Netflix
Beginning this spring, Nintendo Wii owners will be able to stream Netflix movies and videos directly to their TV through the game console. Once that happens, Netflix will have hit the video game trifecta, as the “Watch Instantly” service is already available through the PS3 and the Xbox 360. The prospect of open access to on-demand movie viewing will undoubtedly excite kids, but many parents could approach the idea with a bit of trepidation. They may imagine their cunning children announcing that they are going to go play Super Mario for a while and then sneaking in an impromptu screening of Texas Chainsaw Massacre or American Pie 4 (hey, they’re kids – you can’t expect them to have good taste). But parents don’t need to fret.
Kids would have to go through a lot of clandestine scheming in order to see unsanctioned films through a Netflix-enabled game console. For one thing, there are parental controls on all those game machines and parents should learn how to use them. But even beyond those built-in safeguards, reluctant moms and dads should realize that kids can’t just pick out any movie to watch via their Xboxes. They’ll only have access to a pre-selected queue of titles – a lineup that can only be set through the home computer. So unless you’re raising an 8-year-old hacker, or you’re too out of it to notice your grade-schooler sitting at your PC, swiping your passwords and using them to scroll through R-rated titles on your Netflix account, you’re probably still going to have complete control over which movies the little ones get to watch.
So parents should sit back and look at this as a good thing. A pre-vetted selection of movies that your kids can watch without bothering you is just one more convenience of modern parenting.
