Parental Controls with Cable TV and Internet
With the amount of programming available on cable TV, through streaming services, and on the Internet, it can be easy for kids to stumble upon inappropriate content.
Parental controls are a great tool to use to keep your little ones safe. Parental controls are a feature available on most cable equipment provided by Service Electric, some streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, as well as on some WiFi systems like our eero Whole-Home WiFi System.
Our team of experts has put together steps for utilizing parental control features below.
Cable equipment through Service Electric.
All digital converters provided by Service Electric have the capability of setting parental controls. Basic digital tuners are the exception to this.
While menu options may differ depending on the type of converter you have, you can go into the Menu and look for Settings or Setup. From there, locate Parental Controls or PIN Setup and follow the steps to create a four-digit PIN. You can set rating limits, or even lock specific channels regardless of the maturity rating of the programming on those channels.
Please feel free to contact our office for instructions specific to the model converter you have through us.
Netflix.
Netflix allows you to create a new, limited user profile for children. While setting up a dedicated user profile for your children will keep your viewing content separate from theirs, they could easily switch from their account to yours.
There is also the option to require a four-digit PIN to access a particular profile (or all profiles). You can even apply separate PINs to each. To set up a PIN, you must log into the Netflix website or Netflix mobile app, and go into Profile & Parental Controls through your Account.
For more in-depth instructions, you can visit this link.
Hulu.
Similar to Netflix, Hulu allows subscribers to create Kids Profiles and PIN Protection settings to help ensure that they are not accessing content that may be deemed inappropriate.
While enabling PIN Protection is not required to create a Kids Profile, doing both will require that a PIN is entered prior to accessing non-Kids Profiles. Enabling PIN Protection also will require a PIN before allowing the user to create a new profile. To enable PIN Protection, log into your Hulu account on their website, hover over your profile icon, select Manage Profiles, and click Turn on PIN Protection. You will then have to enter your password and create a PIN.
This link may be helpful if you have any trouble with parental controls through Hulu.
eero Whole-Home WiFi.
While many modern wireless routers offer some sort of parental control options, our eero Whole-Home WiFi system makes it quick and easy to not only view connected devices but limit screen time and set parental controls through the eero app.
When you first open and log into your eero app, the Home screen will show you a breakdown of the devices in your home that are connected to the eero WiFi. You can select a device and add it to a Profile for added control of that device. After selecting a device, tap Profile, and then select an already active profile or tap the + in the top right to Add a Profile. Profiles make it easy to Pause devices, Schedule Pauses, add Content Filters, and track Data Usage on your devices.
Contact our office for a full walk-through, or if you have any questions about the features the eero app provides.
*Please feel free to reach out to our trained support representatives if you have any questions regarding parental controls on equipment provided from Service Electric.