Netflix is a popular subscription streaming service that brings a lot of exciting video content for its subscribers. It offers the biggest library of films and TV series and is equally popular among kids and adults. As some of the content on Netflix is exclusively for adults, the service provider recognizes its responsibility and offers parental control features to let families make the most of their Netflix experience. These features have been designed to ensure that children are protected from any content on the platform that is not age-appropriate for them.

Wondering what parental controls are available on Netflix, and how you can use them? Let’s get you started with a few of them. 

Restrict Access With PIN-Protected Profiles

Netflix allows parents to secure their profiles using a certain Profile Lock PIN. Here is how you can add a PIN code to a particular Netflix profile.

1. Browse to your Netflix Account page using a web browser
2. Go to Profile & Parental Controls settings for your chosen profile that you plan to lock
3. Click ‘Change’ in front of the Profile Lock option
4. Enter the password of your Netflix Account to proceed
5. Click the checkbox against the option labeled Require a PIN. You can uncheck the same checkbox if you want to remove the restriction
6. Enter your new 4-digit PIN to lock the profile
7. Select the option ‘Require PIN to add new profiles’ if you want the new profiles to be added only by the authorized users
8. Click Save

Create Profiles With a Certain Maturity Rating

Netflix allows you to control your kids’ usage of your account by setting up profiles with a certain maturity rating. You can manage what types of movies, TV shows, and games they can watch and play using your Netflix account by creating their individual profiles with custom maturity ratings. Follow the steps below to create such profiles. 

1. Go to the Manage Profiles page
2. Click Add Profile
3. Enter the name of the profile and select Kids if you want to use the Netflix Kids experience. Kids’ profiles can be recognized with a ‘Kids’ logo on their icon. 
4. Click Continue, and you will find the newly created profile on your account’s profiles list

To set a custom maturity rating for a profile, follow the steps below:

1. Go to the Account page using a web browser
2. Browse the Profile & Parental Controls settings for your desired profile
3. Click ‘Change’ in front of Viewing Restrictions
4. Provide your Netflix password
5. Specify a maturity rating level for the movies and TV shows that you intend to allow for that profile
6. Click Save

That’s it! Netflix will remove any movies, TV shows, and games above your specified maturity level from the selected profile. 

Check and Download Viewing History

Netflix also allows you to spy on your kids or other account users to keep a check on what content they have been consuming on the platform. This parental control feature allows you to see the movies and TV shows that users have watched on a profile on your Netflix account. Here’s how you can do that:

1. Go to the Account page using a web browser
2. Browse the Profile & Parental Controls settings for your desired profile
3. Click Viewing Activity
4. Here you can find the entire viewing history of the profile. If there is a limited list, click on the Show More button.
5. Click Download All from the bottom of the page to download the entire list into a spreadsheet

Parental Control features on Netflix are very useful for parents to make sure their kids only have access to content that is appropriate for them. Let your kids have an entertaining Netflix experience and also act responsibly by keeping their Netflix activity under check.

If you’d rather not let your kids watch Netflix just yet, you can always download your favorite Netflix shows for kids and let your children watch them from a USB thumb drive or by casting the downloaded content to your TV. That’s always a much safer option!