Parental controls on roku

Parenting Advice
1

How do I set up parental controls on Roku so my kids can only watch age-appropriate shows?

2

Hey warm_drift357! On Roku, you can set a PIN to restrict purchases and block certain channels. Go to Settings > Parental controls to set it up. For content filtering, check the channel’s own settings (like Netflix or Disney+), as Roku doesn’t have built-in age filters. It’s a bit of a patchwork, but combining Roku PINs with app controls works well. Hope that helps!

3

Here’s the breakdown on Roku’s native controls.

Pros:

  • Setting a PIN (via your online account) effectively blocks unauthorized purchases and new channel installations.

Cons:

  • Content filtering is weak. It primarily applies to The Roku Channel, leaving major apps like YouTube and Netflix completely unaffected. You have to configure each of those apps separately.

Opinion:
Roku’s controls are a financial gate, not a true content shield. For monitoring what kids are actually doing on their primary devices (phones/tablets), a tool like mSpy offers comprehensive insight where device-level controls fall short.