Sony has launched a new app called PlayStation Family which brings massive changes to how families enjoy gaming experiences on the PlayStation platform.
Decades after Sony debuted the PlayStation console, the company is now giving parents a digital platform where they can control and dictate how their children interact, play, and utilize their gaming machines.
Apart from parental controls, parents and legal guardians would also get significant data, which includes reports and information on their child's interactions, games, and more.
Sony PlayStation Family App Brings Parental Controls
Sony Interactive Entertainment's VP of Product Management, Cory Gasaway, shared a new blog post that provides more details about the new app.
According to Sony, there are already existing parental controls available on its consoles, including the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 series, but these are set up on the device itself. This means that for parents who want to control their child's usage, such as playing time eligibility or age restriction settings on specific titles or content, they would have to do it on the console itself and set up a parent account.
With this new development, Sony is giving parents control digitally, doing so without having to configure the console itself via the new PlayStation Family app.
Parents may now download the latest app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store and set up their parental accounts to connect to their child's console.
Sony revealed that the PlayStation Family app is compatible with iPhones featuring iOS 14 or higher and Android smartphones updated to at least version 8 or later.
PlayStation Family App on Children's Console Use
Sony has added several features to help parents take control and set up guard rails on their child's console use on the PlayStation Family app. This starts with the Guided Onboarding feature that will help them easily set up their accounts and a child account to get started.
Moreover, Sony promises that the app will share real-time notifications on what games or experiences their child is accessing on the console. They could also get notifications if their child is asking for more playtime, if they have already exceeded setup limitations, access restricted titles, and use the console and its services' communication features.
Sony is also giving parents Activity Reports, which would sum up information on their child's playtime, accessed content, and more via daily or weekly summaries.
Different management tools are also available, including playtime limits, spending caps to purchase titles or in-game currency, and content filters. They can also choose which social interactions they may use, all with a tap on their respective apps.
Originally published on Player One
