New Help with Nintendo Switch Family Online Subscription & Family Group

[PatoPato]

I'll try and keep this punchy...

Our Switch console is linked to my email address (but unfortunately under my son's Avatar as it was his present. I now regret this)
On my Nintendo account (via PC) I'm admin I've added 2 child accounts and another adult account (DH) to my Family Group
I've just upgraded my Individual Online Subscription (used by my DS) to a Family online subscription.
Yet only DS can play online on the console (like before I upgraded)

My question is how does the console know for example that my DD's Avatar is part of my family online subscription and my family group? Do I need to link the 3 of us who also use the console to the membership somehow? I feel like I am missing something. Am even finding this post difficult to word as have been tying myself in knots trying to get it all to knit up.
Any help would be very much appreciated...we are all so frustrated

[SpideyMom]

@PatoPato sorry to jump on this and not being able to give you an answer but I'm hoping you can help me.

My son has a Switch and has his account linked to mine as its a child's account. I do not play it and if I do its through his account. His account is restricted by banning purchases. He is very good but I don't want to take any risks.

I am looking at taking out an online membership to open up some games for him and play with friends. We don't need a family account though as we only have 1 switch. However because his is linked to my account does it mean we need a family membership? I hope not.
Also does having online membership make it easy to make purchases? I really don't want him being able to click things and make purchases easily.

Thank you

[PatoPato]

@SpideyMom...you are in the same situation as I was before the rest of us started playing
The console is registered to me which means he can play but all purchases require me to enter my password. This works well
I then bought him an Individual Subscription in my name and this also worked well (until other family members wanted to play)

So you will be fine with the set up you are considering. I would create a 'family account' though so you can earmark him as your child if only for monitoring purposes. I installed the Parental Controls app on my phone and it is very useful to keep an eye on activity & any new purchase alerts

[SpideyMom]

@PatoPato thank you. I find it all so confusing. It's abit annoying that online membership is needed for games but thankfully the cost is relatively low.

What I don't want to do is set him up a membership via my account and him not be able to use it or it be restricted which I understand on the playstation one it is.

Sorry if I am being thick, but have a got this right?
I can set him up an individual account in his name (or my name), using my existing account which he has been added to my family group? Will he be restricted or will I be able to ban any purchases? This is one of my main worries. Kids click easily and though he has never done it before I don't want to take any chances. I may be overthinking it though and he may actually not be able to buy anything on games anyway whilst playing online?

The only times he would play with family members is when he takes the switch with him to stay at Grandparents for example in which they would play together all through his account. May I ask why you favour the family account though? Do you have multiple users? If my son wanted to play a game with me or his grandad for example would that mean his grandad would need his own account too?

Thanks for your advice.

[SpideyMom]

I have the parental controls app too. I haven't had to bother with it too much as he plays the console with me in the same room and he hasn't had the online capability yet. However I agree its very useful

[PatoPato]

With the set up your are looking at a password had to be entered for any purchase which requires logging on to the Switch unit itself or this can be done from the computer. Unless your son cracks your password you are safe.
I had no problems with both registration & subscription being in my name. My son just wanted the online subscription to be able to play Mario Maker online with a friend who is playing in his own home - they 'friend' each other by swapping a unique identification number. You do not meed an online subscription to play multiplayer games on the same console (for example Mario Party)....just to be able to hook up remotely with other online players in other households.

We ran into problems when my husband got addicted to Animal Crossing (hilarious given the profile of most players) and wanted to be able to visit other players' islands under his login. Only my son could do this (somehow the single online subscription in my name is attached to his login...this is the bit I got confused about in my question above) so my husband would have to log on as my son who is a less experienced player in that game. That's when I upgraded to the family subscription - purely for my husband to visit other AC islands online as his character. It has got him through lockdown I kid you not. I can also see how many hours he has clocked up playing Animal Crossing. And it is shocking!

[SpideyMom]

Thats made me laugh @PatoPato I asked my son if he fancied animal crossing and he replied, "no I'm a big boy now" hahahaha

When playing online with others how does this happen? God I must sound so stupid. My DS hasn't added any friends yet. To be honest I don't think he really cares about playing online he doesn't know what it is, but I just want to open up more of his games for him. Does he need to request friends?

[PatoPato]

We used this page to learn how to 'friend'
www.tomsguide.com/uk/us/add-friends-nintendo-switch,review-4244.html

My son hardly uses it on the games he plays (various Pokemon & Mario games) but it come into its own on Animal Crossing. Initially we visited my son's friend's island but now my husband just looks up 'Dodo codes' online which are sort of temporary friend codes from strangers to visit their islands. I don't let my kids do this if we are not playing or in the room though they'll not always obey us forever. It's a risk we are currently taking

[SpideyMom]

I think this is why I am in two minds. I've never been keen at the thought of playing online and talking to others. But some games really require online play don't they