During this pandemic, kids are at home, kids are at home since their schooling has switched to online platforms. Even though school is still in session there’s plenty of downtime for kids to watch streaming platforms and play games online. As a result, Netflix has updated their parental controls to help parents better monitor what their children are able to watch.
Parents can now add a pin number to individual accounts, filter out inappropriate titles even if they fall within the assigned maturity level, see what your children have been watching and rating (and when), and turn off autoplay. This is a major update from previous versions. If parents wanted to add a pin number before, it would be added to everyone’s profile forcing them to sign in for their children. Netflix also has a default “Kids” profile that is limited to kid-friendly content with the highest rating being PG which isn’t ideal for kids who are old enough to watch PG-13 and TV-14 content.
Variety mentions Michelle Parsons’, Netflix’s global product manager for kids programming, comment regarding parental control. Parsons states, “Choice and control have always been important for our members, especially parents. We hope that these additional controls will help parents make the right choices for their families.”
I don’t think these updates could have come at a better time with children inside all day with more access to Netflix than usual. They know how to use technology better than some of their parents. I’ve seen my little cousins use their electronics with ease as if they’ve been using them their whole life and it’s because they have. Parents need help with protecting their children because some parents aren’t as tech-savvy as their little ones. Parents want comfort in knowing their kids can be entertained and safe while browsing through streaming platforms.
Two features from this update I think are most important is being able to turn off autoplay and adding pins to individual accounts. Movies and shows take approximately two seconds to play once you scroll over them. Children are subject to preview an inappropriate title without trying, so turning it off can prevent any accidental viewing from happening. Being able to lock the adult profiles is crucial because if kids are able to access their parent’s profile then they can switch profiles just as easily.
Modifications to a profile can be made easily and quickly. All of the controls can be accessed under the main account in the “Profile and Parental Controls” tab on a computer. A password is required to make any changes which is better for parents because their kids can’t make any changes to their profile on their own.
Streaming services are the new TV, but watching shows on a tablet is different from watching them on the couch. Parents aren’t always able to know what they’re kids are watching and parental controls provide parents with relief. They can trust their kids and know they aren’t consuming inappropriate content.
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