If your kids are anything like mine then they would pull out their Nintendo and sit and play for the entire day. To prevent this from happening, there are several different playtime limits that you can add to your Nintendo Switch. Daily limits include the amount of time the switch can be played and/or a bedtime alarm. I recommend that you first read my post here about how to get and set up the parental control app you will need to add all of your parental controls.

Setting The Limits

1. After you have downloaded and set up the app you will need to open it.
2. Select “console settings” on the bottom right
3. A new screen will open. There will be a clock icon near the top where you select “play-time limits”.
4. The play times screen will now be open.

Play-Time Limits

The top of the screen has a toggle switch that you can turn on if you’d like to set each day of the week individually. If you want to give your kids longer playing time on the weekends or exclude weekdays altogether then this may be a good option for you. If toggled on, it will turn orange, and a list of each day will populate. You have the option to select a play-time limit including no limit and a bedtime alarm for every day.

If you leave the toggle in the off position then all of the days will have the same play-time limits. Make sure you note that the play-time settings apply to the Switch and not to each individual profile. I do not set time limits for this reason. Both of my boys play on the switch so I cannot limit the time for one without affecting the other’s playing time.

Bedtime Alarm

The one playtime setting that I do use is the bedtime alarm. I do not want my kids to be on the switch after 8 PM so I set this as my bedtime alarm. This keeps my kids from trying to sneak the switch into their room after bedtime, which they may or may not have tried in the past.

Suspending Software

The last option you have in this menu is the toggle to suspend software. If left off, a notification the limits have been exceeded is seen on the Switch. This may be enough for your child, however, in my house we need to make sure the switch is toggled on. The software will be suspended until 6 AM the following morning.

Disabling Controls

The Parental controls app can suspend all pre-set limits. If you have friends over, your child gets a special privilege for the night, or whatever your reason may be you have the option to temporarily disable alarms. You can read my post about disabling parental controls here.

Have using time limits helped prevent too much gaming in your house?