Roku setup

[tadpole5]

I'm incredibly frustrated with ROKUs terrible parental controls!  I intentionally set a PIN as required for all content on the ROKU Channel above PG (as i find much of the stuff rated 14+ to be inappropriate for my young teens to watch unsupervised)... but ive tested it out by searching mature-themed search terms and the ROKU channel still allows them to find AND WATCH "un rated" content WITHOUT the PIN being required!  This is absolutely unacceptable!  

I wanted to post this here in case other parents are not aware of this loophole in the parental controls.  

[stophate0]

I noticed this as well, but it doesn't seem to be all unrated content. When I'm on the home screen and choose the "Live TV" option, then pick a new channel, it's blocked because it doesn't have a rating. In fact, all new channels I've tried are blocked because they are unrated.

Some that I've tested:
NFL Channel: TV-G
Eyewitness News 3: TV-G
The Weather Channel en Espanol: TV-PG (really?)
iHeart Radio Classic Rock: TV-G
The Bob Ross Channel: TV-G
Live Now Fox: Unrated
ABC News Live First: Unrated
NBC News Now: Unrated
Dateline 24|7: TV-14
ion: TV-14
CBS News 24/7: Unrated

[RokuJohnB · Accepted solution]

Hi @tadpole5 @stophate0,

Thanks for keeping us posted, and welcome to the Roku Community!

We will be more than happy to further assist you with this issue with the parental control feature. 

The Roku Channel parental controls are PIN-based playback controls that apply only when streaming content on The Roku Channel in a signed-in state. When this feature is enabled, your PIN must be entered when someone tries watching content with specific ratings on The Roku Channel. What content can be played without a PIN depends on which of the four rating levels you select when configuring your PIN preferences.

In the United States, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board administer rating systems that provide parents with guidance about the content and age-appropriateness of movies and TV programs. You can learn more about US rating systems definitions by visiting:

• Movie ratings website
• TV ratings PDF

Similar rating systems exist in other countries.

We hope this helps. If there's anything else that we can do to assist you, please let us know.

Best regards,
John