This article was written by Kayelene Kerr from eSafeKids.
Parental control tools can assist to monitor, restrict, limit and filter what children and young people do and see online. There are many tools available and they all offer different functions. In this blog we'll explore the tools available for Netflix.
The benefits of a Netflix child profile
To choose the types of TV shows, movies and games your child can watch or play you can manage their profile individually or create a profile with Netflix Kids.
The Netflix parental controls allow parents to customise up to 5 profiles on a single Netflix account. Each profile can be customised and allows you to set:
Language preference
Maturity level
Specific viewing restrictions
Profile lock
Viewing activity log
Game handle
Game saves
Subtitle appearance
Playback settings
Personalised TV show and movie suggestions
My List
Ratings
The Netflix Kids experience profile:
Has a logo on the profile icon so it is easy to identify.
Has a simplified look and feel.
Removes direct access to account settings.
Plays only TV shows and movies carefully selected for kids.
Doesn't feature Netflix Games.
Step 1 - Create a profile
Option 1 - Create an individual profile
From a web browser, go to your Manage Profiles page.
Select Add Profile. * From the lower right, tap My Netflix
Name the profile.
Select Continue or Save. The new profile should show on the list of profiles on your account.
Option 2 - Create a kids profile
Step 2 - Set profile maturity ratings or block specific titles
When you set a maturity rating for a profile, that profile will see only TV shows, movies, and games at or below that rating. You can also block specific TV shows or movies from individual profiles.
Set maturity rating
From a web browser, go to your Account page.
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to manage.
Change the Viewing Restrictions setting.
Enter your Netflix password.
Set the maturity rating level for the TV shows and movies you want to allow in that profile.
Select Save. TV shows, movies, and games above the selected maturity level will be removed from the profile.
Block or unblock TV shows or movies
In Australia, Netflix uses the following TV and movie ratings:
Step 3 - Restrict Account Access
To restrict access to a specific profile on your account, you can protect it with a Profile Lock PIN. This will prevent your child from using an Adult profile to watch content. Hint: Make sure your child doesn't know your pin.
Autoplay
You may want to turn off autoplay this stops Netflix automatically playing previews.
Autoplay - iPhone, iPad, Android phone or tablet
From the lower right, tap My Netflix.
From the upper right, tap More or .
Tap Manage Profiles .
Select the profile you want to edit.
Toggle the switch next to Autoplay Next Episode to turn the setting on or off.
In the upper right, tap Done.
Autoplay - All other devices
Viewing History
You can see the TV shows and movies that have been watched on each profile on your account.
How to see viewing history and device activity
From a web browser, go to your Account page.
Open the Profile & Parental Controls settings for the profile you want to see.
Open Viewing activity.
If you see a limited list, use the Show More button.
Don't set and forget
While parental controls are valuable tools for managing and guiding a child's digital experience, they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. Parental controls can help mitigate certain risks and provide a level of supervision, but they are most effective when used in conjunction with parental supervision, education, conversation and participation.
Open communication between parents and children is vital. Parents should actively engage in conversations with their children about responsible technology use, online safety, and the potential risks associated with the digital world. Educating children on making informed decisions and cultivating a sense of digital responsibility and resilience is crucial.
Parental controls work best when combined with a balanced approach that includes both technological safeguards and ongoing communication.
Further information
You may like to read the following eSafeKids Blogs:
To learn more about eSafeKids workshops and training visit our services page.
To view our wide range of child friendly resources visit our online shop.
Join the free eSafeKids online Members' Community. It has been created to support and inspire you in your home, school, organisation and/or community setting.
About The Author
Kayelene Kerr is recognised as one of Western Australia’s most experienced specialist providers of Protective Behaviours, Body Safety, Cyber Safety, Digital Wellness and Pornography education workshops. Kayelene is passionate about the prevention of child abuse and sexual exploitation, drawing on over 27 years’ experience of study and law enforcement, investigating sexual crimes, including technology facilitated crimes. Kayelene delivers engaging and sought after prevention education workshops to educate, equip and empower children and young people, and to help support parents, carers, educators and other professionals. Kayelene believes protecting children from harm is a shared responsibility and everyone can play a role in the care, safety and protection of children. Kayelene aims to inspire the trusted adults in children’s lives to tackle sometimes challenging topics.
About eSafeKids
eSafeKids strives to reduce and prevent harm through proactive prevention education, supporting and inspiring parents, carers, educators and other professionals to talk with children, young people and vulnerable adults about protective behaviours, body safety, cyber safety, digital wellness and pornography. eSafeKids is based in Perth, Western Australia.
eSafeKids provides books and resources to teach children about social and emotional intelligence, resilience, empathy, gender equality, consent, body safety, protective behaviours, cyber safety, digital wellness, media literacy, puberty and pornography.
eSafeKids books can support educators teaching protective behaviours and child abuse prevention education that aligns with the Western Australian Curriculum, Australian Curriculum, Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and National Quality Framework: National Quality Standards (NQS).
