Smart TV Parental Controls Explained

Smart TVs are just Large Smartphones!

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When I speak to parents, I ask them to take inventory of how their family members can access the Internet. This includes thinking about all the devices that can be accessed in all the places your kids might spend time. And now that smart TVs are starting to acquire many attributes of smartphones in all of our pockets, we need to consider the ways our kids might be exposed to inappropriate content.

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How do I Protect a Smart TV?

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We’ve come up with a series of questions to ask before and during the smart TV purchase and ownership processes.

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#1: Are you willing to monitor your smart TV like you would a smartphone?

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This is just a question to ensure you respect the risk your smart TV brings into your home. Along with the streaming services your family might love, like Disney+ and Netflix, it probably also includes Twitch (a streaming site for watching other people play video games), YouTube, HBO Max, and many others.

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#2 Is your home’s wireless network well-monitored?

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Remember, your router is the most important digital device in your home! Everything connects to it, including your smart TV. Control problems at the source with solid monitoring over your home’s wireless network.

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Does your router and anything related to WiFi confuse you? No worries! We’ve created the Ultimate Guide to Understanding Routers, which has become an invaluable resource for thousands of formerly (lol) confused parents!

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#3 Have you investigated device-level controls on the smart TV?

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Here’s a starter list:

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• Samsung
• Vizio
• Sony
• LG
• Insignia
• TCL
• Hisense

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#4 Have you considered account-level controls in the apps on the smart TV?

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• Netflix
• Disney+
• Roku
• Amazon (just scroll down a little here until you see it!)
• Hulu
• VUDU
• Sling TV
• HBO Now (regular HBO)
• (HBO) Max (includes additional titles, e.g., Warner Brothers).
• YouTube: Make sure Restricted Mode is set at the router level. Your router is the most important digital device in your home!
• Twitch (now streams on smart TVs, too!)

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#5 Have you reminded your kids that you’re safe?

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Don’t forget the all-important Digital Trust side of the smart TV. Reminding your kids, “Hey, this is still connected to the Internet. If you ever see anything that gives you that funny little feeling in your stomach, it’s no big deal – just let me know! I’m safe.

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”You’ll notice that questions #2 (WiFi), #3 (Device), #4 (Apps), and #5 (Digital Trust), all fit within four of the five layers of digital protection that we promote at PYE (also here in Instagram and here in Facebook):

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What if I have more questions? How can I stay up to date?

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Two actions you can take!

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1. Subscribe to our tech trends newsletter, the PYE Download. About every 3 weeks, we’ll share what’s new, what the PYE team is up to, and a message from Chris.
2. Ask your questions in our private parent community called The Table! It’s not another Facebook group. No ads, no algorithms, no asterisks. Just honest, critical conversations and deep learning! For parents who want to “go slow” together. Become a member today!

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