Sony revealed that PlayStation Network users are now able to upgrade Sub Accounts to Master Accounts, ending the payment and content restrictions currently in place to protect players under the age of 18. Speaking withPolygon, Sony product manager Chris Thielbar noted that the unannounced policy change was made "very recently."
As part of the PlayStation Network's guidelines, minors must create a Sub Account under a parent or guardian's Master Account, and are subject to spending limits imposed by the Master Account's payment options. Until recently, however, Sub Accounts were unable to upgrade to Master Accounts even after a user turned 18; Sony instead recommended that "the sub account holder should create a new master account when they reach 18."
Account transition functionality is now available upon request for PlayStation 3 users, and will be accessible for PlayStation 4 owners when the console launches later this week.