Legal

The following is an explanation of the age ratings and parental controls available for the games and applications on the PlayStation®Store and for videos available on the PlayStation®Store or other Sony Entertainment Network Store. 

A GUIDE TO AGE RATINGS FOR VIDEO GAMES AND NON-GAME APPLICATIONS

All of the games available on the PlayStation®Store are labelled with symbols indicating the age for which they are suitable.  Age ratings are not a guide to gaming difficulty.  Parents should always check ratings before buying or allowing their children to buy or download games from the PlayStation®Store.

By checking age ratings, and using the parental controls (see below), parents and carers can help to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate content and behaviour online.  Parents and carers should also monitor their child's online activity.

An explanation of the specific age rating symbols used on the PlayStation®Store for games is set out below. 

PAN-EUROPEAN GAMES INFORMATION (PEGI) AGE RATING SYSTEM

PEGI is an age rating system for video games which is used throughout the European Union, with the exception of Germany which has its own age rating system.   

The PEGI age ratings are set out below: 

So a game with a 12 rating has content which is suitable only for those of 12 years and over, and a game with an 18 rating is suitable for adults only.  The rating reflects the existence of certain content, or the intensity of such content, such as violence, nudity or graphic sexual images, which may not be suitable for a certain age group.  The rating has nothing to do with the difficulty or playability of the game.

In addition to the age rating, the PlayStation®Store will also display descriptors indicating the type of content appearing in each game which may concern parents or carers.  The age rating of the game reflects the intensity of this content.  Depending on the game, there may be a number of such descriptors.  The descriptors are:

Many games are suitable for all ages, but parents and carers should always check the rating first to see if it is suitable for the child concerned.  To understand what to expect from a game, both the age rating and descriptors should be checked.

For further information, visit www.pegi.info.

Further, the PEGI Online icon appears on sites or portals giving access to games which may be played over the internet against other players.  This icon may only be used by online gameplay providers who have committed to uphold certain standards aimed at making online gameplay safer for children.  These include measures aimed at keeping gameplay free of illegal and offensive content and to protect the privacy of children when playing games online.

For further information and safe playing tips, visit https://pegi.info.

AGE RATINGS FOR PLAYSTATION MOBILE NON-GAME APPLICATIONS

All of the non-game applications available on the PlayStation® Store for PlayStation®Mobile are labelled with symbols indicating the age for which they are suitable.  These are provided by the publisher of the application and not by PlayStation®Mobile.  The ratings are purely advisory.  Parents should always check ratings before buying or allowing their children to buy or download applications for PlayStation®Mobile.

By checking age ratings, and using the parental controls (see below), parents and carers can help to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate content  online.  Parents and carers should also monitor their child's online activity.

The age ratings for the non-game applications available on the PlayStation®Mobile are set out below:

So an application with a 12+  rating  means the publisher believes the application  has content which is suitable only for those of 12 years and over, and an application  with an 18+ rating is considered suitable for adults only.  The rating reflects the existence of certain content, or the intensity of such content, such as nudity or graphic sexual images, which may not be suitable for a certain age group. 

In addition to the age rating, the PlayStation®Store will also display descriptors indicating the type of content appearing in each application which may concern parents or carers.  The age rating of the application reflects the intensity of this content.  The descriptors are as follows: 

Depending on the application, there may be a number of such descriptors.

Many applications are suitable for all ages, but parents and carers should always check the rating first to see if it is suitable for the child concerned.  To understand what to expect from an application, both the age rating and descriptors should be checked.

PARENTAL CONTROLS FOR GAMES AND NON-GAME APPLICATIONS

PlayStation® consoles offer a set of parental controls to enable a parent to restrict access to products with a certain age rating ensuring that children do not see or play content that the parent considers inappropriate. As explained above, games available on the PlayStation®Store are classified according to the PEGI rating system (except where, by law, another rating system applies) and non-game applications available on the PlayStation® Store are classified according to the non-game application rating system.   Each age rating corresponds to a parental control level on the PlayStation® console as follows:

So, if your child is 13, set the parental control on your console to level 5.  This means that your child will be able to play games and non-game applications age rated 12 and below.
In addition, when you set up a sub account for a child on PlayStation®, you will be asked to confirm their date of birth.  Sub accounts will not be able to purchase content on the PlayStation®Store which is rated above their registered age.  However, once content has been downloaded from the PlayStation®Store to the PlayStation console, children may be able to access the content if the parental control level on the console is not set.  That is why it is important to set the console parental controls as explained above.

For more information on parental controls, visit eu.playstation.com/parents.

A GUIDE TO AGE RATINGS FOR VIDEOS

The majority of the videos available on the PlayStation®Store or other Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) Store are labelled with symbols indicating the age for which they are suitable.  Parents should always check ratings before buying or allowing their children to buy or view videos from the PlayStation®Store or other SEN Store.

By checking age ratings, and using the parental controls (see below), parents and carers can help to ensure that children are not exposed to inappropriate content and behaviour online.  Parents and carers should also monitor their child's online activity.

An explanation of the specific age rating symbols used on the PlayStation®Store or other SEN Store for videos is set out below. 

BRITISH BOARD OF FILM CLASSIFICATION (BBFC) AGE RATING SYSTEM

A BBFC age rating will appear next to rated videos supplied on the PlayStation®Store or other SEN Store.  The ratings are set out below, along with an explanation of their meaning:     

The rating of the video reflects the existence of certain content, or the intensity of such content, such as violence, nudity or graphic sexual images, which may not be suitable for a certain age group.

Many of the videos are suitable for all ages, but parents and carers should always check the rating first to see if it is suitable for the child concerned. 

In the event that a video is not rated, then it is only available to PlayStation® or other SEN Store account holders registered with a minimum age.  In most cases, the minimum age is 18 years.          

For further information, visit www.bbfc.co.uk.

PARENTAL CONTROLS FOR VIDEO

PlayStation consoles offer a set of parental controls to enable a parent to restrict access to products with a certain age rating ensuring that children do not see content that their parent considers inappropriate. As explained above, videos available on the PlayStation®Store or other SEN Store may be classified according to a video rating system. Each age rating corresponds to a parental control level on the PlayStation console as follows:

In addition, when a parent sets up a sub account for a child on PlayStation®, the parent will be asked to confirm their child's date of birth.  Sub accounts will not be able to purchase content on the PlayStation®Store or other SEN Store which is rated above their registered age.  However, once content has been downloaded from the PlayStation®Store to the PlayStation console, children may be able to access the content if the parental control level on the console is not set.  That is why it is important to set the console parental controls as explained above.

For more information on parental controls, visit eu.playstation.com/parents.

Where you use a service on other Sony devices besides a PlayStation console, there may also be parental controls available on those other devices which allow you to restrict access to videos with a certain age rating. For more information, please refer to the instruction manual of your Sony device.