How Do I Delete a Child From PSN?

Unfortunately, the short and direct answer is: you cannot directly delete a child account from a PlayStation Network (PSN) family. Once a child account is created and linked to an adult’s PSN account as part of a family, it cannot be simply removed. This is a deliberate design by Sony to ensure child safety and parental control. The child account is intended to remain associated with the family manager’s account until the child reaches adulthood and can upgrade their account. While frustrating for some users, this policy aims to protect children online by maintaining parental oversight.

The system works by requiring a family manager, typically a parent or guardian, to create the initial account for a child. This setup links the child’s profile to the adult’s, granting the adult control over game access, spending limits, and other key settings. While there is no button to click to instantly delete or sever this bond, there are ways to manage the situation, and ultimately the child can transition out of the family structure, but not be deleted from it. The primary method for a child to leave a PSN family is to upgrade to an adult account when they become eligible, effectively migrating them to a standard user status. However, if the goal is to sever ties or manage account ownership, you’ll need to explore the available methods which involve carefully managed transitions, not deletion in the truest sense.

Understanding the PSN Family Structure

The family structure in PlayStation Network is built around the concept of a family manager and child accounts. This system ensures that children’s online activity is monitored and controlled by an adult.

• Family Manager: This is the adult PSN account that creates and manages child accounts. They have the authority to control parental settings, purchase limits, and playtime restrictions.
• Child Account: These accounts are created for users under 18 and are linked to the family manager’s account. They have restricted access to online features and are subject to parental controls.

The link between a child account and its family manager is intended to be permanent until the child reaches the legal age of adulthood within the PSN ecosystem. There isn’t a straightforward ‘remove child from family’ option because the system’s design is intended to enforce child protection protocols.

How to Transition from a Child Account

While you can’t delete a child account, you can manage it effectively. Here are some options:

Upgrading to an Adult Account

The most significant method to move a child out of the family structure is to upgrade their account to an adult account. When a child reaches the required age (usually 18), they will receive a notification upon logging into PSN. They will then have the option to upgrade their account by following on-screen prompts. This converts their child account to a full adult account, granting them full access to all PlayStation Network features and removing them from the family manager’s oversight.

Key points:

• Upgrading is not mandatory. The child can choose to “do this later”.
• Once an account is upgraded to an adult account, it cannot be reverted to a child account.

Managing Parental Controls

If the child is still under the age to transition to an adult account, you still retain the ability to manage their activity with parental controls. You can:

• Set Spending Limits: Control how much money the child can spend on the PlayStation Store.
• Manage Game Access: Restrict access to games based on age ratings.
• Set Playtime Limits: Control how long the child can play each day or week.
• Manage Communication: Control who the child can communicate with online.

These controls are managed from the family manager’s account through the settings on their PlayStation console or via the PlayStation App. These tools give you very specific control without removing the account entirely.

What You Cannot Do

It is crucial to know the limitations of what you cannot do with a child account:

• You cannot directly delete a child account from your PSN family.
• You cannot transfer a child account to a different family manager.
• You cannot change the birthdate on a child account to fast-track the upgrade to an adult account. Sony requires a full age confirmation upon upgrade.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some common questions related to managing child accounts on PlayStation Network:

1. Can I change my child’s PlayStation ID?

No, online IDs cannot be changed for child accounts. This restriction is part of Sony’s policy to maintain account consistency and prevent misuse.

2. Does deleting a user on PS4 delete the entire account?

No, deleting a user profile on a specific PS4 console does not delete the entire PSN account. The user can still log in to their account on other consoles. However, if you delete the user on the primary console where it’s located, you will permanently remove that user profile and data on that console.

3. Can I delete a PSN account to reuse the email address?

Yes, but it’s a process. You can make a new PSN account using the same email, but you will need to first change the email address associated with the old account before you can create a new one with the email you want. You will also lose all associated trophies, purchases, and funds from the old account.

4. Does a child need a separate PSN account?

Yes, every child under 18 needs their own PSN child account to access online services. Sharing an adult account is against the terms of service and not recommended.

5. How do I change my child’s age on PS5?

You can’t directly change the birthdate entered for a child account. When creating a new account, you are prompted for a date of birth to set the age level and parental controls. You can review this information in Family Management but you cannot directly change it.

6. Can I change my age on my PSN account?

Once your birthdate is entered, you cannot directly edit your age on a PSN account. A workaround is linking your PSN account to your Sony account. Doing this prompts you to enter a new birthdate which may reflect on your PSN account.

7. How do I remove my child from a Family Link account?

The removal of a child’s account from a Family Link account is different from removing them from a PSN family. To remove them from Google’s Family Link, you need to do it within the Google Family Link app or on the child’s device itself, by following specific instructions to remove the account, not by trying to do it through PSN.

8. How do I change my child’s PlayStation settings?

You can adjust parental controls for your child by navigating to Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management on your PS4 or PS5. Select the child’s account and choose the feature you wish to adjust.

9. Can you change the PlayStation family manager?

Yes, a family manager can add other adults as members of the family and grant them parental privileges. This is done within Settings > Parental Controls/Family Management > Family Management. However, you cannot transfer the family manager role; the original manager always retains ultimate authority.

10. How do I delete users on PS4 before selling?

To prepare your PS4 for sale, you should initialize it, which restores it to factory settings and removes all user data. This can be found in Settings > Initialization > Initialize PS4 > Full.

11. What does deleting a user account do?

Deleting a user account will remove all the user’s saved data from the console. However, the user’s PSN account will remain if you haven’t deleted it from the main account. If you delete it from the main console, the entire data is deleted.

12. Does deleting a user account delete everything?

Deleting a user on a console will remove everything associated with that profile on that console. On PC, deleting a user account deletes everything associated with that user profile. Always ensure important files are backed up before deletion.

13. Why can’t my child use my PlayStation Plus?

Child accounts can only access PlayStation Plus content that is age-appropriate as determined by the game’s age rating and the parental controls set by the family manager. This is to protect children from potentially inappropriate content.

14. What is a PlayStation child account?

A PlayStation child account is an account created for users under the age of 18. It is linked to the family manager’s account and subject to parental controls. This account ensures that children have a safe online experience.

15. Can you have 2 PSN accounts on the same PS4?

Yes, you can have up to four users logged into a PS4 at the same time, each with their own separate PSN account. You can switch easily between them by pressing the PS button on a specific controller.

Conclusion

While deleting a child from your PSN family is not a direct option, understanding the system and how to manage it effectively will help you navigate the complexities. The system’s design prioritizes child safety by keeping them linked to a family manager until they reach adulthood and choose to upgrade to a standard account. By utilizing parental controls and understanding the transition process, you can ensure a safe and controlled gaming experience for your children on the PlayStation platform.