Netflix is introducing new parental controls in an effort to bolster its appeal to parents. With Netflix's userbase growing, and children being trusted with their own profiles, this is a good way of ensuring kids aren't watching anything inappropriate.

Parents generally don't want their children watching TV shows and movies aimed at adults. Unfortunately, the rise of streaming services makes that difficult to police. Which is why Netflix's new parental controls are a welcome sight.

Netflix has always given parents broad control over what younger members of the family can watch. However, parents will now be able to stop their children from watching particular shows and movies. And see at a glance whether a title is age-appropriate.

More Granular Control for Parents

Previously, parents could set up Netflix profiles for their children and set PIN protections based on different maturity levels. But now, in addition to this, parents can add PIN protection to individual movies and TV shows.

This could be useful if you're happy for your kids to watch some shows with mature themes, but aren't comfortable with the way a particular show handles that subject matter. It's a small change, but one which gives parents more granular control.

You're Not Mature Enough

Netflix will also now be displaying the maturity rating for individual movies and TV shows more prominently. So, when you start playing a piece of content it will say "Rated PG" or "Rated NC-17" in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

These age ratings, as well as the specific reasons why a title is rated as such, are already available in the descriptions. However, now, even if your kid manages to start playing a movie you'll still have the chance to check its rating.

Feeling Threatened by Disney

These are two minor improvements to Netflix's parental controls, but they're important ones nonetheless. Especially with Disney, a brand parents around the world trust, launching its own streaming service in the not-too-distant future.

While these new parental controls are welcome, it's not just kids who want to be in control of what they watch. So be sure to scour our tips to manage what you watch on Netflix. Or, if you're a new subscriber, our guide to Netflix could prove invaluable.

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