From binge-watching to gaming – the popular streaming service Netflix has been offering an additional service alongside films and series since the end of 2021. Netflix games give Netflix customers access to specially developed or licensed games for mobile devices. These can be downloaded from the Apple App Store or in the Google Play Store as separate game apps.
With Netflix games, the well-known streaming provider is trying to offer its customers even more content for their subscription in addition to films and series. To this end, Netflix has acquired a games company in order to be able to develop games itself. To date, Netflix has already developed more than 50 games and plans to further increase the range over time.
For Netflix customers, the service has the great advantage that it is included in the subscription. This means that there are no additional costs when playing Netflix games. There is also no advertising or in-app purchases in the games. This is also independent of the chosen subscription model. Netflix games are available even with the cheapest Netflix subscription. The offer is not a separate “Netflix games app”, but access to various apps via a Netflix account. If you want to download one of the game apps, you have to log in with your Netflix account and have a valid subscription.
Netflix Games has a wide range of different genres of games, from action and adventure to puzzle, role-playing and strategy games. There are currently 14 categories of games. Games based on well-known series such as Stranger Things are certainly of particular interest to children and young people. Netflix is constantly working on improving the attractiveness of its offering. Recently, the classic games GTA III, GTA Vice City and GTA San Andreas have been added to the range. There are also many games that are suitable for children and younger teenagers, such as puzzles and soccer games.
Since Netflix wants to offer different genres of games, not all of which are suitable for children and young people, Netflix games are not available for Netflix children’s profiles. Parents must download individual game apps to their children’s smartphone or tablet via their adult account. All Netflix games are age-rated in the Google Play Store or App Store so that parents can make an informed decision about which games they allow their child to play.
Netflix games has a large collection of different games from various genres. Some of these games may therefore contain depictions of violence or sexual content and are not suitable for children.
If you give your child access to Netflix games, pay attention to the age ratings and only give your child access to games that are suitable for their age and level of development. Please note that Netflix games can only be used with an active Netflix account and subscription. Make sure that your child does not get access to your Netflix account via this detour and do not give your child the access data for your regular Netflix account to play Netflix games. This is because it could access streaming content that is not age-appropriate.
When dealing with mobile games, it is generally important to discuss rules on media use within the family. Make binding agreements with your child about gaming, smartphone use and screen time. Use technical precautionary measures to set the playing time and title according to age.
Internet, telephone, streaming services, media libraries, television – to entertain ourselves and communicate, we resort to many different offerings at home. MagentaTV is a Deutsche Telekom platform that combines everything in one package. We present the offer and explain what parents should look out for.
MagentaTV is a bundled offering of Internet, telephony, and a selection of TV channels and video streaming services such as Netflix and Disney+, some of which cost extra. The platform can be used on various devices such as SmartTVs, smartphones, tablets and computers. Those who do not have an Internet or phone contract with Deutsche Telekom can access TV channels and video streaming services via the paid MagentaTV app. In addition to the basic offers, various packages can be added. Extensions are available, for example, for special subject areas such as sports, languages such as Turkish or Polish, or target groups such as children and families.
To use MagentaTV safely, child and youth protection settings can be made on all devices on which the service is used: on smartphones, tablets and computers, on the SmartTV, the MagentaTV box and the media receiver. An adult PIN prevents children and teenagers from accessing content that is not approved for their age. If content does not have an age rating from the FSK , streaming services must make the assessment themselves. It is not always obvious how this is done. In addition to the PIN, a purchase block and a hiding of erotic content can be set up. You can find detailed settings for parental control with MagentaTV at medien-kindersicher.de.
Watching movies, series or TV shows has a great appeal for children and young people. Whether they use it to inform themselves, entertain themselves, or relax after kindergarten and school, watching videos is often an integral part of their everyday lives as a media ritual. A comprehensive offering like MagentaTV can entice your child to watch endless videos. Also, your child may be shown content that is not age-appropriate. Therefore, note the following points:
For a few weeks now, the Netflix series“Squid Game” has been making headlines. One reason is that it is so successful. On the other hand, it is also reported that many children watch the series and act out scenes from it with other children. However, the series contains very brutal scenes and is therefore marked with an age rating of 16. Topics that are problematic and overwhelming for children include organ trafficking and depictions of sadism.
Make sure that your child cannot watch the series at home if he or she is not yet 16 years old. To do this, you can set parental control settings on Netflix. If your child has a child profile, then he or she will not be able to view content that is not age-appropriate. You can also protect an account with a PIN. For more information, click here.
Your child may still watch the series or come into contact with it, for example, at school, through friends, or in apps and onlien games. Even young people who are already 16 years old or older sometimes cannot process the violence in the series themselves. If your child has had an unpleasant experience with the series, be sure to talk about it with your child and convey that the story in the series has little to do with reality.
More information for parents and suggestions for dealing with the series can be found on the following websites:
Do you remember the feeling when the day was approaching, when a new episode of your favorite series was on TV, and you planned everything so as to be on time in front of the family TV in the living room? Thanks to media libraries, Netflix and the like, this scenario is largely a thing of the past.
More and more children and young people today watch videos, movies and series online via legal streaming services. This non-linear TV makes it possible to watch when you want with the device of your choice – whether smartphone, computer or an Internet-enabled smart TV.
The range of options is huge: There are paid online video stores like Netflix or Amazon Prime and free video streaming platforms like YouTube with content produced by users themselves. Many TV stations also make their programs available free of charge or, in some cases, for a fee via their own media libraries. Some broadcasters also offer a livestream, via which – as with traditional analog television – the currently running program can be viewed online. Content can be viewed without having to download and save it to your own device. In some cases, it is also possible to download individual movies or series and play them offline.
This wide selection is of course also available to children and young people. If they have their own device with an Internet connection, it’s hard to control what and how much they see.
What is attractive is the wide variety of current and selected series, films and documentaries, which can theoretically be watched at any time of the day or night. It has become normal for children and young people not to have to watch their favorite show at a specific time, as is the case with “normal” television. In addition, a new episode of the favorite series can be easily watched while sitting on the bus or train, for example.
As with TV programming, there are movies and videos on streaming portals with content that is not suitable for children and can scare them. Streaming services must also comply with the statutory protection of minors in the media and adopt the age ratings of the FSK (Voluntary Self-Regulation of the Movie Industry). If there is no FSK rating for films or series episodes, they must make the age ratings themselves and comply with German law.
The criteria for streaming services’ own age ratings are not necessarily apparent. Therefore, be sure to read up on the parental control settings of the respective streaming provider and use the functions and settings offered, such as passwords and PINs.
Set specific time windows during which watching is allowed. Media time should always be just one of many other, non-media activities. If you are not sure how much time your child should spend in front of the TV or laptop, you can find more information here on the website.
Ask your child about their favorite shows or movies and watch them together. Depending on your child’s age, you should watch movies and videos together so that if there is something scary or questionable in them after all, your child is not left alone with it.
Movie night with the whole family can also be a nice shared experience and ritual. Here you can have fun together and get to see how your child reacts to certain content.
