Removing or Changing Parental Controls on the Nintendo DSi

The Nintendo DSi is equipped with optional Parental Controls which allow parents to decide what information their children can share with other people. While the Nintendo DSi can provide hours of fun for your children, many parents are making use the parental control settings. These controls can provide you with peace of mind as you’re able to limit the amount, and type, of content your child has on their Nintendo DSi. It’s also important to understand that you can choose to enable Parental Controls to block the Nintendo DSi features selectively, such as the ability to exchange photos with other Nintendo DSi systems.

Parents are realizing that they need to educate their children about privacy concerns. However, parents know that talking alone is not enough; they must set boundaries, based on age and maturity, for their children. The bottom line is, whether or not you choose to enable the Parental Controls, it’s critical that you educate your children on the importance of not sharing any personally identifiable information about themselves when using the Nintendo DSi. It’s critical that you make sure that your children know not to use personally identifiable information that includes:

• Name
• Age
• email address
• Home address
• Phone number
• Birth date

This is especially important when they are creating their Nintendo DSi nickname, a user name or screen name for any services that are offered through the Nintendo DSi.

When considering which features to block, parents need to understand that the Nintendo DSi, cannot access the Internet, unless they take active steps to connect to it. The Nintendo DSi does, however, come with pre-installed wireless communication features. They allow a person to chat, or share photos, with other Nintendo DS system owners, on a local wireless connection of up to approximately 65 feet.

There may come a time, after activating the Parental Control settings when you decide to remove, or change, the settings. Perhaps your child has grown older and has shown enough maturity for less stringent settings; or your teenager is taking their Nintendo DSi to college with them. Here is what you need to know about removing or changing the Parental Control settings on the Nintendo DSi.

How to Remove Parental Controls:

• On the Nintendo DSi Menu, use the stylus to select the “Settings” (wrench) icon.
• Select the right arrow twice to reach the third page, and then select “Parental Controls.”
• Select “Yes,” to change the parental controls.
• You will be prompted for your 4-digit PIN.
• a) If you know the PIN, you can select the empty text box, and enter the PIN, using the on-screen keyboard, then select “OK” to continue.
• b) If you do not know the PIN, select “I forgot,” then select the empty text box for the answer to the secret question, and enter it using the on-screen keyboard. Select “OK” to continue.
• NOTE: If you don’t know the PIN or the secret question, the Parental Controls will need to be reset. You will need to call the Customer Service number for assistance.
• The final step is to select “Clear Settings,” then select “Yes” to confirm.

How to Change the Parental Controls:

• On the Nintendo DSi Menu, use the stylus to select the “Settings” (wrench) icon.
• Select the right arrow twice to reach the third page, and then select “Parental Controls.”
• .Select “Yes,” to change the parental controls.
• You will be prompted for your 4-digit PIN.
• a) If you know the PIN, select the empty text box, and enter it using the on-screen keyboard, then select “OK” to continue.
• b) If you do not know the PIN, select “I forgot,” then select the empty text box for the answer to the secret question, and enter it using the on-screen keyboard. Select “OK” to continue.
• NOTE: If you do not know either the PIN or the secret question, the Parental Controls will need to be reset. You will need to call the Customer Service number for assistance.
• Finally, select “PIN” to change the PIN, or “Change Settings” to update the setting, you wish to change.
• Once the changes are made, select “Done” to confirm any changes.