Sony has released a new mobile app called PlayStation Family that lets parents control their children’s gaming on PS5 and PS4 consoles right from their phones. The app brings together all the parental control tools that were already available on PlayStation consoles, plus some new features to help parents keep track of their kids’ gaming habits.

“We’re excited to bring an easy way for parents to manage their children’s gaming directly from their mobile devices,” said Cory Gasaway, Sony Interactive Entertainment’s VP of product management.

The PlayStation Family app offers several useful tools for parents. The app walks parents through creating child accounts step by step, making the process easier than before. Parents get notifications showing what games their children are playing right now, and kids can ask for extra playtime or permission to play certain games while parents can say yes or no directly from their phone.

The app shows how much time children spend playing games each day and week, giving parents a clear picture of their kids’ gaming habits. Parents can set different time limits for each day of the week, and if kids want to play longer, they can ask for more time from the console while parents can approve or deny the request from anywhere.

Money management is another key feature, as the app lets parents add money to their child’s account, check how much they have, and set monthly spending limits for PlayStation Store purchases. Parents can also choose what types of games and content their children can access. The app includes ready-made settings for different age groups, but everything can be changed to fit each family’s needs.

The app also gives parents control over how their children interact with other players online and what social features they can use. The PlayStation Family app is available now for parents who want more control over their children’s PlayStation gaming experience, and Sony says they plan to keep improving the app based on user feedback.