Best Streaming Service for Kids
Find the best streaming service for you and your kids when it comes to content and parental controls.
Editor's Choice
Price: $8.99–$17.99/mo. Simultaneous streams: 3 Video: 1080p, 4K
Most Kids TV Channels
Price: $5.99–$70.99/mo. Simultaneous streams: 3 Video: 1080p, 4K
Most Kid-Friendly
Price: $6.99–$24.99/mo. Simultaneous streams: 3 Video: 1080p, 4K
Perks for Everyone
Price: $12.99-$24.99/mo. Simultaneous streams: 4 Video: 1080p, 4K
The best streaming service for your kids will likely include all of the following: their favorite channels, superb parental controls, and a bonus of being a streaming service you will enjoy too.
So which streaming services have the kiddos’ favorites (Disney and Nickelodeon to name a couple), but also has a feature to block anything over G-rated movies from your little ones?
We have done the research for you. Below you will find that streaming service you can unconsciously click on and hand over to your children while you’re shopping, working, or talking with a friend.
Your children’s entertainment for an hour or more is at your fingertips.
The best streaming services for kids
- Netflix: Editor's Choice
- Hulu: Most kids TV channels
- Disney Plus: Most kid-friendly
- Sling TV: Most budget-friendly for parents
- Amazon Prime Video: Perks for everyone in the family
Best streaming services for kids
Netflix: Editor’s Choice
Netflix, our Editor’s Choice, lets you control what your kids watch with lots of restriction options you will love.
How much is Netflix?
Provider | Monthly price* | ||
---|---|---|---|
Netflix | $8.99–$17.99* | BOOK NOW |
What we like about Netflix for kids
- Netflix has excellent parental control settings
- “Netflix Kids” profile gives you increased control over titles, shows, etc.
Create a child-proof four-digit PIN
Netflix has lots of great ways you can control what your children can watch or can’t watch. You won’t have to worry about their little eyes seeing anything inappropriate if you happen to leave them alone in the living room for an hour or two.
Netflix’s parental controls are the real deal.
In the Settings of your Netflix account under Parental Controls, you can create a PIN to restrict the following:
The Restrict by Maturity Level option lets you choose if you want to require a PIN for content that is for Little Kids (6 and Under), Older Kids (12 and Under) and above, Teens (14 and Under) and above, or Adults (15+).
Netflix’s parental controls are the best because they have features that no other streaming service has.
Restrict specific titles, regardless of maturity rating and a PIN will be needed to view those particular movies or series.
Netflix kids profile
You can create an individual profile and set restrictions with a PIN, as mentioned above, or you can easily create a kid’s profile. By selecting the Kid? option, your child will automatically have access to only TV shows and movies for kids 12 and under.
The content is the same kids/family content you would see on the original Netflix homepage, but categorized in sections such as Popular, Animated, Girl Power, Funny, etc.
Hulu + Live TV: Most kids TV channels
Hulu and Hulu + Live TV have something for everyone in the family to watch
How much is Hulu?
What we like about Hulu + Live TV for kids
- Hulu Live has the most kids channels in the live TV streaming industry
- Create a kids profile with Hulu
A great variety of TV channels and on-demand content
- Boomerang
- Cartoon Network
- Disney Channel
- Disney Junior
- Disney XD
- Nickelodeon
- Nick Jr.
- Universal Kids
The downside to Hulu + Live TV is the dollar-to-channel ratio. To compare, Hulu Live charges about $1 per channel, YouTube TV charges 76 cents, and fuboTV charges 62 cents.
And if you would like 200 hours of DVR storage instead of 50, you’ll have to tack on another $10 to your monthly bill.
But it can be worth it for families. If you don’t want cable TV and your kids love Cartoon Network, Disney Channel, and Nickelodeon, you won’t be able to stream them anywhere else besides with Hulu Live. Not only do you get channels for everyone in the house, but you also get lots of on-demand content.
If you’re interested in just on-demand content, your child will have lots to choose from with Hulu.
They’ll have movies (such as Abominable or Shrek), educational series (such as Comeback Kids and Doc McStuffins), and classic cartoons (such as Rugrats and The Power Puff Girls).
Hulu Live has a kids profile option
Similar to Netflix, you can create a kids profile. A kids profile will allow your children to only view content appropriate for kids up to the age of 12.
First of all, to create this filtered profile, you’ll have to jump on Hulu on your computer.
Click on Add Profile, and you’ll be able to toggle on the Kids feature to allow only kid-friendly content and channels.
Disney+: Most kid-friendly
There’s no question that Disney+ will have the least amount of explicit content
How much is Disney+?
Monthly price* | ||
---|---|---|
$7.99 | BOOK NOW |
What we like about Disney+
- Disney+ has almost exclusively kid-friendly content
- Solid bundling option the family will love
- Another streaming service with a Kids profile option
Just great, kid-friendly Disney content
With Disney+, you’ll worry a little less about what your child might stumble upon.
Your child will have an endless amount of old and new Disney movies and series to watch, so you could say they will be entertained for hours.
Disney+ has Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and National Geographic content. So this streaming service will be perfect if you have a princess-loving daughter and a son who absolutely loves BB-8.
Bundle Disney+ with Hulu and ESPN+
Disney+ now gives you the option to bundle it with ESPN+ and Hulu Live for about $61 (which is $6 cheaper if you were to subscribe individually).
If you bundle with Hulu instead of Hulu Live, the monthly cost will be just $12.99. That’s a pretty good deal! I personally jumped on this deal. It’s not a bad price for thousands of hours of content.
Make a kids profile
We put this last for two reasons: the Disney+ parental controls are a little weak, but luckily there isn’t too much content on Disney+ that you wouldn’t want your children to see.
Disney+’s parental controls can prevent all PG and PG-13 titles from being watched, but a curious child can venture off into another profile that doesn’t have that restriction. No PIN is required in Disney+ to watch higher-rated shows, such as The Simpsons.
Again, Disney+ doesn’t have as strong of parental controls, but fortunately, there are far fewer high-rated shows they could be exposed to.
Sling TV: Most budget-friendly live TV for parents
Sling TV allows parents to save money and entertain their babies
How much is Sling TV?
Monthly price* | ||
---|---|---|
$35–$50 | BOOK NOW |
What we like about Sling TV for kids
- Sling TV is one of the least expensive live TV streaming services
- It has parental controls you’ll like
Sling TV gives you popular channels for a low price
Do your kids love to watch Craig of the Creek, Big City Greens, and PAW Patrol? Then why not save some money while keeping your kids entertained?
You can order Sling TV for $35 per month, and it offers the following kids channels:
- Cartoon Network
- Disney Channel
- Nick Jr.
But depending on where you live, these channels may not be available. So check out the channel lineup to find out what is available in your area.
Parental controls are on point
Sling’s Settings conveniently has a Parental Controls tab. When you Enable the controls, you’ll be asked to create a PIN, just like Netflix.
Unlike Netflix, you can’t create profiles for kids. But you’ll have to enter the PIN if you want to watch a restricted movie, like The Hangover.
Sling Parental Controls screenshot
Sling lets you lock or unlock each rating. And as long as your kids don’t know the PIN, they will only have access to channels with unlocked ratings.
Amazon Prime Video: Perks for you and the kids
Prime Video gives you three perks the whole family can enjoy
How much is Amazon Prime Video?
Monthly price* | ||
---|---|---|
$8.99–$12.99/mo. | BOOK NOW |
What we like about Amazon Prime Video for kids
- Prime Video gives you and the fam perks you can’t get with another service
- It also has strong parental controls
You get unique perks with Amazon Prime Video
For the price of one take-out meal, you get three things with Amazon Prime Video:
- On-demand content for the family
- Rent and buy new release and old movies
- Prime shipping
Prime Video gives kids Original Kids Series, Educational TV, Educational Movies, and PBS Kids TV shows. This streaming service is also perfect for kids who love Spongebob Squarepants, Arthur, and Kung Fu Panda.
Perfect for everyone in the family, you can rent old and new movies for $3.99 each or buy them for about $5–$20. So sit down and relax in the living room with your loved ones and watch Detective Pikachu or Rio.
With your Prime Video account, you get free expedited Prime shipping. We don’t know one person who doesn’t like lightning-speed shipping. So order whatever you’d like on Amazon and enjoy next-day or two-day shipping.
Reep the benefits of the parental control options
Prime Video is another streaming service that requires a child-proof PIN. We like the PINs.
In your Settings, select Parental Controls, then Viewing Restrictions. Here you can choose an age restriction and devices you want to apply them to. The parental controls will also block purchases unless the PIN is entered.
And lastly, there is a Kids option in Settings that you can easily tap without needing parental controls. It’s nice to unconsciously and quickly hand over your smartphone to your little one when they need a distraction.