Tutorials · Nintendo

Nintendo Switch 2: create and supervise a child account

3 November 2026

Preparing a Switch 2 for a child without giving them your adult account? Start with their Nintendo identity, then configure purchases and console use separately. Link the right accounts and devices without creating a duplicate identity.

Explanatory illustration: Nintendo Switch 2: create and supervise a child account — Explanatory illustration — simplified representation; follow the written steps.

Before you start

Nintendo Switch 2 with current system software and Internet access. Family-account management uses a browser. Have the adult Nintendo Account, its email and sign-in methods, a compatible iOS or Android phone for Nintendo Switch Parental Controls, and the child’s correct details or existing account available.

1. Distinguish the account from console restrictions

Three layers work together: the child account identifies the person, eShop restrictions control purchasing access, and console parental controls govern use of the device. None replaces all the others.

Nintendo states that console restrictions apply to all its users, not only an isolated child profile. On a shared console, start from the youngest user’s age. GameChat permissions also have their own setup.

2. Find or create the child’s Nintendo Account

If the child already has an account, recover that account before proceeding. A new console is not by itself a reason to create a new identity. Note the nickname and sign-in ID to use, keeping them separate from your adult login.

For a new child account, sign in at accounts.nintendo.com with the adult account and open Family group → Add a member → Create a child account. Enter the requested information, check it and confirm. Nintendo requires the adult creating it to be at least 18.

The family administrator adds members, and a group can contain up to eight. If no group exists, the interface offers its creation. Inviting someone aged 16 or older who already has an account uses a different path. For an account already attached to another family, investigate the family transfer instead of duplicating it.

Store sign-in details securely. Decide which adult handles requests, changes schedules and reviews purchases so two people do not change the rules without coordinating.

3. Link the correct account to the correct console user

On Switch 2, open System Settings → Users and select the child’s local profile. Choose the Nintendo Account sign-in or linking option and follow the offered method using the child’s account. Review the displayed identity before confirming the link.

Important checkpoint: Nintendo says an account linked to a user cannot subsequently be replaced with another account on that same user. If the adult’s name appears, go back and correct the login before confirming.

If the local profile does not exist yet, create it through user settings. Do not treat a local console user and an online Nintendo Account as interchangeable objects.

4. Set the eShop purchasing restrictions

In the parent’s browser, return to Family group and select the child’s supervised account. Consider the two settings separately.

Spending restrictions: block the relevant purchases and automatic renewals.
Age-based purchasing restrictions: restrict displayed content according to its classification.

Save the changes. An age limit and a prohibition on spending answer different questions, so make an explicit decision for each. These options belong to Nintendo Account settings, separately from the parental controls app.

5. Link the parental controls app

Install Nintendo Switch Parental Controls on the phone and sign in with the parent’s account. Follow setup until the six-digit registration code is displayed.

On Switch 2, open HOME → System Settings → Parental Controls → Parental Controls Settings.
Select the option indicating that you already downloaded the app.
Enter the registration code displayed in the phone app.
Confirm linking and finish the process on both devices.

If controls are already configured, Nintendo provides a path using the PIN and the option to use the free app. Do not unlink a working setup simply to restart unnecessarily.

Choose content and play-time restrictions. A time warning does not necessarily stop play: enable the suspension option if that is the intended outcome. Allow the console to receive the settings and review them after synchronisation.

6. Verify the protections

The console user is linked to the child’s account in your family group.
The intended eShop restrictions are saved for that child.
The correct console appears in the parent’s app.
Content limits and schedules match what you explained to the child.
You can distinguish the account password, registration code and parental-control PIN.

For children under 16, GameChat needs additional parental setup in the app, including friend permissions and parent verification. Linking a child account alone is not enough. Follow Nintendo’s parent and guardian GameChat guide before enabling its use.

Check from the child’s session without making a test purchase. Explain how to request an exception and when the rules will be reviewed. Aim for an understandable framework rather than unexplained blocks.

If setup is blocked

Cannot add a member: check that you are using the administrator account and that the group is not full.
The account already exists: find its credentials or current family group before creating anything.
The wrong adult appears during linking: stop and sign in with the correct account.
Purchases appear unrestricted: revisit the child account’s eShop settings, not just the phone app.
GameChat remains unavailable: finish its separate parental setup rather than removing all restrictions.

Sources and scope

Translated from the French guide based on official documentation checked on 2026-10-15. This guide does not claim physical testing on your equipment. LODEX’s preparation and result checks are practical advice; follow any warnings shown by your device.