Nintendo Switch is a console that allows parents to keep their children safe when talking to strangers on the internet. This guide will teach you how to do this effectively. First, make sure that your Nintendo Switch is turned off and unplugged from the power outlet. Next, take your child’s Nintendo Switch and place it in a safe place. You can put it in a closet, under the bed, or in a cupboard. Now, you need to create a secure perimeter around your child’s Nintendo Switch. This means making sure that no one can come into the room where they are playing their game or watching their movie without first getting permission from you. Next, take some basic steps to protect yourself when talking to strangers on Nintendo Switch:
- Make sure that you are aware of the local laws in your area when talking to people about games or technology. For example, if someone asks for your age or if they are looking for something specific, be sure to answer honestly and without any hesitation.
- Be aware of what words you should use when talking with strangers on Nintendo Switch. For example, “game” or “technology” may not be appropriate words for conversation starters with people who are not interested in gaming or technology. Instead, try using terms like “NintendoSwitch” or “game system” instead.
- If you feel like you are being asked too many questions by someone who is not interested in gaming or technology, be prepared to say no and move on quickly. It is important that we respect our elders and keep our conversations civil and respectful!
If you have kids that use a Nintendo Switch, you might worry that they could potentially talk to strangers in online-connected games. Luckily, Nintendo provides an easy way to turn off communication with others in their Parental Controls app for smartphones. Here’s how to set it up.
First, Get Nintendo’s Parental Controls App
Before you can restrict communications with others online, you’ll need to register the Switch console with Nintendo’s parental controls app. Nintendo makes the app available as a free download for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices. Setup is easy and only takes a few moments to get squared away.
RELATED: How to Set Up Parental Controls on the Nintendo Switch
How to Restrict Communicating with Others in Switch Parental Controls
After you have parental controls activated on your Switch, open the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls smartphone app. If you have multiple Switch consoles registered, select the Switch you would like to modify in the upper-left corner of the screen. Then tap “Console Settings” at the bottom of the screen.
In “Console Settings,” tap “Restriction Level.”
In “Restriction Level Settings,” you’ll notice several preset profiles, such as “Teen, “Pre-Teen,” and “Child.” If you select “Teen,” communicating with others in games on that Switch will be enabled. If you select “Pre-Teen” or “Child,” communicating with others in online games will be disabled by default.
But there’s a better way to get more granular control over these communication restrictions. Tap “Custom Settings” and then tap “Communicating with Others.”
In “Communicating with Others,” flip the switch beside “Restrict Communicating with Others” to turn it on.
Below the “Restrict Communicating with Others” option, you’ll see a list of games installed on that particular Switch console. Using the toggle switch beside each game, you can toggle communications restrictions for a particular game.
So if you’d like to allow communication only within a certain game—such as Minecraft, for example—you can turn off the switch beside Minecraft in the “Communicating with Others” list, and your kids will be able to connect to online worlds and chat with strangers only for Minecraft.
Some Restricted Communication Examples on the Switch
The “Restrict Communicating with Others” setting does different things in different games. As a general rule, it prevents players from sending any message to another player, whether it be by voice, text, drawing, sign, or otherwise. Here are a few examples.
All Games with Voice Chat: Voice chat will be disabled. Animal Crossing: New Horizons: Players are prevented from mailing letters to friends between islands and using the internet-connected design kiosk. Fortnite: Players cannot voice chat with other players. Minecraft: Prevents online play with others, including friends. Splatoon 2: Players cannot read or share player posts (the hand-drawn images that hover above players’ heads).
That’s just a small sampling of the many hundreds of games affected by the “Restrict Communicating with Others” parental controls setting. To see its effects in each game, you’ll have to do some experimenting. If it works as planned, you should see a message similar to this one seen in Minecraft when trying to access online communication features.
But at least with Nintendo’s Switch parental controls, there’s no reason why your kids can’t still enjoy playing games while also giving you some peace of mind. Happy gaming!
