Without a doubt, the internet has come a long way and very possibly evolved beyond the imagination of those who first conceived it. The use of parental control has become a tool that most internet-savvy parents have come to utilize and find some solace in to protect their wards. Among the ways they’ve achieved some form of control is through the parental controls option as it provides a way for parents to set up a more personalized viewing experience. Among such internet streaming service providers is Roku TV. Here’s How to Set Parental Controls on Your Roku TV.
What is Roku TV
Roku TV, a major platform and a leading pioneer in the smart TV and streaming services technology sector, a product of Roku Inc. and her partners. A maker of both hardware and software that provide a seamless streaming platform for itself and other streaming service providers like Netflix, Hulu, Disney plus and others. Before purchasing Roku TV though, it is good to be aware of the parental controls available and how to set them up. Also, make sure you can create different user profiles, including setting up a child’s account. You should also consider it pros and cons. You should also be aware that various streaming services supported on Roku TV such as Netflix, Hulu, Disney plus amongst others, require individual parental control setup that can be found on their websites.
Before we explore how to setup parental controls on Roku TV let us understand what parental controls are and what it does. What are it pros and cons? Because for children, the internet is a massive entity. Whether it is information or entertainment, today’s young people literally have their world at their fingertips. But there’s a dark side, too, and it is alarming many parents, often not nearly as tech-savvy as their children.
What are parental controls?
Parental controls these are the names for a group of settings that put you in control of what content your child is exposed to. Combined with privacy settings, these can help you protect your children from unsuitable and indecent content, online grooming, cyberbullying and other online safety issues.
What does parental controls do on Roku TV?
In an attempt to come up with ways to shield children from internet risks, including exposure to inappropriate materials, the parents are caught between demands they do something, the technical difficulties of grappling with a technologically advancing world, and the philosophical question of where the responsibility of parents begins and ends. Parental controls therefore, helps Set up a kids profile on Roku TV to choose which programs your kids can watch, and to set up bedtime reminders and screen time limits.
Pros of parental controls
- It blocks inappropriate content, intervene in risky situations as in the event where the parent is preoccupied, monitor screen time and time spent online and prevent unauthorized spending.
Cons of parental controls
- It arouses a child’s natural curiosity and trust me no parent wants that. Tech-savvy children can get around them. Does not stop predators and scammers from making contact.
How to Set Parental Controls on Your Roku TV
Roku streaming devices don’t have any kind of universal parental controls, but with the use of a PIN, it’s possible to prevent children from adding channels and purchasing apps, movies, and shows from the Roku Channel Store. Here’s how to do it:
- Log in to your Roku account through a smartphone or web browser.
- Under PIN preference, select Update.
- Choose your PIN preferences. For the highest level of access restriction, select Always require a PIN to make purchases and add items from the Channel Store.
- You’ll be prompted to create a PIN. Enter and verify a 4-digit PIN. If you already have a PIN, you can change it here.
- Under Parental Controls for the Roku Channel, select Little kids, Young kids, or Teens to require a PIN for the described content. Select Save Changes. This setting is specifically for content within The Roku Channel.
- Now, if your children want to purchase a movie or add a channel, they’ll have to ask you for a PIN, and you can decide if the content is appropriate. However, you can also remove Channels You Deem Inappropriate
It’s easy to remove any channels you don’t want your kids to access, or add kid-friendly channels.
A PIN isn’t necessary to remove a channel though, anyone can remove channels from your lineup. So to do that;
- Using the Roku remote or Roku Mobile app, select the installed app you want to remove on the Roku home page.
- Press the Options button (*) on your Roku remote.
- Select Remove Channel.
- Select Remove to confirm the channel’s removal.
- Repeat the above steps for other channels you want to remove.
- If you set PIN preferences in your account, you’ll need your PIN to add a deleted channel back in or add a new channel.
How to Hide the Movie Store and TV Store?
In addition to removing channels, you can hide Roku’s Movie Store and TV Store from the Roku home page, so it’s not there to tempt the kids.
- From the Roku home page, select Settings > Home Screen.
- On the Home Screen Settings page, select the arrow in the right corner to proceed.
- On the next page, select Movie Store and TV Store, then select Hide.
You can revisit this page anytime and select “Show” to access the Roku Movie Store and TV Store.
How to turn on parental controls on Roku TV
If you have a Roku TV, in addition to the above controls, you can control content based on a TV or movie’s rating.
- Go to the Roku home page.
- Select Settings.
- Select Parental Controls.
- Enter (or create) your PIN.
- Upon PIN entry confirmation, you’ll be taken to the TV tuner page. Select Enable Parental Controls.
- Scroll down to the Movie ratings option you want to change. You’ll see the rating categories.
- Select the rating restrictions you want to activate. A lock icon will appear to the right of the rating description.
- To block unrated content, including movies, select Block all Unrated Programs.
After completing the aforementioned steps, blocking programs or movies will only be possible upon re-entering the Roku PIN.
- If you desire, select Reset parental controls to remove any changes you’ve made.
As parents we must always remember, the internet is dynamic and in a world that’s getting closer and closer together.
In our digital era, safeguarding the young and future generations requires deliberate and united actions. Therefore ”Dangerous and harmful material directed at children cannot be excused on the basis of freedom of speech.”