Parents have a new opponent in the war against excessive screen time — Netflix. The streaming company was already an antagonist, but the launch of Playground ups the stakes when it comes to keeping Junior and his sister away from smartphones.
Netflix, obviously, doesn’t see Playground that way. As any business might, the streaming service is pitching the new “curated space where parents know kids are entertained, engaged, and enriched” as a good thing.
Playground of the damned?
It’ll probably be a good thing… for Netflix. The new kid-friendly addition will include a new “preschool and kids’ series, films, and games lineup,” plus “comprehensive parental controls.” According to the company, the platform tweak “lets kids discover at their own pace while giving parents added confidence and peace of mind.” There’s no mention of how long those tablets or smartphones will keep the kiddies occupied.
But it does sound attractive for both parents and children. The new Netflix Playground app is a standalone install, is completely free to all subscription tiers, and works offline. Viewing and playing games should be possible as long as the source device has power.
A selection of themed games, featuring Peppa Pig, Sesame Street, Dr Seuss characters, colouring books (sort of), and a farting Tyrannosaurus (yes, really), is included. So are loads of kid-centric programming, with Cocomelon, Sesame Street, Ms Rachel, and Trash Truck joining the Playground lineup on the video front. Parental controls, including PIN access to adult profiles is also included. That should keep the little ones firmly focused on the brightly-coloured distraction fodder without accidentally showing them Robocop.
Netflix Playground has already launched in several countries, but will go global — including South Africa — on 28 April. After that, managing screen time will get that much harder for parents. Still, that’s the whole job. Just because there’s an entertainment river nearby doesn’t mean you’re forced to throw your offspring into it.
