How does "Nintendo Switch Parental Controls" work? How does it protect children if you don't want to install the mobile app?

Question

I want to have as few apps as possible on my mobile device, so I have not installed the Nintendo Switch Parental Controls mobile app.

During setup, I specified that the child is under 8 years old and that I do not want to use the app.

Now Nintendo Switch Parental Controls is active, you can see it at first glance on the home screen.

However, I do not know what this feature (without app) does exactly. I couldn't find any docs with a web search, only found marketing slides.

Answer 1

_{This is not meant to be a totally comprehensive answer, but...}

Parental controls can be used to set an age limit, at which a 4-digit numeric PIN must be entered on the Switch to play the games with higher age ratings. The age rating limit criteria are specified by you.

So you can set up parental controls once using the app, and then delete the app from your mobile device. No problem at all. Just keep track of your login credentials (should you ever need to reinstall the app to adjust settings) and the 4-digit PIN (for when you want to play any games you have installed that are for an older audience, like yourself or older siblings).

There is also the option to set a time limit on the Switch, if there are issues with getting your kids to limit their playing. I haven't personally used the Play-Time-Limits feature, but you can find more info on all of the parental controls features here.