Streaming Services with Parental Controls: Do They Go Far Enough?

Whether you're a stay-at-home parent or a busy professional, "So, what are you watching these days?" or "Have you started that hyped series?" have become common icebreakers. Even children in schools often discuss TV shows more than their studies

The convenience and accessibility of streaming content, both old and new, have attracted a massive audience across all demographics over the past decade. A recent survey found approximately 1.8 billion subscriptions to various streaming networks. By January 2024, 36% of viewers were using streaming platforms to watch their favorite TV shows.

Streaming platforms are often children's first introduction to the digital world through nursery rhymes or educational videos on phones. While this is undoubtedly convenient, it also raises a growing concern.

As children become more accustomed to streaming, they soon want to navigate these platforms independently, making it harder for parents to maintain control. How can you ensure your children are only exposed to age-appropriate content at that point?

Streaming services offer parental controls, but the question remains: Are these controls truly sufficient? Do they provide the protection and customization necessary to keep kids safe from inappropriate content?

Are Parental Controls Necessary on Streaming Platforms?

Streaming services will create or incorporate content from all types of source material in an effort to appease audiences of all genres. This means that content meant for adults may find its way into the recommended section of a child using their parent’s account.

It is easier than ever before for young users to stumble upon or even seek out content that may contain violence, explicit language, or themes that are too mature for them.

Parents are concerned about this, and streaming platforms are aware of these risks. They have integrated parental controls to empower parents to oversee and manage their children’s viewing habits. These controls are necessary for parents. However, the effectiveness of these tools can vary significantly from one platform to another.

You must use all the parental controls the streaming services provide to protect your children. If you think these services offer less stringent controls, you can acquire parental monitoring apps.

Let’s take a look at the parental controls popular streaming platforms provide. We’ll cover:

● Netflix

● Amazon Prime

● Apple TV

● Hulu

● Disney Plus

Parental Controls on Popular Streaming Platforms

Parental controls have become a standard feature across primary streaming services, but the extent of their functionality can differ significantly. Below, we review the parental control options available on some of the most widely used platforms.

Netflix

Netflix is the top streaming platform with the most subscribed services. It has 25% of global streaming traffic and is preferred by more than 47% of Americans over other streaming platforms.

Most subscribers are on family plans, where you can add friends and family. So, it is allowed on children's phones as well. Keeping this in view, Netflix offers a comprehensive suite of parental controls designed to create a safe viewing environment for children.

Parents can set up individual profiles with specific maturity ratings, ensuring children only access content suitable for their age group. You can also view your children's streaming history.

Additionally, Netflix allows you to lock certain profiles with a PIN and restrict access to specific content using title-based filters.

Here is how you can apply the parental monitoring settings for Netflix.

Select " Add " From the Netflix web and enter your child's name.

From Manage profiles. Select from the options;

● For Young Children Only: G-rated content only

● For Older Kids and Below: PG and G-rated content only

● For Teens and Below: PG-13, PG, and G-rated content only

● All Maturity Levels: No restrictions

To add parental controls, start by navigating to your profile.

● Scroll down to the "Profile and Parental Controls" section.

● Click the drop-down arrow next to your child’s profile and select "Viewing Restrictions." Then, click "Change."

● Here, you can set the appropriate maturity level for your child’s profile (e.g., PG).

Additionally, you can block specific titles in the Netflix catalog. To do this, go to the "Title Restrictions" section and enter the name of any TV show or movie you want to prevent your child from viewing.

Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime has amassed 163.6 million viewers in 2024. The platform started gaining significant traction in 2011 and is now available in 25 countries.

Amazon Prime offers parental controls that allow parents to set age restrictions on content and manage purchases. These controls can be applied across all devices, including smartphones, ensuring consistent protection.

You can add six profiles, including the children's profile, and use the PIN feature to restrict access to specific content or purchases, adding an extra security layer. However, the platform's user interface for parental controls can be cumbersome, potentially limiting its effectiveness for less tech-savvy parents.

To create a profile for your child, log into the Prime Video website.

● Go to your profile and click “Add New”.

● Enter the name of the profile.

● Toggle the button to turn on the kid’s profile.

This will enable

Apple TV

Apple launched its streaming service, Apple TV+, in 2019 and its viewership went up to 39 million users in 2022. The app provides multiple parental control options that integrate seamlessly with the broader Apple ecosystem.

Apple TV+ allows you to restrict access to content based on ratings and prevent unauthorized purchases through family-sharing settings. The controls extend to apps and other content accessible through Apple TV. It offers a more holistic approach to managing what children can access on their smartphones.

To set up parental controls and purchase restrictions for your child on Apple TV, you'll need to create a four-digit PIN, which will be required to access the restriction settings in your account. Here's how to make the PIN:

● Turn on your Apple TV device and navigate to the Settings option at the bottom of the main screen.

● Select General, and then choose Restrictions.

● Enter your new four-digit PIN and click OK.

● Once you've set the PIN, you can turn on various restrictions on the Restrictions page to control what your child can access.

Hulu

Hulu has had a somewhat controversial journey over the years. However, it is now gaining traction with 43 million subscribers, of which 4.4 million have subscribed to Hulu's Live TV services.

Hulu's parental controls are relatively straightforward. The platform allows you to create six profiles per account and separate profiles for children, ensuring they only access age-appropriate content.

However, unlike other platforms, Hulu does not offer granular control over individual titles or allow users to set PIN restrictions, which might limit its effectiveness in more tailored scenarios.

To create a profile for your child on Hulu, log in on the web and follow these steps:

● On the "Who’s Watching?" screen, click the + icon to add a new profile and set a profile name.

● You can enable the Kids feature to restrict content, limiting the available content to kid-friendly movies and TV shows.

● Alternatively, you can turn off the Kids feature and enter your child’s age. If your child is under 13, they won’t be able to access any R-rated or TV-MA content.

Disney Plus

Disney Plus is a renowned SVOD platform known for its family-friendly content, but it also includes more mature titles under the Star and Marvel brands.

Currently, it has a subscriber base of 153.6 million worldwide. Disney+ Core and Disney+ Hotstar are also streaming platforms under this umbrella.

Disney started as family entertainment, so it offers robust parental controls. These include the ability to create child-specific profiles that restrict content to age-appropriate levels.

You can also lock adult profiles with a PIN, preventing younger viewers from accessing restricted smartphone content.

Here's how you can create a profile for your children:

● Select your profile and choose Edit Profiles. Then, click Add Profile.

● Enter a name for the new profile and select an image for the profile icon.

● Toggle on Kids Profile to enable viewing restrictions. When Kids Profile is turned on, your child can only access content rated G, TV-Y, TV-Y7/Y7-FV, or TV-G.

Are the Parental Controls on These Platforms Enough?

Most streaming apps offer robust parental control to protect your children from inappropriate content. Although you can implement age restrictions with a few settings, the question remains: are they enough?

The effectiveness of these controls largely depends on how well they are implemented and used by parents. For instance, Netflix's profile-based controls are good but rely heavily on parents actively managing and updating settings. Similarly, Amazon Prime's PIN feature is only effective if parents remember to set it up and maintain it consistently.

Moreover, children nowadays are more tech-savvy than their parents. They may find ways to bypass these controls, especially on platforms like YouTube, where the content is not always as tightly regulated. Even on platforms like Hulu and Disney Plus, children can easily bypass the restrictions and seek content that may not suit them.

In essence, while the parental controls provided by these platforms offer a foundation for safe viewing, they may not be sufficient as standalone solutions. For more comprehensive monitoring, you require measures that guarantee content filtration and protection.

Phone Monitoring Apps for Streaming Platforms

Given the limitations of the parental controls offered by streaming platforms, many parents turn to third-party phone monitoring apps that provide in-depth monitoring and insights without spending too much time on settings.

Parental monitoring apps have various features, with the primary goal of protecting children from inappropriate content and other horrors of the internet. For example, apps like XNSPY offer a tool known as a keylogger, which allows you to understand what your children are searching for on the internet.

The app lets you monitor what your children watch in real-time, including on streaming platforms. The screenshot feature allows you to take screenshots of the screen, which provides a clear picture of what your children are watching on their phones, regardless of the streaming platform.

Additionally, XNSPY offers a screen recording feature that allows you to record the screen whenever you want, so if your preteen or early teen is watching something in the room, you can check it through the screenshot.

XNSPY includes advanced features like remote device locking, which can restrict access to streaming services during certain hours, such as bedtime or homework time. You can also view and block apps remotely to discipline your children and prevent overindulgence.

Conclusion

Streaming services have become a part of most of our daily lives. When adults regularly stream, they cannot stop their children. The only plausible solution is to use the parental controls provided by the platform.

Parental controls on streaming services are essential in managing what children can access online, but they are not without limitations. As children increasingly consume content on personal devices like smartphones, the need for more robust and effective controls becomes apparent.

By combining the built-in controls of streaming services with the advanced features of monitoring apps, you can better safeguard their children’s digital experiences, ensuring they enjoy safe and appropriate content for their age.