The streaming service Paramount+

Star Trek, Top Gun, Paw Patrol – the streaming service Paramount+ offers a wide range of movies and series of various genres for adults and children. In this article, we will take a closer look at the service and present its main settings for children.

In a nutshell:

• Video streaming offer for the whole family
• Available in Germany since December 2022
• Flexible monthly subscription €7.99, annual subscription €79.90 (free with Amazon Prime and Sky Cinema subscription)
• Certified youth protection functions in accordance with German law
• Advertising-free

What can Paramount+ do?

The streaming service of the US media group Paramount has a selection of movies and series to offer. Including blockbusters such as The Lost City or La La Land, exclusive series such as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds or Yellowstone and live sporting events such as NFL or UEFA Champions League games.

The platform is divided into a separate category for children’s programming and offers a wide selection of animated series, children’s films and live-action programs such as all seasons of Paw Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants and Spotlight. There is also original content produced specifically for children, such as Kamp Koral.

The price for the streaming service is lower than that of the competition. The catalog is still relatively thin compared to Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and the like, but certainly extensive enough and continues to grow weekly.

What can be problematic?

Without parental controls, minors have unlimited access to all content on the streaming service – including content that is not suitable for their age and developmental level, or that may frighten or overwhelm them. Therefore, use the option to protect profiles with a PIN and set up children’s profiles.

Like every streaming service, Paramount+ is also incredibly appealing with the option of being able to keep watching indefinitely. In series, one episode after the next is played automatically. It is at least as difficult for children and young people as it is for adults to act on their own responsibility here. Make your child aware of this and set a good example. Additionally, you can limit the screen time in the children profiles.

It is also important to note that children are not always able to recognize the differences between fiction and reality. So take time to guide your child and talk about content your child sees on Paramount+ and help them understand what’s going on.

What does the provider think?

Paramount+ offers the possibility to protect profiles with a PIN and to set parental control settings. However, these settings are disabled by default. Parents must do this independently.

The settings are based on age ratings. Paramount does not specify which criteria are used for the releases.

What should parents pay attention to?

• Age ratings and restrictions: Make sure your child can only access age-appropriate content. Please note that the age ratings are only recommendations. You decide what content is appropriate for your child.
• Child profile and parental control: For complete protection, you need a child profile and parental control. So create a child profile – you can choose between the age groups 0/6 or 0/6/12. Depending on the setting, movies and series that are only released from a certain age are not displayed in this profile. Now make absolutely sure that your child cannot simply leave this profile. To do this, you need to activate the parental control. Please use a really secure PIN there. This is the only way to ensure that your child cannot end up in the adult section from the child profile.
• Screen time: keep an eye on your child’s screen time. The best way to do this is to set media rules together so that media use is just one activity among many leisure activities.
• Accompanying use: Young children perceive media much more emotionally than adults. Some things they cannot yet process or understand. Therefore, accompany your child, preferably watch together, so that your child does not feel left alone even during scary scenes. It can also turn the shared experience into a beautiful ritual.