Set parental controls with the Xfinity Stream portal

Learn how to set up Parental Controls to limit the programs that your child can watch and record through the Xfinity Stream portal.

What you’ll need

• Xfinity TV, Xfinity X1, or Xfinity Instant TV
• Access to the Xfinity Stream portal on the computer where you want Parental Controls applied

Difficulty
Easy

What do you want to learn about?

Enabling parental controls

Let's get started with enabling Parental Controls for the Xfinity Stream portal.

Have More than One Computer? Parental Controls are not shared between devices, so you'll need to complete this process on each computer where you'd like to apply Parental Controls. You can also apply different Parental Controls on each computer.

1. On the computer where you want the Parental Controls to apply, go to the Xfinity Stream portal.
2. Click the Settings icon at the right end of the menu bar at the top of the page.
   
3. On the Settings page, click Parental Controls.
4. On the Parental Controls page, click the ON/OFF switch to turn on Parental Controls.
   
5. In the create PIN pop-up box, enter a four-digit Parental Control PIN and click Confirm.
   
   
   • Write Down Your PIN and Keep It in a Safe Place. If you forget your Parental Control PIN, you'll need to contact us to reset it.
6. In the verify PIN pop-up box, re-enter your new PIN, then click Confirm.
   • Did You Know? Once you create your Parental Control PIN, the next time you disable or enable Parental Controls, you’ll only need to enter your current PIN once for verification.

OK! Now that you’ve enabled Parental Controls and created a Parental Control PIN, you can set up additional controls to limit what your child watches and records through the Xfinity Stream portal.

Want to Change Your PIN? Select Modify Parental Control PIN on the Parental Controls page, enter your current PIN and then create a new one as described above.

 

Hiding program titles and descriptions with Safe Browse

Are there certain programs that you don’t want to see listed on the Xfinity Stream portal? Safe Browse hides adult titles and descriptions when browsing TV listings and Xfinity On Demand programs.

Careful! Safe Browse won’t prevent anyone from watching a restricted program; it simply hides the title and description. To block programs from being watched, use the Movie Ratings, TV Ratings, Networks and Channels and Titles settings.

1. On the Parental Controls page, click Safe Browse Setting.
2. Select your preferred Safe Browse level:
   • Off: All titles and descriptions are displayed during browsing.
   • Medium: Hides titles and descriptions of adult, unrated (UR) and some not rated (NR) programs.
   • High: Hides titles and descriptions of adult, unrated (UR), and some not rated (NR) programs and programs rated TV-MA or NC-17.
     
3. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the Parental Controls page.

That’s it! Now you can let anyone in your household browse the Xfinity Stream portal without them seeing programs that you think are inappropriate.

 

Locking movies by rating

Use the Movie Ratings control to block your child from watching or recording movies that have a specific movie rating.

1. On the Parental Controls page, click Movie Ratings.
2. On the Movie Ratings page, click each movie rating that you want to restrict (lock).
   
3. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the Parental Controls page.

Excellent! Your child won't be able to watch or record any movie that has a rating you've locked.

 

Locking TV shows by rating

Use the TV Ratings control to block your child from watching or recording TV programs that have a specific TV rating.

1. On the Parental Controls page, click TV Ratings.
2. On the TV Ratings page, click the TV rating that you want to restrict (lock).
   
3. On the Rating page, click the ON/OFF switch to lock all programs with the selected rating.
   
4. To lock programs with this rating only if they contain a specific kind of content, select the content types (for example, V – Graphic violence).
   
5. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the TV Ratings page.
6. Repeat this process for each TV rating you want to lock.
7. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the Parental Controls page.

Great! Your child won't be able to watch or record any TV show that has a rating you've locked.

 

Locking networks and channels

Use the Networks and Channels control to prevent your child from watching Xfinity On Demand programs or channels from a particular network. For example, you may want your child to be able to watch the HBO Family channel, but not other channels in the HBO network.

1. On the Parental Controls page, click Networks and Channels.
2. On the Networks & Channels page:
   • Click Lock All to lock all the networks, then select each network you want to unlock.
   Or
   • Leave all the networks unlocked and select each network that you want to lock.
     
3. On the Network page, click Quick Lock to lock or unlock all programs from this network. Or, click each channel you want to lock or unlock.
   
4. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the Networks & Channels page.
5. Repeat this process for each network whose channels you want to lock or unlock.
6. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the Parental Controls page.

That's it! Your child will only be able to watch or record programs on unlocked networks and channels.

 

Blocking specific programs

Are there specific TV shows or movies that you don't want your child to watch? With title locks, you can prevent your child from watching or recording individual programs.

Locking a Title

1. Find the program you want to block. Here are three ways you can find a program and view its details:
   • Use the Search bar to find the program, then click the program title in the search results.
   • Browse the TV listings, click the program, then click Episodes (for a TV show) or Movie Info (for a movie).
   • Browse the Xfinity On Demand listings, hover over the program picture, then click Episodes (for a TV show) or Movie Info (for a movie).
2. On the program's Info tab, click Lock.
   
3. In the PIN pop-up box, enter your Parental Control PIN and click Confirm.
4. Repeat this process for other individual programs you want to block.

Reviewing Locked Titles

Use the Titles control to see which titles you've locked and quickly unlock or re-lock them.

1. On the Parental Controls page, click Titles.
2. The Titles page lists all the program titles that you've individually locked. Click a program to unlock it or re-lock it.
   
3. When you're finished, click the back arrow to return to the Parental Controls page.