Without a shadow of a doubt, Netflix has become a one-stop solution when it comes to accomplishing media cravings. Like other services, the famous streaming giant has experienced phenomenal growth during the COVID-19 crisis in different countries, including even small countries like New Zealand.
Netflix is one of the most-watched services within the kiwi territory as 2.42 million New Zealanders have access to this amazing video-on-demand platform in their household.
Through Netflix, you can watch all your favorite TV shows, movies, and other content hassle-free. You may visit howtowatch.co.nz to discover how many services other than Netflix you can access in New Zealand to get an idea about how popular Netflix is across the globe.
As far as Netflix's impact goes, it can pose some serious risks to children and negatively influence their mindsets since different TV shows and movies do not seem appropriate for children viewing.
Continue reading this post to know if Netflix is dangerous for your kids or not.
What type of content does Netflix provide to children?
Netflix offers a variety of content for children of all ages. In case your children use a dedicated 'Kids' profile, they can use numerous options, including character, TV shows, movies, and the latest, to watch their favorite content. This way, they can start watching shows like Horrid Henry and others instantly.
Apart from this, Netflix provides exclusive shows and movies for kids, including "The Worst Witch," Kung Fu Panda, etc. Ideally, there is something for everyone on Netflix but selecting appropriate content among these shows and movies is difficult.
Can my child access inappropriate content?
There are chances that your child might stumble across mature content; they should not be watching in the first place. Being a parent, you have a right to raise your concern about this issue particularly.
Luckily, Netflix allows parents to customize content preferences appropriately. They can let their children watch only those TV shows and movies that they assume appropriate for them.
If we talk about the UK version of Netflix, the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) reviews each title according to its regular rating system. Parents can comprehend such ratings in the form of U, PG, 12, 15, 18. These ratings enable parents to determine which type of content is suitable for their children.
On what basis Netflix decides maturity ratings?
Interestingly, Netflix assigns a maturity rating to each movie and TV title. As a result, subscribers can make informed decisions for themselves and their children accordingly. The popular streaming service decides maturity rating based on different factors such as frequency of mature content and impact of mature content depicted in a movie or TV show. Netflix has divided maturity ratings into three broad categories. These categories are Kids (All, 7+), Teens (13+), and Adults (16+, 18+).
If you want to set a specific maturity rating level on your profile, you can use the profile and parental controls menu and change viewing restrictions for your children. Once you have enabled the maturity rating level, your profile will only show TV shows and movies that comply with your chosen maturity rating level.
Parental Controls on Netflix
Fortunately, you can manage your children's profile on an individual basis that helps you select which type of TV shows and movies your children can watch. Besides, you can create a new profile in which you can include exclusive kids' titles. You can use the following parental controls features:
- Create a profile based on a specific maturity rating
- Block shows or change maturity ratings as and when required
What other features can parents use?
Netflix includes various safety features continually that help parents monitor their kids' streaming activities stress-free. Here is the list of these new features you can enable to improve the safe watching of your children next level:
Availability of more PIN options
Compared to the old PIN protection feature, you can now use advanced PIN options. These options allow you to lock your profile, and at the same time, you can lock other profiles accessible on your account.
It means you can lock the whole profile with the help of a PIN. Hence, your children cannot watch shows outside their profiles because they cannot switch to dad or mom's profile.
Access your kid's viewing history
If you want to discover what shows and movies your children are watching, access each profile's watch history. This is how you can keep an eye on your kids' content consumption tasks in a blink of an eye.
Turn off autoplay
You can deactivate the autoplay feature that will prevent your kids from binge-watching for hours. Consequently, you can compel your kids to watch Netflix for a specific period.
Wrapping Up
Although Netflix offers content for all age groups, including children and teenagers, being a responsible parent, you are supposed to stop your children from viewing indecent content available on Netflix.
You can activate these simple features on your own or kids' profiles to enhance your children's safe streaming experience. During these challenging times, you should feel free to use these features according to your preferences.
The famous video-on-demand service lets your kids enjoy watching their favorite shows on their desired devices. However, Netflix provides an opportunity to parents at the same time how much access they can give to their child when it comes to browsing its content library.
Online Threat Alerts Security Tips
Pay the safest way
Credit cards are the safest way to pay for online purchases because you can dispute the charges if you never get the goods or services or if the offer was misrepresented. Federal law limits your liability to $50 if someone makes unauthorized charges to your account, and most credit card issuers will remove them completely if you report the problem promptly.
Guard your personal information
In any transaction you conduct, make sure to check with your state or local consumer protection agency and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to see if the seller, charity, company, or organization is credible. Be especially wary if the entity is unfamiliar to you. Always call the number found on a website’s contact information to make sure the number legitimately belongs to the entity you are dealing with.
Be careful of the information you share
Never give out your codes, passwords or personal information, unless you are sure of who you're dealing with
Know who you’re dealing with
Crooks pretending to be from companies you do business with may call or send an email, claiming they need to verify your personal information. Don’t provide your credit card or bank account number unless you are actually paying for something and know who you are sending payment to. Your social security number should not be necessary unless you are applying for credit. Be especially suspicious if someone claiming to be from a company with whom you have an account asks for information that the business already has.
Check your accounts
Regularly check your account transactions and report any suspicious or unauthorised transactions.
Don’t believe promises of easy money
If someone claims that you can earn money with little or no work, get a loan or credit card even if you have bad credit, or make money on an investment with little or no risk, it’s probably a scam. Oftentimes, offers that seem too good to be true, actually are too good to be true.
Do not open email from people you don’t know
If you are unsure whether an email you received is legitimate, try contacting the sender directly via other means. Do not click on any links in an email unless you are sure it is safe.
Think before you click
If an email or text message looks suspicious, don’t open any attachments or click on the links.
Verify urgent requests or unsolicited emails, messages or phone calls before you respond
If you receive a message or a phone call asking for immediate action and don't know the sender, it could be a phishing message.
Be careful with links and new website addresses
Malicious website addresses may appear almost identical to legitimate sites. Scammers often use a slight variation in spelling or logo to lure you. Malicious links can also come from friends whose email has unknowingly been compromised, so be careful.
Secure your personal information
Before providing any personal information, such as your date of birth, Social Security number, account numbers, and passwords, be sure the website is secure.
Stay informed on the latest cyber threats
Keep yourself up to date on current scams by visiting this website daily.
Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are critical to online security.
Keep your software up to date and maintain preventative software programs
Keep all of your software applications up to date on your computers and mobile devices. Install software that provides antivirus, firewall, and email filter services.
Update the operating systems on your electronic devices
Make sure your operating systems (OSs) and applications are up to date on all of your electronic devices. Older and unpatched versions of OSs and software are the target of many hacks. Read the CISA security tip on Understanding Patches and Software Updates for more information.
What if You Got Scammed?
Stop Contact With The Scammer
Hang up the phone. Do not reply to emails, messages, or letters that the scammer sends. Do not make any more payments to the scammer. Beware of additional scammers who may contact you claiming they can help you get your lost money back.
Secure Your Finances
- Report potentially compromised bank account, credit or debit card information to your financial institution(s) immediately. They may be able to cancel or reverse fraudulent transactions.
- Notify the three major credit bureaus. They can add a fraud alert to warn potential credit grantors that you may be a victim of identity theft. You may also want to consider placing a free security freeze on your credit report. Doing so prevents lenders and others from accessing your credit report entirely, which will prevent them from extending credit:
- Equifax
- Experian
- TransUnion
Check Your Computer
If your computer was accessed or otherwise affected by a scam, check to make sure that your anti-virus is up-to-date and running and that your system is free of malware and keylogging software. You may also need to seek the help of a computer repair company. Consider utilizing the Better Business Bureau’s website to find a reputable company.
Change Your Account Passwords
Update your bank, credit card, social media, and email account passwords to try to limit further unauthorized access. Make sure to choose strong passwords when changing account passwords.
Report The Scam
Reporting helps protect others. While agencies can’t always track down perpetrators of crimes against scammers, they can utilize the information gathered to record patterns of abuse which may lead to action being taken against a company or industry.
Report your issue to the following agencies based on the nature of the scam:
- Local Law Enforcement: Consumers are encouraged to report scams to their local police department or sheriff’s office, especially if you lost money or property or had your identity compromised.
- Federal Trade Commission: Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357) or use the Online Complaint Assistant to report various types of fraud, including counterfeit checks, lottery or sweepstakes scams, and more.
- Identitytheft.gov: If someone is using your personal information, like your Social Security, credit card, or bank account number, to open new accounts, make purchases, or get a tax refund, report it at www.identitytheft.gov. This federal government site will also help you create your Identity Theft Report and a personal recovery plan based on your situation. Questions can be directed to 877-ID THEFT.
How To Recognize a Phishing Scam
Scammers use email or text messages to try to steal your passwords, account numbers, or Social Security numbers. If they get that information, they could get access to your email, bank, or other accounts. Or they could sell your information to other scammers. Scammers launch thousands of phishing attacks like these every day — and they’re often successful.
Scammers often update their tactics to keep up with the latest news or trends, but here are some common tactics used in phishing emails or text messages:
Phishing emails and text messages often tell a story to trick you into clicking on a link or opening an attachment. You might get an unexpected email or text message that looks like it’s from a company you know or trust, like a bank or a credit card or utility company. Or maybe it’s from an online payment website or app. The message could be from a scammer, who might
- say they’ve noticed some suspicious activity or log-in attempts — they haven’t
- claim there’s a problem with your account or your payment information — there isn’t
- say you need to confirm some personal or financial information — you don’t
- include an invoice you don’t recognize — it’s fake
- want you to click on a link to make a payment — but the link has malware
- say you’re eligible to register for a government refund — it’s a scam
- offer a coupon for free stuff — it’s not real
About Online Threat Alerts (OTA)
Online Threat Alerts or OTA is an anti-cybercrime community that started in 2012. OTA alerts the public to cyber crimes and other web threats.
By alerting the public, we have prevented a lot of online users from getting scammed or becoming victims of cybercrimes.
With the ever-increasing number of people going online, it important to have a community like OTA that continuously alerts or protects those same people from cyber-criminals, scammers and hackers, who are every day finding new ways of carrying out their malicious activities.
Online users can help by reporting suspicious or malicious messages or websites to OTA. And, if they want to determine if a message or website is a threat or scam, they can use OTA's search engine to search for the website or parts of the message for information.
Help maintain Online Threat Alerts (OTA).