There is so much content on the Nintendo Switch that children have access to, and I’m sure they know a lot better than I do about how to access it all. I have set up content controls in order to ensure that my kids aren’t downloading software or playing games they may have obtained without my knowledge.

Setting age controls also ensures that they are unable to communicate or post on social media if not allowed. The first thing you will need to do is download and set up the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls App, if you have not already Click here to read my guide. You can also read my guide about setting play time limits.

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Using the App

The first thing you will need to do is open the parental controls app and select “Console Settings” in the bottom right corner. Once opened, there will be an option to select “restriction level. Here you are able to choose the age-appropriate level of content you want to have available on your Nintendo Switch. It’s important to note that this setting applies to the entire system and not individual profiles.

Restriction Levels

The following restriction levels are available for you to select:

• None – No restrictions
• Teen – cannot access software rated for 17+ / ESRB, No restrictions for posting to social media, communicating with others or VR mode
• Pre-Teen – cannot access software rated for ages 13+ /ESRB, cannot post to social media or communicate with others, VR mode is not restricted
• Child – cannot access software rated for ages 8+/ ESRB, cannot post to social media, communicate with others, or VR mode.
• Custom settings

For my personal preference, I have decided to use the youngest age setting, this allows me to manually select the titles I want to allow using the “whitelist” option. Click here to read all about adding titles to the whitelist.

Custom Settings

if you choose custom settings you can select :

• The Specific Software Rating Organization specific to your country and then the age range you would like. For the US/CA you can select the ESRB and then an age range from 3+ to 18+
• Restrict posting to social media. There is an on-off toggle switch.
• Restrict communication with others. This also has an on-off toggle switch.
  • If you toggle the switch to on you are given another option. Here you can choose to restrict communications for each software you own that has communication options. This gives you the ability to allow communication on one software but not for another.
• The last is to restrict VR mode 3D visuals. This also has an on-and-off toggle.

If you choose one of the above-preset options, all of these things are pre-determined for you based on the age range selected.

Whitelist

If you select one of the preselected age groups, you can still add any game you allow your child to play to the whitelist. For example, my son wanted to play Minecraft this morning, but it was blocked based on the age settings I had chosen. However, I could easily add it to the whitelist, allowing him to play the game that I am comfortable with. This provides a flexible solution to balance age-related restrictions with each family’s personal preferences. You can read more about this in my guide to disable parental controls

In what ways have content controls helped your family?