Your three-setting quest +XP
Tick them off as you go. Your progress is saved on this device only.
Menu names below are quoted from Steam's own support pages. If your screen looks different after an update, the sources at the bottom are the place to check.
What you need before touching Steam settings
- Your own (adult) Steam account
- A separate Steam account for your child
- Steam client, Steam mobile app or web browser (Steam Families can be managed from any of them)
Setting up Steam controls, step by step
- Go to Account Details from the Steam Store, then open the Family Management section.
- Click Create a Family and give it a name.
- Select Invite a Member, find your child's account and choose Child (not Adult).
- Your child accepts the invite from the alert they receive.
- In Account Settings > Family Management > Manage, expand your child's entry.
- Toggle Enable Parental controls on.
- In the panel that appears, set game access, Steam feature access and playtime limits.
Every Steam control, in plain English
| Game access | Chooses which games (including family-shared ones) the child can play. |
|---|---|
| Steam feature access | Restricts Steam Store, community and chat features. |
| Playtime limits | Limits how long and when the child can play. |
| Playtime reports | Shows the child's play activity. |
| Requests | The child can ask for extra playtime or access to a feature; adults approve. |
| Child purchase requests | The child can ask an adult to pay for their cart; adults approve and pay by mobile or email and the game goes straight to the child. |
| Recover Account | An adult can recover the child's login once they've been in the family for 30 days. |
Stopping surprise spending on Steam
- Child purchase requests: the child sends their cart to an adult, who approves and pays from the Steam mobile app or by email.
- Use Steam feature access to restrict the child's access to the Steam Store.
More on how money works inside games in Money in games.
Who can message your child on Steam
- Steam feature access in the child's parental controls covers community and chat restrictions.
For the wider picture, see Chat & strangers.
Steam play-time limits and bedtimes
- Playtime limits in the child's parental controls panel; the child can request more playtime for an adult to approve.
- Playtime reports show activity.
Routines that make limits easier to keep are in Time & routines.
Where Steam set-ups usually go wrong
- Add your child as a Child - an Adult member isn't subject to parental controls. A child added by mistake as Adult (or an adult as Child) needs fixing via Steam Support.
- Steam Families replaced both Family Sharing and Family View. Existing Family View settings move over when the child joins, but the old PIN is removed.
- Maximum 6 members. Leaving or removing a member starts a 1-year cooldown on that slot; adults who leave must wait a year to join or create another family.
- Children can't leave the family themselves.
- Steam's controls cover Steam only - games with their own accounts (e.g. Fortnite, Roblox) need their own parental controls.
- Free-to-play games can't be shared through the family library.
- If a family member cheats in a shared game, the owner's family privileges can be revoked and the owner's account can get a VAC ban.
Sources we checked
Facts on this page were checked against these sources on 3 November 2026. Settings and ratings change, so if something looks different on your screen, tell us and we will re-check.