If you are the parent of a child who owns a Nintendo Switch, then here’s some good news: this console has some of the most popular family-friendly games on the market — Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Pokemon: Let’s Go. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of games with more mature ratings, like Doom and Dark Souls. Not to mention games like Fortnite or Diablo III that aren’t explicitly adult in nature, but do allow players to communicate with strangers online.
But fear not; the Switch does come with parental controls, and here’s how you can set them up.
How to Set Up Parental Controls on the Nintendo Switch
- From the Switch home screen, go down to the right and select System Settings.
- Go down and select Parental Controls.
>>You’ll have the option to watch a video explaining Switch Parental Controls.
>>Go to Parental Control Settings.
>>You can select Use Your Smart Device to handle the settings remotely (see below). - Go to Use This Console.
- Go to Restriction Level.
>>You can select the level of restriction on the console’s settings based on your child’s age range (Teen, Pre-Teen, or Child).
Alternatively, you can alter each of the settings yourself by selecting Custom Settings.
- Go to Restricted Software.
>>Select the rating of the games (i.e. ages 10+, ages 17+) you want your kids playing. - Go to Software Rating Organization.
>>Select which country or region’s (i.e. USA/Canada) game rating organization you want to use. - Go to Posting Screenshots/Videos to Social Media and select Restricted or Not Restricted.
- Got to Communicating with Others.
>>You will be shown which games allow your children to communicate with other players. You can choose on which games you want to restrict that feature. - Go right and select Next.
- Choose a four to eight-digit PIN number. This will be the password you enter whenever you want to change the settings.
Setting Playtime Restrictions with Your Smart Device
First, you’ll need to download the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app to your device.
- Start up the app.
- Sign into your Nintendo Account, or create one.
- TAP Next.
- You will be given a Registration Code.
- Go to Parental Controls Settings on the Switch (as instructed above).
- Go to Use Your Smart Device.
- Select Yes.
- Now you can enter your Registration Code.
- Through the app you can now TAP Set Parental Controls.
- Now you can set the daily limit on playtime for your child.
- Next you’ll have the same options for Restriction Level on the Switch (as instructed above).
- You can now receive a monthly summary of play activity on the switch.
- TAP Continue.
- TAP Allow.
Gaming can be a fun and exciting part of a child’s life. But, it can also expose children to content parents would rather they not see. With these parental controls for Nintendo Switch, you’re covered.
