How to Track What Your Child Is Watching on Netflix
Netflix has begun rolling out new tools to make it easier for parents to keep track of what their kids are watching on the streaming service. First, the Kids Activity Report breaks down the types of shows your kids watch the most and the main “topics” in that content; it will highlight their favorite characters (so you can better understand what the hell is Auggie and these cockroaches ); and he will provide fresh recommendations.
Second, a new “family profile” setting will be released that acts as a sort of bridge between kid-only and regular profiles. That is, it will include shows with more mature ratings (up to a PG-13 rating for films and up to a TV-14 rating for TV shows), but which are generally considered more family-friendly if children are watching with their parents.
As The Verge reports:
Emails sent to customers with child accounts started going out this weekend to let parents know they can subscribe to the report. The report also features Joke of the Day, coloring pages (based on Netflix characters and TV shows) to print for kids stuck at home, and prepared questions they can ask their kids based on their favorite TV show or character.
Hopefully parents can better connect with their kids by gaining a better understanding of what they’re watching, even if they don’t want to watch it themselves, Michelle Parsons, who leads Netflix’s innovative kids and family group, told The Verge .
Both tools are currently being rolled out in select markets as part of global testing. In the meantime, you may realize that it has been a long time since you looked into what your child was viewing. There is also a way to quickly check your kids’ recent activity:
- Go to the Netflix homepage in your browser and sign in.
- Hover over the account symbol in the upper right corner and click Account.
- Scroll down to your child’s account, click the down arrow and select View Activity .
- All of their activity will be displayed, starting with the most recently watched shows.
(Apparently this month my son has watched a lot of LEGO Jurassic World: Legend of Isla Nublar and Pokémon Journeys: The Series . Last month it was Garfield, all the time.)
This list doesn’t give you all the features that the new Kids Activity Report promises, such as short descriptions or recommendations, but you can click directly on every show they’ve watched from this list if you want to explore it a little more closely.