Setting Parental Controls on the Nintendo DSi: A Brief How To

The Nintendo DSi is a hand held video game system that allows kids to surf the Web, download games and communicate with other DSi users. It’s similar to a computer, as it gives users internet access. Computer experts recommend that parents allow their children the same access to the internet on their DSi that they have on the home computer. The good news is that there are parental controls that let you restrict access to all of the DSi’s connectivity features.

Parental control settings allow parents to manage their children’s access to the content on their Nintendo DSi. If parents apply Parental Controls, they will be prompted to set a 4-digit PIN which will allow them to adjust the Parental Controls settings in the future. It will also allow them to access content that may be restricted by the Parental Controls settings.

The Parental Controls default setting is “OFF”, which means that the system will allow access to all content, unless the settings are changed. In addition, there is one Parental Controls setting per system, so it is recommended that parents select the most secure setting needed for their family.

The user will be guided through the process of setting up the Parental Controls during the initial setup. Here is the process:

• Using the System Settings Menu, go to the 3rd page, and then select “Parental Controls.”
• You will then select “YES,” “NEXT,” then “OK” to reach the PIN screen.
• You will then select “NEXT,” enter a four-digit PIN, then tap “OK.” The next step is to enter the PIN again to confirm it, then tap “OK” again.
• You can then tap the up/down arrows to scroll through the secret questions. When your question of choice is displayed, select “OK” to continue.
• Select “OK” again, use the on-screen keyboard to enter an answer to the secret question, then select “OK.” It is imporant to remember that the answer must be six or more characters long.
• Select “OK,” then tap the left/right arrows to scroll to the game rating icon, for the highest-rated video game content that is suitable for viewing on the system. Select “OK” to continue.
• At this point the system will take you through a number of questions, where you will choose which features to restrict. Select “YES” to block the feature, or “NO” to allow it. Select “OK” to confirm your selection.

• PictoChat – This is helpful for parents who wish to control the messsage content their children can receive from other Nintendo DSi systems, through DS Wireless Communications.
• DS Download Play – Blocking this will prevent game data from being sent to the system.
• Nintendo DSi Browser – Parents can block access to this feature, thus preventing any browsing of Internet websites.
• Nintendo DSi Points – Parents can restrict the use of Nintendo DSi points in the Nintendo DSi Shop. It’s important to be mindful that this does not block the purchase of points with a credit card, nor does it block the redemption of points by entering a Nintendo Points card.
• Exchange of Photo Data – Parents can block the ability to exchange photos with other Nintendo DSi systems.
• Restrict Access to User – Created Content – By restricting this feature, you can block certain user-created content.

The last step, is selecting “YES” to save the Parental Control settings, and return to the System Settings menu.