For parents, one of the main appeals of Disney+ is its kid-friendly interface. Adults can give their children unsupervised screen time without worrying about inappropriate content—and unlike Netflix, Disney+ has an extensive library of iconic children’s films.
However, some people have qualms about the strictness of those parental controls, as proven by a viral TikTok sparking complaints about Disney+ blocking almost all classic Disney movies from younger viewers.
“New #disneypluskids is so limiting that my kids have no reason to watch that app,” user @bduber wrote in the caption, adding that her sons aren’t able to watch classics like The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. “If I give them my adult profile they could accidentally end up in Daredevil.”
In the 50-second video, she explained that Disney+ encouraged her to add her children’s ages to their account profiles: Two boys, aged four and six. But the app’s content restrictions are so strict that when she goes to their profiles now, she says they only have access to a limited library of toddler-friendly content instead of big-name Disney films like Tangled.
@bduber New #disneypluskids ♬ original sound – mom/Nintendo lady
Disney+ has slightly different parental restrictions from region to region. For instance, European countries categorize Disney+ content by age (0+, 6+, 9+, etc.) while US accounts follow the FCC’s TV Parental Guidelines, starting with TV-Y (all ages) and TV-7 (suitable for over-sevens).
If a child’s profile lists them as being six years old, it makes sense that they’d be blocked from watching TV-7 content. This includes anything rated PG (like Frozen), and some G-rated films as well. Meanwhile, if you’re using an ad-supported Disney+ Basic account, the “Junior Mode” setting only allows access to all-ages movies.
It seems like Disney erred on the side of caution when rating its own content, deciding that even though plenty of Disney classics are watched by very young viewers, they’re technically intended for kids aged seven and above.
In the comments section of the TikTok clip, a lot of people advised @bduber to either turn off Junior Mode or lie about her children’s ages so they can access higher-rated content. “Change the birth year until it shows the movies you are ok with them watching,” reads one of the top comments. “They have no need to know your childrens exact age range.”
“Turn off junior mode and change the parental controls by rating it’s what I had to do for my 6yo,” advises another commenter.
Unless you’re able to supervise every minute of your child’s screentime, there’s no perfect solution to Disney’s one-size-fits-all age restrictions. Either way though, it seems pretty silly for Disney to stop five-year-olds from watching Frozen.
The Daily Dot has reached out to @bduber via TikTok comment.
