Nintendo Switch: the parent’s guide

Nintendo Switch parental controls are run mostly from a phone. Install the free Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app, link it to your Nintendo Switch 2 or Nintendo Switch, and you can set a daily play-time limit, a bedtime, age ratings and communication restrictions. On Switch 2 the same app controls GameChat: a child under 16 can only voice or video chat with friends you have approved, and every video chat needs your OK. Two things catch parents out. Most settings apply to the whole console rather than to each child, and a play-time limit only shows an on-screen alarm unless you also turn on Suspend Software.

Set up the Parental Controls app

Download Nintendo Switch Parental Controls (iOS 16 or Android 8 and later) and follow the app’s directions to link it to your console and your Nintendo Account. You need a Nintendo Account for an adult aged 18 or over. During setup you choose a PIN of 4 to 8 digits, which is needed whenever a restriction is bypassed or changed. Two parents or guardians in the same Nintendo Account family group can share the controls, and one phone can manage up to eight consoles.

Game ratings and in-game communication can also be restricted on the console itself. Play-time limits, bedtime, the record of what was played, and GameChat controls are app-only.

What you can control

• Play-time limit and bedtime — a daily limit plus a bedtime and morning start time. By default an alarm pops up on screen when time is up; turn on Suspend Software if you want the game to actually stop.
• Restricted software — blocks games above an age rating, using the Child, Pre-Teen or Teen preset or your own settings. You can exempt specific games.
• Communicating with others — limits exchanging messages and images and sharing or viewing user-generated content, for all games or game by game.
• GameChat (Switch 2 only) — for children under 16 and supervised accounts, approve which friends they can chat with, approve each video chat, set the camera view, and review chat history.
• Posting to social media (original Switch only) — restrict sharing screenshots and videos to social networks. Switch 2 cannot post to social media directly, so the restriction only appears on the original Switch.
• VR mode (original Switch only) — Nintendo says to restrict it if children aged six or under use the system.
• Nintendo eShop spending — set per child in your Nintendo Account at accounts.nintendo.com, which the app links to directly.

Preset restriction levels

• Child: blocks games rated for ages 8+ (ESRB Everyone 10+, Teen and Mature); restricts communication, social posting and VR mode.
• Pre-Teen: blocks games rated for ages 13+ (ESRB Teen and Mature); restricts communication and social posting.
• Teen: blocks games rated for ages 17+ (ESRB Mature); communication not restricted.

Every preset can be customized. A parent can override a blocked game with the PIN, or add a game to an allowed list so the age restriction skips it.

Play time: alarm or suspend

Out of the box, reaching the daily limit shows an alarm on screen, and the app tells you if the console stays on past the limit. For a hard stop, turn on Suspend Software: the console goes into sleep mode straight away and cannot be played again until you lift the restriction or the daily period has passed. Players can usually resume from the same spot afterwards.

When the limit is reached you can extend it by 5, 15 or 30 minutes or an hour, or switch it off for the day. You can also set a bedtime and morning start time, for example no gaming from 9 p.m. until 8 a.m. The app shows daily play time per user and a monthly summary of the most-played games, and can notify you when new games are downloaded.

GameChat on Nintendo Switch 2

GameChat is built into Nintendo Switch 2. Up to 12 people can voice chat, and up to four can share their game screen or video chat at once, even while playing different games. Video needs a compatible USB-C camera, and GameChat needs a Nintendo Switch Online membership.

For players under 16 and anyone with a supervised account, GameChat stays off until a parent sets it up in the Parental Controls app, separately for each child. Once set up:

• Who they can chat with: GameChat only works with people on the friend list, and a child under 16 can only chat with friends you have approved. Requests come to your app; Nintendo suggests asking how your child knows the friend, and you can add a note.
• Video and camera: each time a child under 16 starts a video chat, a request goes to your app, and the chat only goes ahead if you approve it. When you approve camera use you set how much of the camera feed others see: face only, body only, or no filter.
• Phone verification: GameChat setup needs text-message verification, and for younger players the parent’s phone number on the account is used.
• Chat history: the app’s Play Activity and Monthly Summary show who your child chatted with, for how long, and the camera view setting used.
• Reporting: players can report anyone who made them uncomfortable or harassed them in a chat; Nintendo may suspend the reported account.

Voice chat through the Nintendo Switch App

GameChat is not the only way to talk. The separate Nintendo Switch App for phones can be used with Nintendo Switch for voice chat in supported games, by players 13 and older. Nintendo’s Parental Controls app does not manage the Nintendo Switch App; Nintendo says to use your phone’s own settings for it. See our iPhone & iPad and Android guides.

Child accounts and family groups

Nintendo Accounts for children can be created for ages 0 through 17 and sit in your Nintendo Account family group. Accounts for children covered by parental consent laws are set up automatically as supervised accounts, and a child under 13 cannot have an email address on their account. Nintendo eShop purchase restrictions, and some other per-child restrictions, are set on the child’s account through your Nintendo Account settings, not on the console.

Honest limits

• Most controls, including the play-time limit, apply to everyone who uses the console. Nintendo’s advice is to set them with the youngest player in mind. eShop and GameChat controls are the per-child exceptions.
• A play-time limit is only an alarm until you turn on Suspend Software.
• Voice chat through the Nintendo Switch App on a phone sits outside the Parental Controls app.
• Games that do not ask the player to pick a user show combined play time for everyone.
• Moving to Switch 2 with System Transfer can carry your Parental Controls settings across as they are.