Start with the games your child wants to play, then choose a device whose account and parental controls fit everyone who will use it. Xbox and PlayStation offer child-account management, while Nintendo Switch restrictions apply to the shared console; tablet and computer controls have different coverage and do not automatically manage a game’s chat, cross-play or separate accounts.
A child account with the correct date of birth gives you a basis for managing age-related permissions instead of relying on an adult login. Ofcom advises checking the registered age because it can affect which features, games and content a platform restricts for younger users.
Where siblings or adults use the same console, check whether restrictions follow each person’s account or apply to the hardware. Nintendo says Switch parental restrictions apply to the console, not to individual users.
If playing with friends matters to your child, identify the game and services they will use before choosing hardware. Ofcom identifies contact with strangers and bullying behaviour among parents’ concerns about online gaming; a device time limit alone does not answer which communication settings are available.
Check game availability before comparing control systems. Then decide whether your household needs restrictions tied to each child, one shared-console setting, or broader controls for apps and websites as well as gaming.
Consider it when: The wanted games are available and everyone sharing the console can use the same baseline restrictions.
Trade-off: Nintendo says restrictions apply to the console rather than each user; some Nintendo Account family settings also need separate attention.
Consider it when: Separate, adult-managed child accounts are important to the household. Microsoft documents family-member privacy settings, while Sony documents controls tied to PlayStation child accounts.
Trade-off: The child must use the managed account. Sony also advises securing adult profiles and restricting guest access and new-user creation on a shared PlayStation.
Consider it when: The family also wants a portable, general-use device with Apple Screen Time controls for apps, websites, communications and use time.
Trade-off: The child needs their own Apple Account in Family Sharing, and Apple says available controls can vary by device, software version, region and age.
Consider it when: Family Link’s supervised app, screen-time and Chrome controls fit the child’s intended Android or Chromebook use.
Trade-off: Google says Family Link does not supervise iPads or non-Chromebook computers; check the wanted games and their own account settings separately.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Child accounts and permissions | Check for a separate child account, an adult organiser and the family-group settings available on the intended service. | If I am setting up my child’s first online account, I want permissions attached to their own login rather than mine. Around 31% of consumers would put child-account permissions first. |
| Chat and cross-play | Identify the wanted game’s platform chat, in-game chat, friend and cross-play settings; check any separate game account. | When my child plays online with friends, I need to know which contact I can manage without assuming every chat feature works alike. Communication would be the main concern for around 31% of consumers. |
| Sharing with siblings and adults | Check whether restrictions apply to the whole device or to individual accounts, and whether adult and guest access can be secured. | If children of different ages share a console, I need restrictions that still make sense when someone else signs in. For around 25% of consumers, managing the shared device would take priority. |
| Apps, websites and use time | Check the operating system and supported supervision tools, then confirm whether the intended games require additional settings. | When the device is also used for browsing and other apps, I want to manage more than gaming time. Broader device controls would come first for around 13% of consumers. |
Age-related platform restrictions may not apply as intended when a child uses an adult login or an account with an incorrect date of birth. Ofcom advises parents to check that the child is registered with their correct age.
Set up a managed child account, and check its date of birth and applicable account-region requirements before adding games or services.
Nintendo says Switch parental restrictions apply to the whole console. A setting chosen for an older player therefore also affects younger users of that console.
List the regular users before choosing a shared Switch. If their permissions need to differ substantially, consider a platform with documented account-level child management.
Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link address particular device and account functions, but a game or platform can have its own communication settings. Google also identifies limits to Family Link supervision outside supported Android devices and Chromebooks.
For each wanted online game, check its account, friends, cross-play and voice or text-chat settings alongside the device controls.
Sony warns that a child may be able to avoid their account restrictions if unrestricted users or guest access remain available on the console.
Protect adult profiles with login passcodes and review console restrictions on guest access and new-user creation before the child starts using it.
These control systems are useful points of reference when comparing devices; the account setup and supported features matter more than the brand name alone.
Switch and Switch 2 are shared-console options with console controls, a parental-controls app and separate Nintendo Account family settings.
A Microsoft family group provides an account-based route for managing a child’s Xbox privacy and online-safety settings.
PlayStation uses child-account controls for PS4 and PS5, with family management available through Sony’s account and console tools.
An iPad can be managed through Screen Time and Family Sharing when the child has their own Apple Account.
Family Link is a supervision route for eligible Android devices and Chromebooks using a child Google Account.
These Joybuy choices are games consoles. Compare their family-account arrangements with the games your child wants to play; the tablets and computers discussed above serve different household needs.
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Consider this PS5 if the child’s wanted games are available on it and you want Sony’s child-account controls for a shared household.
This is the Disc Edition, Slim variant. Sony documents controls for communication, privacy and playtime; use a managed child account, protect adult profiles and review guest and new-user access.
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Consider this console if the wanted games are available on Xbox Series X and a Microsoft family organiser will manage the child’s account.
The listed variant is black with 1TB in its product name. Microsoft documents family-member privacy and online-safety settings; check the child’s game-specific chat and cross-play options as well.
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Consider this shared-console route if the child’s wanted games are available on Switch 2 and everyone using it can accept the same baseline restrictions.
Nintendo says parental restrictions apply to the whole console, not separately to each user. Set them with the youngest regular player in mind and review the relevant Nintendo Account family settings too.
No. Device, operating-system, platform-account and game settings can cover different functions. Nintendo, for instance, separates some console and app restrictions from Nintendo Account family settings, so check each layer used by the games and communication services your child wants.
Use a separate, correctly aged child account where the chosen platform supports one. Ofcom advises checking the registered age because platforms can restrict features, games and content for younger users; an adult login may not apply the child settings you intend.
Not through the console-wide Switch parental restrictions: Nintendo says they apply to the console rather than each user. If siblings need substantially different permissions, weigh that shared baseline against a platform with account-specific child management.
Secure the other ways to access the console as well as configuring the child account. Sony advises protecting adult profiles with login passcodes and setting console restrictions on guest login and new-user creation.
No. Google says Family Link supervision covers supported Android devices and Chromebooks, not other computers. Google also warns that its Chrome controls on Windows, Mac and Linux may not apply if a child signs out, changes profile or uses another browser; check the computer and game services separately.