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Scott Gilbertson

Gear
Jun 9, 2022 9:00 AM


HOW TO CONTROL AMAZON KIDS+ CONTENT SETTINGS

Everyone’s definition of what’s appropriate for kids to read or watch is
different. But we can offer some advice for managing settings. 
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Photograph: Amazon

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If you've got kids, and they like to read, Amazon Kids+ makes economic sense. It
offers access to a bewildering array of books, as well as movies, apps, music,
games, and more, all for one relatively low monthly price. If you tried to buy
the same number of books without Amazon Kids+, you'd quickly go broke.

But Amazon's definition of what's age-appropriate might not agree with yours. In
any case, every child is different, and that's a decision only you as a parent
can make. But even the most relaxed parent probably wants some control over what
their kid sees on their Amazon device.

That means you need to take an active part in your child's Amazon Kids+
experience. To help you out, we've explained here how to filter content and keep
track of what your children are doing on the platform. And be sure to check out
our other guides for parents, including the Best Kids Podcasts and Best STEM
Toys for Kids.

Create a Profile

To get started, you need to create a child profile. 

 * Open the Amazon Kids+ App.
 * If it's your first time using it, the Add Child Profile screen will pop up.
   Otherwise, select Add a Child on the homepage to add another profile.
 * Enter your child's name and birth date. Amazon uses the birth date to control
   what content your child sees. You don't have to use your child's actual
   birthday; just pick something close, so that the initial content will be what
   Amazon considers appropriate for that age.



This is where you also set a PIN number that you'll need to remember. This PIN
is required to exit Amazon Kids+ on the device. If you don't want your child to
be able to exit Kids+ on their own, keep the PIN a secret.



Once you've created a child profile, it can be used to sign in on any Amazon
device. Your kids can read their books on a Kindle or using the Kindle app on
other devices, as well as watch movies, play games, and access the web on other
devices, like a Fire tablet or Kids Echo Dot.

Manage the Content

Once your child's profile is set up, head to the Parent Dashboard to control the
content your child sees. Most of the controls can be accessed through the app,
but it's often easier to set up and control Amazon Kids+ through the web
interface.



The bad news is that your controls are limited. In Amazon's words, there are
“thousands of age-appropriate books, movies, and TV shows for children aged 3 to
12 years.” That's a lot of content, and there's no way anyone is sifting through
all of it. Amazon assured WIRED that all the content is hand-curated. While
algorithms might recommend related content, the pool has all been vetted by
humans. 

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That's not nothing, but Amazon Kids+ offers no way for parents to filter
everything on their own terms. That is to say, you can block anything you don't
want your kids to read one by one, but you can't block everything and only allow
books, apps, and movies that you approve.



When I asked Amazon about this feature, I was told that this isn't something
customers are asking for. Online forums would suggest otherwise, and Google Kids
Place offers this service, but this is not an option with Kids+. If you want
that level of control over what your children are reading and watching, you'll
want to go with another service.

However, Amazon Kids+ does offer a few good controls.

 * You can set daily use limits, as well as a bedtime after which Amazon Kids
   content is not available. Head to Settings > Set Daily Time Limits. (Note
   that Settings here refers to the Settings within Amazon Kids+, not the
   overall device settings.)
 * In addition to setting the age range, you can also control your child's
   access to in-app purchases and add content, since any content you've
   purchased (from Amazon) isn't automatically added. To add content you've
   purchased to your kids devices, head to Explore > View Content Shared With >
   Child Profile Name.
 * You can also monitor what your kids are seeing through the Parent Dashboard.
   This is the default view in the web interface and within the app.
 * You can turn the browser off completely, although by default your child is
   limited to hand-curated, age-appropriate websites and videos, chosen "for
   their kid-friendly, educational and entertainment content," according to
   Amazon. Head to Settings > Modify Web Browser.
 * You can also control which Alexa skills your child has access to on any
   Amazon device in your household. Head to Settings > Alexa Skills.

Tips and Tricks

Keeping track of what your children are up to on Amazon Kids+ can be tedious. I
end up spending most of my time in the web interface, because it's easier to
control multiple profiles that way, and I can do it from my laptop without
searching around for my children's Kindles. 

If your kids use the app on a device like the Fire tablet, there are some
non-Kids+ settings worth enabling. I suggest turning on the Blue Shade feature,
which filters the blue light on your device. To access Blue Shade, head to your
device settings, then tap Display > Blue Shade. 

If you're concerned about privacy, be sure to have a look at the Settings >
Security & Privacy section, where you can have some control over what's shared
using the Device Usage Data and Collect App Usage Data options.






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Scott Gilbertson is a senior writer and reviewer for WIRED, specializing in
portable technology. He was previously a writer and editor for WIRED's
Webmonkey.com, covering the browser wars, web standards, the independent web,
and all aspects of internet culture. He studied at the University of Georgia.
Senior Writer and Reviewer
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