Choose a games console if your priority is a game-focused device with family controls for content, spending, communication and play time. Choose a tablet if you also need to manage apps, web access and wider device use. Either way, check the child-account set-up and each intended game’s PEGI information, online features and purchase settings before relying on the controls.
If unsuitable games, downloads or unapproved purchases are the main concern, look at how the child account restricts content and how the relevant store handles approvals. A game’s own purchasing options need checking too.
If messages, strangers or multiplayer access matter most, check child-specific communication permissions alongside the intended game’s chat and friend settings. Ofcom identifies contact with strangers and bullying as concerns for parents of children who game.
If daily schedules or activity information would help you apply household rules, check whether limits work on the device itself, require a parent app or extend across devices.
Choose when: The device is mainly for games and you want to manage a child’s access through the console platform’s family controls.
Allow for: Account and app requirements differ by platform; Nintendo says its Switch 2 console restrictions apply to everyone using that console.
Choose when: Gaming is only part of the child’s use and you also need controls for apps, web content and device time.
Allow for: Apple and Google child-device controls need the appropriate family or supervised account, while store purchase approvals may not cover other payment routes.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Age-appropriate content | Check child-account restrictions on the exact device and the intended game’s PEGI age rating and descriptors. A stricter setting may require a parent to approve an exception. | I want to review games before my child can open or download them, rather than rely on a device setting alone. Content suitability would be the primary concern for around 33% of consumers. |
| Purchases and in-game spending | Check store approvals, account credit and the game’s payment routes; an approval setting may not cover every route. | If a game offers purchases, I want to know which ones need my approval before my child can make them. Roughly 27% of consumers would put spending safeguards first. |
| Chat and multiplayer | Check child-account permissions for messages, friends and multiplayer, then inspect the game’s own communication settings. | I want my child to play with known friends without leaving unwanted contact open. For about 20% of consumers, communication controls would be the main priority. |
| Play time and wider device use | Check schedules, activity views and whether limits require a parent app or supervised account. Confirm whether they cover one device or broader app use. | Our household needs a repeatable routine, not just a block on unsuitable games. Play-time or wider device-use controls would come first for approximately 20% of consumers. |
Game-specific chat, friend systems and purchases can need separate attention. PEGI descriptors help assess a game but do not set its platform permissions.
Check the game listing, its PEGI information, the child account and any game-specific settings together.
Nintendo says Switch 2 parental restrictions apply to the console, so they affect everyone who uses it.
For a shared Nintendo console, set console restrictions with the youngest user in mind and check Nintendo Account settings for separate account restrictions.
Microsoft says an Xbox child account can use gift cards or money already in the account. Google Play approvals apply only to Google Play billing.
Review account balances, payment methods, store approvals and the intended game’s purchase routes.
Nintendo says certain games require Nintendo Switch Online. Sony says most PS4 and PS5 online multiplayer games require PlayStation Plus, with exceptions.
Check the intended game’s online-play requirements and the child account’s permissions before choosing a console or bundle.
Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch offer console restrictions alongside controls managed through the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app.
PlayStation family settings use a parent account and child family member, with mobile management through the PlayStation Family app.
Xbox family settings use Microsoft family-group accounts for content, screen-time, social and multiplayer controls.
On iPad, Family Sharing and Screen Time support controls beyond gaming, including apps, content and communication.
A supervised Google Account and Family Link can support app, screen-time and content controls on relevant Android tablets and Chromebooks.
These consoles suit families considering an Xbox or PlayStation child-account set-up. Compare the required account controls and the games your child intends to use; tablet controls serve a different, broader device-use need.
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Consider this Xbox console if you plan to set up a child in a Microsoft family group and want to check content, social, multiplayer and screen-time settings through Xbox family controls.
The 1TB Digital Edition is a digital-only choice; check that your intended games and access method suit it. Microsoft says purchase approval does not prevent spending from gift cards or existing child-account funds.
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Consider this Xbox console if Microsoft family-group controls match the content, communication and play-time rules you want for a child account.
The named configuration has 1TB storage. If physical games matter to your household, confirm the exact console configuration before buying. Check the intended games’ online requirements separately.
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Consider this PlayStation console if you want to manage a child family member’s age restrictions, play time, spending and messaging through PlayStation family settings.
Set up a parent account and child family member, and check that the PlayStation Family app works with the parent’s device. This Digital Edition calls for a check that your intended game-access method suits the household.
Set up the appropriate child account before relying on them. Sony requires a PlayStation family with a child member; Apple’s full child-device set-up uses Family Sharing and the child’s Apple Account; Google’s remote controls require a supervised Google Account. Nintendo offers some console settings, with further options in its smart-device app.
That depends on the game and platform, rather than the family-control setting alone. Nintendo says certain games require Nintendo Switch Online; Sony says most PS4 and PS5 online multiplayer games require PlayStation Plus, with exceptions; Xbox says multiplayer for free-to-play games is open to every Xbox player. Check the intended game’s listing.
A PEGI age rating does not replace checking a game’s interactive features. PEGI also provides descriptors, and its criteria for games newly submitted from June 2026 include communication features and types of in-game purchase. Read the current listing, then set purchase and communication permissions separately.
No single approval setting should be treated as covering every payment route. Microsoft says Xbox child accounts can use gift cards or existing account funds, while Google Play approvals cover only Google Play billing. Check balances, payment methods and the game’s own purchasing options.
No: check the exact console and the child-account requirements. Ofcom notes that devices offer different controls, and Nintendo describes Switch 2 GameChat requirements that need particular attention for children under 16 and supervised users.