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ablack721
Newbie

Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

Is there a way to eliminate or select certain ads that I want to see/hide? In the last two days, my 5-year old daughter has turned on the TV to see a Predator ad with a disembodied alien head and a Halloween ad with a masked Jason closeup. I'm wondering if there's a "family friendly ads only" option available for the home screen. Thank you!

51 REPLIES 51
dawnmarie007
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

I would love to know how to do this, too...
Especially the scary creeper one that makes my 8 year old freak out!

Thebigparade
Channel Surfer

Shudder ad on the home screen???

Why why is a horror ad for shudder on the home screen?? I use your product as our main app for all TV. My kids who are under 5 were very scared of your ad. Seriously why would you do that.

MatthewOlds
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

We are currently exchanging emails with Roku regarding this issue. Our 6 and 2 year old get scared by them and Roku is creating difficult situations to caregivers...and in the midst of a pandemic no less. 

ChaosFenix
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

Yeah it is pretty pathetic when I have to get up at 2AM with my 5 year old who is having nightmares from the roku ads. Please add a setting where i can change this. We looking at Android TV now because of how inconvenient this is becoming in my family.

DanielP
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

I have the same issue. Adds showing a woman with a big bloody knife.

Parental control is enable for little kids on my account. 

Why do my kids have to see these adds?

Roku - Please correct this.

MatthewOlds
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

Months after I posted this, I’ve found something interesting. When those ads kept popping up and Roku was 100% unhelpful in resolving the problem, I found an Improvement when I Turned On the ad tracking and turned on the ‘personalized ads’. I forget exactly what it’s called. I had originally turned them off since I didn’t appreciate Roku tracking what my family watches, but since turning on those type of things, we get mostly Disney + and family type ads. I haven’t seen the ads for horror shows and movies. Frankly, I keep watching sales for when the time is right to say goodbye to Roku since they have been so ‘un’-family friendly. It’s pretty surprising.

good luck. A ridiculous problem that should be remedied by the company. 

DanielP
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

Hi Matt - I’ll try this. Not happy with my kids being tracked either, but the adds are too much for them. I wonder what’s the point of having a “parental control” when it does not filter this kind of adds when “on”.

I appreciate your help.

Daniel

ChaosFenix
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

Well ended up not going with AndroidTV but a pihole that blocks all of the ads on Roku seems to do the trick. There is plenty of help on reddit which urls need to be blocked. So instead of getting any revenue from me for acceptable ads Roku will get nothing. Congrats guys. I for one am not for rewarding them by personalizing the ads.

Darthflec
Reel Rookie

Re: Home Screen Ads Too Scary For Kids

Totally absurd Roku still hasn’t fixed this. I’ve changed the Roku theme to the kids theme and everything, but still my kids are greeted with pictures of bloody knives and movie ads like predator and “happy death day” on their way to the Disney+ app.

Really great Roku, thanks. Maybe it’s time for me to look elsewhere for a streaming device.