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The Nintendo Switch is, without question, a family oriented console. Part of this is based on Nintendo’s sparkling reputation and history. The other part comes from their upcoming Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app.
Nintendo announced at their Switch reveal event that they would be releasing an app alongside the Nintendo Switch that would give parents a significant level of control over the games their children play.
The app gives parents enhanced control over their children’s gameplay in three primary ways.
Age Limits/Social Media Access
Parents have the ability to limit the content that their children can access based on ESRB ratings. They can also limit what types of sharing they can do on social media channels that may be linked to their Switch.
Time Limits
First, it gives parents the ability to set a time limit on their children’s playtime. This timer can be set on a per day basis and changed at any time. For example, you could give your child more time to play on Saturdays and you can manually adjust the game time if you want to reward them for good behavior.
The timer just pops a message up on the screen by default. But, parents will have the option to have the game system go into a sleep mode when the timer goes off. That puts an end to the kid’s gaming session immediately.
Reporting
The app will also provide parents with reports about the Switch’s usage. This way you’ll know what games and apps were accessed during a given period of time. This may be somewhat less helpful if multiple people share the same Switch. But, families with only one user will be able to enjoy detailed reports. Knowing the games that your kids enjoy is a great way to help pick new games and to help discuss the games they love.
The fact that Nintendo has gone out of their way to create a legitimate app to help provide more control over children’s gaming is impressive. This puts them head and shoulders above the other gaming companies when it comes to providing a gaming experience parents can feel comfortable about.
Stay tuned to EFG for more info about the Nintendo Switch as we get closer to launch!
About The Author
I’ve been using this app for over a month now. It’s good, and the reports let you drill down and see who is playing what and for how long.
Unfortunately, the time limit is for the console, not for individual users. I tried setting our limit to 2 hours. If one kid plays for 90 minutes, the next kid only gets 30 minutes before time is up. I would rather set a limit for each kid to get an hour of time.
Other than that, it’s really easy to use. It’s a great tool (one of many) to help me manage my kids’ screen time.