How do I set up parental controls on Netflix?

To set up parental controls on Netflix, give your child their own profile, set that profile’s maturity rating to the age you’re happy with, and then put a Profile Lock PIN on your own profile so they can’t simply switch over to it. You can also block individual shows or films and turn off autoplay. It’s all free and included with every plan. Most of it can be done in the Netflix app, but a few settings, especially for Kids profiles, need a web browser. Set aside about ten minutes.

The steps below come from Netflix’s own Help Centre and the Internet Matters guide. Netflix updates its apps often, so if a menu looks a little different, the linked help pages are the place to check.

Step 1: Give your child their own profile

Netflix’s own announcement says every account has a kids profile built in, and parents can set profiles to specific age levels (Netflix). If your child is watching on yours or a shared “Family” profile, that’s the first thing to change.

Internet Matters describes adding one in the app (Internet Matters):

1. Open the Netflix app and select Add on the “Who’s watching?” screen.
2. Type your child’s name and turn on the Kids Profile toggle.
3. Select Save.

A Kids profile gives a simpler, child-friendly version of Netflix. One thing to know: Netflix says that changing the maturity rating or blocking titles on a Kids profile has to be done in a web browser, not the app (Netflix Help). If you have an older child who wants the normal look, you can leave the toggle off and rely on the maturity rating in Step 2 instead.

Step 2: Set the profile’s age rating

When you set a maturity rating for a profile, Netflix says that profile only sees shows, films and games rated at or below that level (Netflix Help). That includes Netflix’s games, whose ratings follow the same setting.

In Ireland and the UK, Netflix uses ratings provided in partnership with the BBFC, the UK’s film classification body (Netflix Help):

• U (suitable for all ages) and PG (parental guidance): recommended for kids
• 12 (ages 12 and up): recommended for teens
• 15 and 18: recommended for adults

On an iPhone, iPad or Android phone or tablet (Netflix Help):

1. Open the Netflix app and tap My Netflix in the lower right.
2. Tap the profile name at the top, then Manage Profiles.
3. Choose your child’s profile and tap Viewing Restrictions, then Maturity Rating.
4. Enter your Netflix account password.
5. Choose the rating level you’re happy with.

In a web browser (and for any Kids profile):

1. Go to your Account page on the Netflix website and select Profiles.
2. Select Adjust parental controls, then choose your child’s profile.
3. Confirm it’s you, with a code sent to your email or phone, or your password.
4. Set the maturity rating and select Save.

You might need to switch profiles and back, or sign out and in again, before the change shows up on the TV.

Step 3: Lock your own profile with a PIN

This is the step families most often miss. An age limit on your child’s profile doesn’t help much if they can tap onto yours. A Profile Lock is a four-digit PIN that has to be entered before anyone opens that profile (Netflix Help).

In the app:

1. Tap My Netflix, then the profile name, then Manage Profiles.
2. Choose your own profile and tap Profile Lock.
3. Tap Create a Profile Lock, enter your account password, then choose four numbers.

In a web browser: go to Account > Profiles, choose your profile, select Profile Lock, then Create a Profile Lock, enter four numbers and select Save PIN.

Do the same for any other grown-up or older-teen profiles in the house. Netflix notes that some older devices don’t work with Profile Lock PINs, so it’s worth testing on each TV and tablet.

Step 4: Stop them adding a new profile

Children are quick to discover that they can make their own fresh profile with no limits. Netflix lets you require the PIN before anyone adds a profile, but only from a web browser and only on the main profile, which is the one shown first on the “Who’s watching?” screen (Netflix Help):

1. In a browser, go to your Account page and select Profiles.
2. Choose the main profile and select Profile Lock.
3. Confirm it’s you with a code or your password.
4. Tick Require PIN to add new profiles, then select Save PIN.

Step 5: Block particular titles (optional)

Sometimes a show is rated fine but isn’t right for your child, or for a younger sibling who watches along. You can block it by name (Netflix Help):

1. In the app, go to My Netflix > profile name > Manage Profiles, choose the profile, then Viewing Restrictions > Block Titles. In a browser, use Account > Profiles > Adjust parental controls and find Title Restrictions.
2. Enter your password if asked.
3. Type the show or film’s name and select it to add it to the blocked list.

Remember, on a Kids profile this has to be done in a browser.

Step 6: Turn off autoplay and check viewing history

Autoplay is what makes “just one more episode” so easy. Internet Matters suggests going to your child’s Edit Profile page and turning off Autoplay next episode, and says turning off autoplay previews also cuts down on distraction while they scroll (Internet Matters). Without autoplay, the end of an episode becomes a natural moment to stop, which can save a few arguments.

Netflix also says parents can look at a profile’s viewing history to see what’s been watched (Netflix). It’s a gentle way to start a chat about what they’re enjoying, rather than something to check up on them with.

What to do next

• Tonight: check that each child has their own profile with the right maturity rating, and put a Profile Lock PIN on your own profile.
• When you’re next at a laptop: log in to your Netflix account in a browser and tick Require PIN to add new profiles on the main profile. This is the one setting the app can’t do.
• Turn off autoplay on your child’s profile if episodes tend to run into each other at bedtime.
• Tell your child what you’ve set up and why. Children are more likely to go along with limits they understand, and you can agree to revisit the rating as they get older.

Every family’s choices will look a bit different, and that’s fine. Netflix’s controls are a useful safety net, and watching something together now and then is still one of the easiest ways to know what your child is enjoying.