Overview
Find out how parental controls affect what a child account can access, including online features, social settings, and game content.
How does online play work with a child account?
A child account refers to an EA Account belonging to someone under their country’s age requirement.
- the EA game pack or online disclaimer on PC
- the Xbox Store.
Many countries have data protection laws that require us to make sure children experience our games in a way that’s appropriate for their age. In some of our games, we’ll ask players their age and then turn off features that might not be appropriate for them. For example, if your child is below the minimum age of digital consent in your country, they won’t be able to connect to social networks and access social features.Parental controls for Apple productsAll EA titles follow the Apple parental controls.Parental controls for Google productsAll EA titles follow the Google parental controls.
What is age assurance and how does it impact child accounts?
When a player reaches 18, their account will be considered an adult account. In some countries, age assurance is required to purchase premium currency for games that feature random content mechanics on the EA app and in certain mobile games. Age assurance may also be triggered if you’re travelling or using a VPN.If your child or teen has previously played a game with random content mechanics, they may be prevented from making in-game purchases until their age is checked. Learn about age assurance for EA games.It isn’t possible to transfer game progress, purchases, or linked data from a child account to a parent account. EA Accounts are individual and can’t be merged or shared.
In some countries, if an account hasn’t been checked to confirm the player is 18 or older, it's treated as a child account for safety reasons. Players may notice:Learn about age assurance for EA games
- limited or no access to social features like voice or text chat
- inability to buy content with random rewards
- loss of progress in games.
Even if a parent gave consent for a child to play, it doesn’t mean the account is confirmed as an adult. Without a checked age, the account may still be subject to content restrictions.When a child becomes old enough for an adult account, they can confirm their age to lift restrictions. Otherwise, they'll need to continue using the child account with limited features.
- Parental consent: Required when creating a child EA Account. The parent or guardian allows the child to use their account with limited access.
- Age assurance: A process that confirms the player is 18+, often using ID or a secure check.
Parental controls by platform
EA app
Steam
PlayStation
Xbox
Nintendo Switch
Child accounts can’t:Child accounts can:
- access online modes on PC or Mac in certain games
- make purchases
- children can’t be EA Play members or use EA Gift cards
- log in to our websites
- child accounts can still use EA Help to create a case if they have an email address (a parent has the option to use the email address they used to validate a child account)
- use companion web apps for games, or use mobile companion apps that need players to log in with an EA Account
- connect their games to social media or link their accounts to Steam.
- redeem game codes bought by adult players.