In brief: Netflix on Tuesday said it was giving parents more control over what their children watch on the video streaming service, a timely move considering many kids are actively stuck at home under Covid-19 lockdown orders.
From today, account holders will have the ability to PIN-protect individual profiles to prevent kids from using them. What’s more, parents can filter out titles that are not appropriate based on age using country ratings or even restrict access to individual series or films.
Netflix said that when shows or movies are blocked by name, they will not show up anywhere in that profile.
Netflix already had some parental controls in place but these latest additions really help to shore up its offering.
The move is timely in more than one way. Netflix is facing increased competition from services like Apple TV+, Quibi and more specifically, Disney+, which exclusively features family-friendly programming. Demonstrating to parents that it can be a viable option for families with young children could help attract even more subscribers.
Those interested in establishing user account restrictions can do so by visiting the account settings menu on Netflix’s website or in the mobile app. You’ll also be able to see what sub account viewers have been watching and disable auto-play should you so choose.
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