Netflix: Dangers and Solutions

Netflix has to be one of the most subscribed internet companies on the planet. Netflix has, according to Wikipedia published back in October 2017, 109.25 million subscribers and is no doubt growing.

The service can be accessed via every electronic device currently on the market, via smartphones, smart television sets, electronic games consoles, laptops, tablets, all manner of electronic media it seems.

The company was founded by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in 1997 in California. Back then internet television was in its infancy and I bet the founders of Netflix did not even realise what impact the company was going to have in the world of media.

Neither I suspect did they realise they had hit on a goldmine which would bring them a multitude of viewers of all ages and backgrounds from across the world.

Today you are looked on as something of an oddity if you are not signed up watching shows like Game of Thrones and Vikings. Netflix specialises in streaming their programming and DVD orders amongst other facilities. Internet television is the future and if media companies are not aware and savvy to this then they might as well be dinosaurs in the modern age.

As mentioned all age groups watch Netflix, however, this article is centred on children. Parents, grandparents etc will worry or wonder what kids are watching and that is only natural. While others do not care unfortunately which demonstrates a poor attitude amongst many adults with children.

Programmes like Clifford The Big Red Dog and Happy Birthday Barney are completely innocent. No doubt these and many other children's shows grind the gears of many adults but this is not the point of this article.

The point of this article is to show help is out there and available if adults want to control what kids can access from Netflix. One of the easiest ways to control what kids are viewing is to set up a pin. This can be done by logging into Netflix and accessing your account. On your account page, you will find a tab called "parental controls" under the settings section. There you will find help on how to set up a pin number. Once done you can relax knowing your child is not going to watch something you don't want them to.

Another simple way to stop children watching programmes on Netflix you are concerned about is to block the programme. Again instructions on how to do this can be found in the settings section when you log into your Netflix account.

As kids grow older what they watch can still be down to your discretion. In theory, at least the more mature the child becomes you should allow more viewing of what they want to watch. However, if you are still concerned what your kids are watching even as they grow up you can still control what they watch even into the later years of childhood.

The problems adults face with children watching the alternatives to Netflix are no better. It makes not a jot of difference whether kids are watching Netflix or the rival internet television networks. Whether it be Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Sling TV, HBO Now, CBS All Access, MUBI, Select TV, the results of kids watching programming that is bad for them are all the same.

It is recommended by some experts for example that kids from 5 or under should not watch television alone. Kids who watch 3 hours of television, for example, were found to be more anti-social resulting in negative behaviour patterns.

The negative behaviour patterns resulted in fighting and stealing pointing to the negative effects television has on kids. Let's be fair, in this analysis, I am not just holding companies like Netflix responsible, it is all television and all devices that access television networks whether they be internet, cable, or satellite.

In some ways, these companies can be held responsible for what they show on their broadcasting especially when it comes to young people. However, as shown in this article companies like Netflix do also provide safeguards against what kids can and can't watch such as the parental control settings as explained.

So at the end of the day, adults do have ways to control what their kids watch whether that be verbally telling them or by setting parental control on their Netflix accounts. The problem is still there though as kids can watch things on their phones for example or with their friends on other devices that parents try as they might to stop their kids from viewing.

It seems parents, grandparents, guardians etc have a terrific fight on their hands in coping with the vast amount of technology that is out there enabling their kids to view things inappropriate for their age group. The issue of how television in general together with electronic media such as electronic games influences people and in this article kids is of great concern.

No doubt amongst those that work in child welfare such as social services, the police, medical people and the like must be concerned about this. But in some cases even they ultimately are up against it as technology becomes more accessible especially among the youngest amongst us.

It seems there is an ongoing arms race between adults who want to control what their kids watch and how kids growing up with technology are better able to access it. It would seem how this growth in viewing for people and how to access what and when on stations like Netflix especially for the young will take years and years of study on how it affects people.

Of course, Netflix and companies like it (named) are not all bad but at the end of the day, it's all about how long kids can watch programmes on their devices, what adults want to control when it comes to what kids watch and what good/bad effects come out of this.

Finally, here is a link to an app which you will find no doubt most helpful on this subject.