TL;DR: Native parental controls on Netflix or Disney+ are a decent start, but they’re often blunt instruments. If you want to actually filter out specific swears, skip the "spicy" scenes in a PG-13 movie so your 10-year-old can watch it, or monitor what’s happening inside YouTube without hovering over their shoulder, you need third-party tools.
Top Recommendations:
- Best for Content Filtering: VidAngel
- Best for Network-Level Control: Circle Home Plus
- Best for Monitoring & Alerts: Bark
- Best for Device Management: Qustodio
Let’s be real: setting a PIN on your Netflix profile feels like a win for about five minutes. Then you realize that "TV-14" is a wildly broad category. One TV-14 show is basically a wholesome teen drama, and the next is a gritty, hyper-violent fever dream that makes you wonder if the rating board was asleep at the wheel.
If you’re trying to be an intentional parent in 2026, you quickly realize that the "built-in" settings are the bare minimum. They are the screen door of digital safety—they keep the big flies out, but the gnats (and sometimes the wasps) get right through.
We’re living in an era where your kid might be calling everything "Ohio" or "Skibidi" because of some weird YouTube rabbit hole they found. While that’s mostly just annoying "brain rot," the jump from "weird toilet memes" to "content that will actually keep them up at night" is shorter than we’d like to admit.
That’s where third-party tools come in. These aren't just "blockers." They are sophisticated editors, monitors, and gatekeepers that give you the nuance that Big Tech's "on/off" switches lack.
Most streaming services—Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Max—operate on a "rating-gate" system. You set the profile to "PG," and it hides anything rated higher.
The problem?
- Ratings are subjective. What Netflix considers PG-13 might be a hard R in your house.
- It’s all or nothing. You can’t say, "I want my kid to watch Stranger Things because the story is great, but skip the scenes where people’s bones crunch."
- The "YouTube" Problem. YouTube is the Wild West. Even YouTube Kids has been caught hosting some truly bizarre, algorithmic nightmares.
Learn more about the difference between YouTube and YouTube Kids
If you want to watch a movie as a family but don't want to lung-dive for the remote every time there's a sex scene or a string of F-bombs, you need a filter.
VidAngel is the gold standard here. It doesn't host its own content; instead, it "plugs into" your Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Apple TV+ accounts.
You can set incredibly specific filters. Want to skip "blasphemy" but keep the "mild violence"? You can do that. Want to mute every single "S-word" but leave the rest of the dialogue alone? Done. It’s like having a personal editor who pre-screens the movie and cuts out the parts you don't want.
The No-BS Take: Some people find filtering controversial—like it’s "ruining the artist's vision." Honestly? If the "artist’s vision" involves my 11-year-old seeing something they aren't ready for, I’ll take the edit every time. VidAngel makes shows like The Chosen or even more mainstream hits accessible on your terms.
Similar to VidAngel, ClearPlay works mainly through a Google Chrome extension or a dedicated hardware player. It’s a bit more "old school" in its interface, but it’s highly effective for Disney+ and Amazon viewers.
If you’re tired of playing "digital whack-a-mole" with every individual iPad, phone, and Smart TV, you need to go to the source: the Wi-Fi.
Circle is a little box that plugs into your router. It allows you to set "Bedtimes" for the entire house or individual devices.
More importantly for streaming, it has a "Filter" level for different age groups (Kid, Teen, Adult). If you set a kid to "Kid" level, Circle will literally block the data for apps like TikTok or certain streaming sites at the network level. They can't even open the app.
Check out our guide on the best hardware for home internet safety
Sometimes you don't want to block everything—you just want to know if something goes sideways. This is especially true for older kids who have earned some trust but still live in a world of Discord and Snapchat.
Bark is the heavy hitter here. It doesn't just sit there; it uses AI to scan for signs of bullying, depression, or "inappropriate content."
If your kid is watching a YouTube video that contains graphic violence, Bark sends you an alert with a snippet of what they saw. It’s not about reading every single text or watching every second of their screen; it’s about getting a "heads up" when things get weird.
The No-BS Take: Bark can be a bit sensitive. You might get an alert because your kid was listening to a Spotify song with a "bad word" in it. But I’d rather ignore a few false alarms than miss a genuine red flag.
Ages 3–7: The Curation Phase
At this age, third-party tools are mostly about hard boundaries. You shouldn't even be worrying about filters because they shouldn't be on "open" platforms. Stick to PBS Kids or Disney+ with a locked-down profile. Use Circle to ensure they can't wander onto the broader web.
Ages 8–12: The Filtering Phase
This is the "Golden Age" for VidAngel. Kids want to watch what their friends are watching (like Stranger Things or The Mandalorian), but they might not be ready for the full, unedited intensity. Filtering allows them to stay in the cultural loop without the trauma.
Ages 13+: The Monitoring Phase
By now, they’re likely on YouTube and social media. You can’t filter everything anymore—it’s too much. Transition to Bark. Focus on "alert-based" parenting. If they see something "Sigma" or "Ohio" that’s actually toxic, Bark gives you the opening to have a conversation.
Before you go out and buy every tool on this list, a few warnings:
- Tech isn't a silver bullet. A kid who wants to find bad stuff will find it. These tools are meant to prevent accidental exposure and to act as a "speed bump" for intentional exposure.
- Privacy vs. Safety. Be honest with your kids. Tell them: "I have a tool that alerts me if things get dangerous. It’s not because I don't trust you, it’s because the internet is designed to be addictive and sometimes scary."
- The "Cat and Mouse" game. Kids are smart. They will try to use a VPN or find a friend's "unlocked" phone. This is why the conversation matters more than the software.
When you install something like VidAngel or Circle, don't do it in secret. That breeds resentment and makes them want to hack it.
Try saying: "Hey, we want to watch The Last of Us as a family because the story is incredible, but there are some parts that are just unnecessarily gross. We’re going to use this tool to skip those parts so we can enjoy the good stuff together."
Or: "I'm putting Bark on your phone. I'm not going to read your funny texts to your friends, but if someone starts bullying you or you see something that makes you feel unsafe, it’s going to let me know so I can help you handle it."
Native parental controls are like the "Check Engine" light—they tell you something is happening, but they don't help you fix it. Third-party tools like VidAngel, Bark, and Circle give you the actual wrench and screwdriver to tune your family's digital experience.
Being "Screenwise" isn't about being a digital dictator; it's about being a digital mentor. It’s about recognizing that Roblox can be a place for creativity and a place where kids get scammed, and using the right tools to keep it as the former.
- Audit your apps. Which streaming service do your kids use most? If it's YouTube, look into Bark. If it's Netflix, look into VidAngel.
- Pick ONE tool. Don't try to install five things at once. Start with a network-level tool like Circle Home Plus to get a handle on screen time across the board.
- Have the "Digital Safety" talk. Use our guide on how to talk to your kids about internet safety to frame the conversation.
Ask our chatbot about the best filtering tools for your specific TV model