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| PlayStation marks Safer Internet Day 2026 with a focus on positive play and online safety. |
By Juli Scarr
To mark Safer Internet Day 2026, PlayStation published a detailed update outlining how it continues to invest in online safety across PlayStation.
The statement, shared by Catherine Jensen, focuses on the systems PlayStation has built to give parents more control, reduce harmful behaviour, and encourage healthier online interactions between players.
Rather than centring on a single announcement, the update looks back at changes made over the past year. It also points to how PlayStation’s safety strategy continues to develop.
How PlayStation Approaches Online Safety
PlayStation describes its safety work through three core pillars:
- Control, giving players and parents meaningful tools
- Shield, reducing harmful content before it spreads
- Enforce, addressing behaviour that violates platform rules
These pillars shape everything from parental controls to moderation systems. PlayStation says ongoing player feedback plays a direct role in how those tools are refined.
The PlayStation Family App and Parental Controls
One of the most practical updates centres on the continued expansion of the PlayStation Family app, which PlayStation presents as a single place for parental oversight.
The app allows parents to:
- Set age-appropriate restrictions
- Manage playtime limits
- Approve purchases and requests
- Review activity across accounts
PlayStation reports that the app has now passed one million downloads across iOS and Android, pointing to steady adoption among families.
We previously broke down how the PlayStation Family app works for parents and kids, including how to manage restrictions, playtime, and account activity.
Speaking Directly to Parents About Digital Safety
PlayStation’s approach also extends beyond built-in tools.
Earlier this year, Catherine Jensen appeared on a parenting podcast hosted by Cat & Nat to talk about gaming, screen time, and online communication in family settings. The discussion focused on setting expectations, encouraging healthy habits, and helping kids explore games responsibly as they grow.
We previously covered PlayStation’s conversation with Cat & Nat about parenting and digital safety, which adds useful context to this update.
Moderation Tools That Intervene Before Messages Are Sent
On the platform side, PlayStation says it has continued expanding its automated moderation systems. These tools use machine learning to review text and images for potential Code of Conduct violations.
One visible result of that work is the Nudge feature.
Nudge gives players a brief pause before sending messages that may violate PlayStation’s hate speech policies. PlayStation says feedback from early trials has been encouraging, and the feature is now expanding globally for English-language conversations on the PlayStation app.
The goal is interruption rather than punishment, addressing harmful behaviour before it reaches another player.
Online Safety Is Becoming a Shared Industry Effort
PlayStation also reaffirmed a shared set of online safety principles alongside Nintendo and Microsoft.
The agreement reflects a broader shift toward treating online safety as a shared responsibility across platforms, especially as cross-platform play and shared social spaces become more common.
We previously covered how shared online safety principles across Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox were aligned and what that agreement means across the industry.
Access to Mental Health and Crisis Support
Beyond moderation and parental controls, PlayStation also highlighted efforts to make wellness resources easier to find.
PlayStation now integrates the Find A Helpline tool directly into its support pages in most regions, allowing users to locate local resources without leaving the site. Additional region-specific services are listed for players in Japan and the United States.
These tools sit outside traditional platform features, but PlayStation treats them as part of a broader responsibility to player well-being.
Where PlayStation Safety Is Headed Next
Looking ahead, PlayStation confirmed it continues to test age verification systems in select markets. The company says any broader rollout will be guided by what it learns from those pilots, with attention paid to privacy and accessibility.
The overall message is steady progress rather than sweeping change. Safety features are being adjusted, expanded, and folded more deeply into the platform over time.
For players and parents, the message is straightforward. PlayStation’s safety work is no longer treated as an optional layer. It’s becoming part of how the platform operates day to day.
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