Netflix adds new controls to let parents see what their children are watching

Tools will let adults stop kids watching specific films or TV shows

The Netflix logo is seen on a phone in this photo illustration in Washington, DC, on July 10, 2019 (ALASTAIR PIKE/AFP via Getty Images)

Netflix has added new tools to let parents monitor what their children have been watching.

The new tools will also allow adults to control what films and TV shows kids are able to see, putting them behind PIN protection or removing them entirely.

Netflix said the new features had come as a result of feedback from families.

It is aimed at gaining more trust from parents, who are looking for options to limit screen time as well as choose programs that can be watched by their children.

New options include protecting individual profiles to prevent children using them and being able to filter out inappropriate content for youngsters.

Users will also be able to review each profile's settings under a new hub within the settings menu, Netflix said.

And it will now be possible to see what children have been watching by viewing their profiles and parents can turn off auto play.

Michelle Parsons, kids product manager at Netflix, said: "Choice and control have always been important for our members, especially parents.

"We hope that these additional controls will help parents make the right choices for their families."

The coronavirus pandemic, which has confined billions of individuals across the world inside their homes, has driven a boom in usage of online streaming platforms.

Netflix led rivals on most number of app downloads in the first quarter of 2020 but more time was spent on YouTube's Kids service, indicating parents are letting the kids soak it in for longer periods, according to a report by Apptopia and Braze last week.

Additional reporting by agencies