extra time. You can also set Xbox screen time on the web at family.microsoft.com. One gap: Microsoft says free and trial games may not require a signed-in account, so set up an access PIN and offline content limits on the console to cover those.
Chat and multiplayer. In Settings, the Social tile controls how your child can communicate with other players and whether they can follow other gamers. Separate tiles turn Multiplayer, Cross-network play (playing with people on other gaming services), and Clubs on or off. On the console, Microsoft also offers Child, Teen, and Adult defaults: Profile & system → Settings → Account → Family settings → Manage family members → your child → Privacy & online safety → Xbox privacy.
Ratings. Go to Settings → Content restrictions, and under Apply age filters, pick an age limit. Anything rated higher needs your approval.
Lock it. A 6-digit PIN keeps family members from overriding your controls. You can also require it for purchases: Profile & system → Settings → Account → Sign-in, security & PIN → Change my sign-in & security preferences. Microsoft warns that anyone who knows your Microsoft account password can reset the PIN, so keep that password to yourself.
PS5: the four settings
You can use the PlayStation Family app, the web (Account Management → Family Management), or the console. On the PS5: Settings → Family and Parental Controls → Family Management, then select your child.
Spending. Select your child, then Parental Controls → Monthly Spending Limit. Sony says the limit is 0 by default, and your child's purchases come out of the family manager's wallet. If you appoint another adult as a parent or guardian, they can change this limit too.
Screen time. Set a Time Zone first, then open Playtime Settings. You choose Restrict Playtime, the Playtime Duration and Playable Hours (for every day or specific days), and what happens at the end: Notify Only or Log Out. Your child can tap Ask for More Playtime, and you can approve or decline it from the app.
Chat. Setting Communication and User-Generated Content to Restrict turns off text messages and voice chat with other players (pre-written in-game messages still work), as well as sharing and viewing user-generated content. Your child can request an exception for a specific game, which you can allow or deny.
Ratings. Set the age level for games and apps. If your child tries to start a game rated above it, they can send you a request, and you'll get a notification and an email.
Lock it. On the PS5: Settings → Family and Parental Controls → PS5 Console Restrictions. Sony says the passcode is 0000 if you've never set one, so select Change Your Console Restriction Passcode (if you forget it, you'll have to reset the PS5). While you're there, set User Creation and Guest Login to Not Allowed, so your child can't start a fresh, unrestricted account. Sony also suggests every account on the console set a login passcode: Settings → Users and Accounts → Login Settings → Set a PS5 Login Passcode.
Our picks, by age
These are our suggestions, not the companies' rules. Start strict, then loosen up as your child shows they're ready.
Under 9
- Spending: PS5 at 0. On Xbox, Ask a parent on, and no stored balance.
- Screen time: a set schedule, ending with Log Out on PS5.
- Chat: restricted on PS5. On Xbox, start from Child defaults and keep multiplayer off.
- Ratings: PlayStation's Child preset. On Xbox, an age filter matching your child's age.
9 to 12
- Spending: a small allowance you load on purpose. On Xbox, add money in the app rather than saving a card.
- Chat: friends only, and go through the friends list together. On PS5, allow chat game by game through exception requests.
- Ratings: set to their age. Each request is a chance to talk.
13 to 17
- Spending: a monthly budget you agree on together.
- Chat: start from Teen defaults on Xbox, or Early Teens on PS5, then adjust.
- Screen time: set it together, and use Notify Only once they handle it well.
PlayStation says PlayStation VR and VR2 aren't for children under 12.
Games have their own controls, too
Sony says Roblox chat is independent of your PS5 or PS4 parental controls, and Roblox says its spending limits won't affect spending through Xbox. So set both layers: see our guides to Roblox for ages 5–8, Fortnite under 13, Minecraft (managed through your Microsoft family group), and loot boxes and in-game currency.
Our free checklist covers Xbox, PlayStation, and the games your kids play, no login needed.
Guidance, not a guarantee: settings change; check the linked help pages.
Raising Bytes is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Microsoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment, or any other company mentioned. App names are trademarks of their owners.