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// SWITCH & SWITCH 2 · CHECKED 18 AUGUST 2026

Nintendo Switch & Switch 2 parental controls — play time, bedtime, restriction level, PIN

Nintendo’s controls are the simplest of the three consoles — and the one that catches parents out is that they’re set for the console, not the user: whatever you set applies to whoever picks it up. There’s a free phone app (Nintendo Switch Parental Controls) that does play-time limits and bedtime beautifully, a console-side PIN for the restriction level, and one thing that lives elsewhere entirely: spending, which is on the Nintendo Account, not the console. Switch 2 uses the same app and menus, plus a new rule about GameChat for under-16s. Rated 4.9 on Google.

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  • ● Checked 18 August 2026
  • ● Switch & Switch 2
  • ● Nintendo’s own steps

/01 — THE APP

Play-time limit and bedtime, from your phone

  1. Install Nintendo Switch Parental Controls (free, iOS/Android), sign in with your Nintendo Account, and link it to the console when prompted.
  2. In the app tap Parental Controls (lower right).
  3. Play Time Limit: from none up to 6 hours, and Set Days Individually if weekends differ. When it’s up you can extend by 5, 15 or 30 minutes, or turn it off for the day, from your phone — which is the whole reason this beats nagging.
  4. Bedtime: any time between 16:00 and 23:45. Suspend Software at Set Time decides whether the game actually stops or just warns.
  5. Tap the red Save button. The app also shows daily play time per game — the most useful conversation-starter on this page.

Dorset Police have covered Fortnite and Roblox — both on Switch too in their own guide — the step-by-step for Instagram, Facebook, Messenger Kids, TikTok, X, Reddit, Discord, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Telegram, Fortnite and Roblox. It’s good and it’s official; read it here. This page covers what it doesn’t.

/02 — THE CONSOLE

Restriction level and PIN

  1. On the console: System Settings > Parental Controls > Parental Controls Settings > Restriction Level.
  2. Pick a preset or Custom. Nintendo’s UK presets, as printed: Teen restricts games rated for 17+ and leaves posting and free communication on; Child restricts 13+ and turns posting and free communication off; Young Child restricts 8+ with the same. Custom lets you set Restricted Software (by age rating), Free Communication With Others, VR Mode (3D Visuals), and Posting Screenshots/Videos on Social Networks individually.
  3. Choose a PIN of 4 to 8 digits. Remember: the settings are per console, so they apply to whoever picks it up — including you.

Nintendo UK prints its presets as “17+/13+/8+” rather than PEGI numbers; on your console the age list will show the UK ratings.

/03 — SPENDING, AND SWITCH 2

eShop spending lives on the account, and the GameChat rule

Spending is not in the console PIN menu. It’s on the Nintendo Account: sign in as the parent > Family Group > the child > tick Spending Restrictions and/or Age-Based Purchase Restrictions > Save changes. Parents create Nintendo Accounts for children aged 15 and under; a 16+ can have their own account added to the family group as supervised.

Switch 2 uses the same Parental Controls app and the same console menus — Nintendo says the app links with both consoles. What’s new is GameChat, and Nintendo’s rule is plain: for a child under 16 to use it, a parent must first allow it in the Parental Controls app. Decide that deliberately; voice and video chat with strangers is the single biggest change the Switch 2 brings into a child’s bedroom.

// CHECKED AGAINST THE MAKER’S OWN INSTRUCTIONS · 18 August 2026

Apps change their menus often. Every step on this page was checked against these official help pages on the date above. If a step no longer matches what you see, tell us on 01202 775566 and we’ll fix it.

// IF SOMETHING HAS ALREADY GONE WRONG

  • A child is in immediate danger: call 999. Otherwise Dorset Police on 101 or online at dorset.police.uk.
  • Someone online is talking to your child in a sexual way, or asking for images: report to CEOP (the police’s child-protection command) at ceop.police.uk.
  • A nude or sexual image of an under-18 is online: Childline’s Report Remove can get it taken down, confidentially.
  • You want to talk it through with someone: the NSPCC helpline 0808 800 5000 for adults; Childline 0800 1111 for children and young people.
  • Bullying, scams or a compromised account: screenshot everything before you delete anything, then use the platform’s report tool — and if the account is one we look after, ring us.

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// RELATED

Part of our parents’ guide to parental controls. Also: Xbox, PlayStation, Minecraft.

FAMILY-RUN SINCE 1995 · ★ 4.9 ON GOOGLE · 200+ COMPUTERS UNDER OUR CARE · NO FIX, NO FEE · SAME-DAY REMOTE SUPPORT

// GOOD QUESTIONS

Frequently asked

The play-time limit stops me too. Can I set it per child?

No — Nintendo’s controls are per console, not per user, so they apply to whoever picks it up. Most parents live with it, or turn the limit off for the day from the app when it’s their turn.

Where do I stop eShop spending?

Not in the console PIN menu — on the Nintendo Account website: Family Group > the child > Spending Restrictions and/or Age-Based Purchase Restrictions.

What’s different on the Switch 2?

Same app, same menus. The new thing is GameChat (voice and video chat): for a child under 16 to use it a parent has to allow it in the Parental Controls app first. Decide that on purpose.

What if my child works out the PIN?

Change it (4 to 8 digits — use eight, not four), and note the app tells you when settings are changed on the console. Nintendo also lets you reset a forgotten PIN through the app or their support pages.

Rather we set it up on the actual devices?

Call 01202 775566 or text 07520 615332, Mon–Fri 9–5. We’ll set the controls up properly on your child’s phone, tablet, console or PC — remotely, or at home across Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch & Dorset — and show you where everything lives, so you’re in charge afterwards, not us. Free 15-minute phone chat first; no charge for advice.

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01202 775566 · help@365techies.co.uk · MON–FRI 9AM–5PM