Sony rolls out new ‘PlayStation Family’ parental controls app

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced the release of a new parental control application, named "PlayStation Family," available on both iOS and Android platforms. This app introduces a comprehensive suite of tools designed to help parents oversee their children's gaming activities on the console more efficiently. The "PlayStation Family" app centralizes various parental controls that were previously scattered across the system. With this new tool, parents can receive real-time notifications about the games their children are playing, as well as the ability to approve or decline requests for additional gaming time or access to restricted titles. Furthermore, the app allows users to set specific time limits for gameplay on a daily basis. Daily and weekly reports provide insights into how much time children spend on the console and highlight their most frequently played games. The content filtering options enable parents to enforce age-appropriate content, with preset recommendations tailored to different age groups, all of which can be customized for each child. Additionally, the app includes features to manage privacy settings and social interactions. Parents can control their children's spending habits by adding funds, checking balances, and establishing monthly spending limits. This new release aligns with a growing industry focus on enhancing child safety within gaming environments. In light of recent concerns regarding child safety on gaming platforms, particularly following criticisms aimed at Roblox for its protective measures, this app's launch reflects a proactive approach by Sony. Roblox has since responded to these issues by improving its age-estimation technology and collaborating with the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) to provide better age and content ratings for the games available on its platform.