Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Roku Channel adds a section just for kids, gives parents more control

By
1 of 3
roku channel family kids parental controls 1
Image used with permission by copyright holder
roku channel family kids parental controls 3
Image used with permission by copyright holder
roku channel family kids parental controls 2
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Roku has been developing its Roku Channel — a one-stop content shop with free and paid video options — at a furious pace. It regularly adds new sources of content, and now it’s giving parents two very helpful features: A specific kids and family section, and the ability to control what viewers see within the Roku Channel based on content ratings.

Recommended Videos

Previously, the Roku Channel had a section called Family Night, but the new Kids and Family section is a more comprehensive spot for age-appropriate content from all of the channels that are now part of the Roku Channel world. There are matches from free, ad-supported sources, as well as any relevant material you might have access to via premium subscriptions to HBO, Starz and others. Even without the paid subscriptions, there is a lot here that kids will like, from classics like Care Bears, My Little Pony, and Dr. Seuss titles, to modern favorites like Bob the Builder. Amoeba, BatteryPop, and KidsGenius are among the early providers of content within the Kids and Family section. The free content skews toward toy company-produced shows like LeapFrog and Super Mario Brothers, but they all have at least a basic educational underpinning. On the bright side, Roku points out that as far as advertising goes, your kids will be exposed to 60% less on the Roku Channel when compared to traditional linear broadcast TV.

Parental controls are also now available on Roku, but only within the Roku Channel itself. It uses a PIN system, which can be enabled from your Roku account settings. Once you set a PIN and choose the level of content that requires an adult’s permission, any out-of-bounds material will prompt the viewer to enter a PIN before playing. Of course, that means you’ll have to enter the PIN for these movies and shows too. This system has no effect on the content played on other channels, so don’t think of it as a perfect filter by any means. It also won’t block inappropriate movies and shows from appearing on screen as thumbnails and descriptions, so if your child tends to find even these kinds of things upsetting, it’s probably best to keep the Roku remote where you can control what they’re seeing.

You can watch the Roku Channel on just about any Roku device, Roku TV, within the Roku app on iOS or Android, or even on the web at https://therokuchannel.roku.com.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen covers a variety of consumer technologies, but has a special interest in audio and video products, like spatial…
You have until June 9 to save $500 off an 85-inch Samsung The Frame TV
A painting being displayed on a Samsung The Frame QLED.

Looking for great TV deals? You still have time to save $500 on the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV when you head over to Samsung. It usually costs $4,300, but right now the popular and stylish TV is down to $3,800, making it more affordable than before. If you’re keen to invest in a large TV but love to save money too, this is a good opportunity. Here’s what you need to know about the TV before you decide to buy.

Why you should buy the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV
One of the best QLED TVs around, the Samsung 85-inch The Frame QLED TV is a delight in so many ways. At its core, it’s a fantastic QLED TV with 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot technology saturating the screen with a billion colors. QLED adds a layer of quantum dots to a TV’s LED backlight with these dots, once exposed to light, emitting their own light with a high level of efficiency to provide great picture quality.

Read more
It’s your last chance to get up to $1,900 off a Samsung OLED TV
The Samsung S90C in a living room environment.

There’s still a little time left to snap up one of the best TV deals available today, with Samsung still selling the 83-inch S90C OLED TV for $3,500 instead of $5,400. The $1,900 discount is a pretty vast one and one that you certainly don’t want to skip. If you’re looking for a great new TV for your large living space, you’re going to love this deal. Let’s take a look at how great the Samsung S90C OLED TV is.

Why you should buy the Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV
Samsung makes some of the best TVs around and we’re huge fans of the Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV. It has an OLED panel so you get self-lit pixels which can light up independently of each other. That means that you can enjoy the deepest blacks and the brightest colors all on the same scene, ensuring you never miss a detail. The Samsung 83-inch S90C OLED TV uses a Neural Quantum Processor with 4K upscaling so its AI-powered processor can transform whatever you’re watching. There’s also HDR OLED which uses AI deep learning to analyze each scene, detecting areas that need to brighter, darker, or simply richer in color.

Read more
This Sonos Bluetooth speaker has a discount in time for beach weather
Sonos Roam SL in black on a rainy rock outdoors.

A day out at the beach. Cooking outside using a discounted grill or smoker. Pool party madness. What do they all three have in common? A lot of fun, but also a great chance to get any sound equipment ruined by a sudden downpour or a splash of inevitable water. That's why there are models of waterproof Bluetooth speakers, of which the Sonos Roam SL is one. And the good news is that you can get yours at a discounted rate before summer officially gets here. Right now, the Sonos Roam SL is just $127, which is $33 down from its typical price of $160. To get yours, all you need to do is tap the button below. Consider also reading below, as we examine the speaker and see why it is considered an easy pick up.

Why you should buy the Sonos Roam SL
The Sonos Roam SL is an easy-to-use, compact speaker for wherever you roam. Connect to it easily over Wi-Fi at home or Bluetooth on the go, giving you easy options to control the sound in a way that makes sense for you and your location. If you're at home and connected to your Wi-Fi system and have other Sonos speakers, you can even get the Sonos multi-room experience, which syncs everything in a nice way. So, you can keep the Sonos Roam SL out on the patio (where it might get rained upon) and keep the best Sonos speakers indoors and have a really cool, worry-free party experience that not many others will be able to replicate.

Read more