Giving a PlayStation or Xbox This Christmas: Child Accounts, Vouchers and Chat

Before you wrap it

You can do much of this from your own phone or a web browser.

• PlayStation: your own account first, then the child's

  Sony says the parent needs their own PlayStation account first. You become the family manager when you add a family member, and you can then add child or adult members. Sony says the PlayStation App or a web browser can be used before the console arrives to get a head start, and that any steps not done are prompted again the first time someone signs in on the PS5.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• PlayStation: get the child's name and birthday right

  Sony says players under 18 must use a PlayStation account managed by a parent or guardian, and that once a child account has been added to a family it can't be removed by the family manager. Create it with the correct name and date of birth. Sony's terms say it may suspend accounts where false information is given, for example adult accounts that children are using.

• PlayStation: if your child already has an account

  In the UK and Ireland you can add a child's existing PlayStation account to your family. Sony says it then removes any payment methods from the child's account, existing subscriptions run to the end of the payment cycle with auto-renewal turned off, and privacy settings change to restricted defaults.

• Xbox: a Microsoft family group and a child account

  Only a family organiser (an adult Microsoft account) can add people to a Microsoft family group, so you need your own Microsoft account. You can create a child account in the Xbox Family Settings app on your phone without the console, or in a web browser. Xbox says children aged 13 or under who use an Xbox console should have a child account. Microsoft gives the UK's statutory age for Microsoft accounts as 13, and says children under that age must have a parent manage their account.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Xbox: don't leave the consent step for weeks

  Where a child account needs parental consent (Microsoft's UK statutory age is 13), Xbox support says a newly created child account has 14 days to receive that consent before it is deleted, and the child can't start using their Xbox profile until the family organiser has given consent. If your child is under 13, create the account and give consent on the same day rather than weeks ahead.

What you'll need on the day

• Your own phone and your own account, signed in

  Sony says parental controls only work properly once the child has completed email verification and is signed in on their console, and tells parents to set parental controls before the child plays for the first time. For Xbox, family settings only apply when the child is signed in on the console with the Microsoft account that is in the family group.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Proof you are an adult, in case you are asked

  In the UK, Sony may ask a parent's adult PlayStation account to verify its age. Until it has, Sony says it can still play, but PlayStation communication features won't be available. You can verify by mobile number, facial scan or ID. The mobile-number check needs a phone contract in your name; pay-as-you-go numbers aren't supported, so use the face scan or ID route. Xbox says that where age assurance applies you may be asked to verify your age, and that verifying works best on a mobile device, so keep a smartphone to hand.

  • Your phone or tablet
  • Your account

• Wi-Fi details and time for the first update

  Sony's first-time PS5 setup includes choosing a language and setting up an internet connection. For Xbox, after connecting to the internet during setup, the console needs the most recent system update before it can be used for the first time. Allow time for this before anyone is waiting to play.

  • Wi-Fi
  • Software update

• A way to pay, only for what you choose to add

  Sony says a PlayStation child account has no payment method of its own; when the child buys something, payment comes from the family manager's wallet. A new child account's monthly spending limit starts at 0, so you have to raise it if the child is to buy anything.

  • Payment method

If it's second-hand

Check a used console before you wrap it, and reset it if it is a hand-me-down from the family.

• PlayStation: reset it and deactivate the old account

  Sony's guidance for anyone passing on a PS5 is to back up data and reset the console first. Sony says an account holder must manually deactivate their previous PS5 before activating a new one, so ask a second-hand seller to reset the console and deactivate it before you pay. Sony can also suspend a console itself, so that it can't access any account, online play or Store purchases. Sony says a suspension on a second-hand console can't be lifted and the buyer should contact the seller.

• Xbox: reset and remove everything

  Xbox's own guide says the 'Reset and remove everything' option is the one to use when selling or gifting a console. Xbox warns that a factory reset erases accounts, saved games, settings and home Xbox associations, and that anything not uploaded to the Xbox network is lost. Microsoft tells sellers to reset the device and then remove it from their Microsoft account, so ask a second-hand seller to do both. Xbox can also ban or suspend a console itself, and says its customer support can’t assist with enforcement actions (some may qualify for a case review), so check a used console with the seller before you buy.

On Christmas Day

• Gift cards and vouchers

  Sony says PlayStation Store wallet top-up voucher codes must be redeemed on the family manager's account, not the child's; you can then set a monthly limit for the child. A voucher code works once and Sony won't replace it if it is lost, stolen or used without the owner's permission. Xbox says the purchase-approval setting does not apply to using currency or Xbox gift cards, so don't rely on it to stop gift-card spending. Xbox support can't move a redeemed code to another Microsoft account, so redeem a gift code on the right account the first time.

  • Payment method

• Voice and text chat

  On PlayStation, Sony says setting a child's communication to Restrict stops text messages and voice chat with other players, though pre-written in-game messages are still allowed. A child who is blocked can send you a request for an exception in a specific game. On Xbox, only a parent in the family group can change privacy and online settings for a child account, and in the Xbox Family Settings app a parent can let a child 'Ask a parent' to add a friend.

• Scam messages that arrive with the console

  Sony warns that scammers promise free vouchers, gift cards or in-game items to get people to scan a QR code. Sony also lists direct-message scams aimed at players, such as fake beta-test or tournament invitations and 'account problem' messages asking for a sign-in. Tell your child never to sign in through a link in a message.

• Check the game labels before you buy

  PEGI says its 'In-game purchases' descriptor is always shown when in-game content can be bought, and that it marks loot boxes and card packs with a 'Paid random items' descriptor. PEGI says games with paid random items submitted to it since June 2026 are rated PEGI 16, or PEGI 18 for social casino games. From October 2026 PEGI has also begun re-rating a selection of existing digital-only games, and storefront listings may lag behind. The label is a starting point: PEGI also says console parental tools let parents limit or block spending, online interaction and playtime.

Ages and accounts

• PlayStation

  Under Sony's UK terms the minimum age for any PlayStation account is 7, and 7 to 17-year-olds need a responsible adult to agree to and help create a child family member account. When a child becomes eligible, Sony offers to upgrade the child account to an adult account at sign-in. The upgrade is optional and can't be reversed.

• Xbox

  Microsoft gives the UK's statutory age for Microsoft accounts as 13. Xbox says children aged 13 or under who use an Xbox console should have a child account. Until you have set up the family group, don't sign your child in on an adult account.