The old amusing image of a family bickering over the remote control for the television seems relatively quaint in the era of on-demand live services, multiple channels, Netflix accounts with many family profiles, and devices all around the house. Now, the idea of two people discussing which program they would most like to watch that evening can seem a little silly – because you can watch both of them at any time of your choosing! Thought let’s be honest, my kids still find a way to fight over what they want to watch!
The reality is, with so much content at our fingertips, managing our family’s media consumption can sometimes feel like a full-time job. If you’ve ever found yourself juggling your favorite TV series alongside your actual responsibilities, welcome to the club!
But fear not, fellow parents! With a bit of savvy and some well-placed parental wisdom, we can navigate this media maze with ease. So, let’s dive into some practical tips that have kept my household sane amidst the streaming chaos:
Set Different Profiles & Parental Controls
Having separate profiles allows each person to customize their media setup exactly how they prefer it, and that allows easy watching. In addition, parental controls give parents the ability to block inappropriate or mature content from profiles designated for kids, but double check what they’re watching is appropriate, because not all “kids content” might align with your values. On many popular streaming services, parents can filter what kids see based on criteria like ratings, content descriptions, or even specific titles they want to restrict. This gives you the peace of mind you need.
Set Up Specific Media Preferences
The major streaming platforms offer settings that enable users to select personalized preferences for receiving tailored recommendations. You can select favorite genres, actors, directors or any other filters to get suggestions matched perfectly to your taste. Some services even analyze your actual viewing patterns and histories to identify the types of content you seem to gravitate towards most frequently. Of course, what content you prefer will also decide which platforms you sign up for. On top of that, you can use services like a VPN to learn how to watch F1 in USA – which is perfect if your partner is a sports fan without the options they’d like otherwise.
Consider Screen Time Rules
While on-demand is engineered to encourage us to spend as much time in front of the television as possible, too much screen time isn’t good for anyone – especially kids. If you’d prefer to encourage healthier viewing habits, you can implement reasonable screen time limits or schedules, and even set these into the platform itself. This could mean setting daily or weekly time allowances, ascribing tech-free times (such as when homework needs to be done), or creating no-screen zones in certain areas like bedrooms – my kids would watch TV all night if they could! We all did it, right? I know that this is where parenting is key.
Avoid Impulse Purchases
Another key piece of advice is to avoid impulse purchases, even if you feel the urge to buy media and still have money left on your credit card, Daniel Todd Lerner warns. Unfortunately, purchasing games and apps doesn’t usually provide a return, so going into debt because of them can ruin your finances.
This is especially problematic when you have children. Without parental controls turned on, kids can spend a fortune on in-game purchases and bonuses, leaving you out of pocket.
With this advice, you’ll implement fair and necessary rules in your household for media consumption, something all parents are trying to figure out their approach to. We are working on this every single day with our 4 boys in our household. Hang in there, parents!!
