Ask our Expert

Can I put parental controls on my TV service?

Our digital TV expert says...

Thankfully Jennie, there is a way to stop your children having access to adult channels and content. And not with just Virgin Media, but with Sky and BT Vision too. Freeview and Freesat also offer parental controls, though this will depend on your set-top box - refer to your users manual or contact your set-top box manufacturer for more information.

Have a read of the information below, and then just follow my handy set-up tips for parental controls on your set-top box:

Parental controls on Virgin Media TV

The parental controls feature on Virgin Media’s cable TV service lets you:

• Restrict the channels your children can watch - You can lock any channel you choose, which means that anyone who wants to watch it needs to enter a PIN first
• Choose the age restrictions you want for On Demand services - There are different levels of restriction based on certificate ratings, so you don’t have to worry about your children finding programmes which contain adult themes on the on-demand service
• Hide adult channels from the TV guide - Any adult channels included in your service can be hidden so they won’t appear in the TV listings as your kids flick through the channels
• Limit the use of interactive services - Access to interactive services, such as games, TV competitions and hotlines can be restricted, so these services can’t rack up charges on your monthly bill.

To set the parental controls on your Virgin Media set-top box, press “Home” on your remote control, choose “Settings”, and then choose “Parental Control Settings” and enter your Virgin Media PIN number. This is a four-digit code that you can choose yourself - just make sure your children don’t find it out.

Parental controls on Sky TV

Sky’s enhanced parental controls help you select the best channels for them to watch - either all the time or after 8pm. And they also mean your children won’t be able watch any programmes that they shouldn’t.

Because of the range of channels on offer, there may be a few you’d rather your kids didn’t watch. With a PIN and the right settings, you can avoid any unsuitable channels being shown without your permission.

You can hide all channels classed as “adult” from all channel listings - just follow these simple steps:

1. Go to Parental Control via the Settings menu and select Adult Channels
2. Highlight the Remove Adult Channels setting and use the right arrow to choose ON
3. Press the green button on your Sky remote (Save Settings) when you’re done.

If you want to be able to see the adult channels again, just follow the steps above and choose OFF in the Adult Channel screen.

You can also remove all adult programmes from your TV listings (though those stored in your Sky Planner will still be visible).

Restricting age-rated programmes - Some programmes have an age rating as a guide to how suitable they are for children. You can lock all such programmes, so anyone who wants to watch them has to enter the PIN. This is especially useful for programmes in your Planner, as well as Box Office and Sky Anytime+ programmes, which are available outside the normal TV schedule. To do this, just follow these steps:

1. Go to Parental Control via the Settings menu and select Viewing
2. Highlight the appropriate rating and press the red button (Restrict) on your remote control. A padlock symbol appears next to the category you choose, as well as all the lower categories.
3. Press the green button on your remote control (Save Settings) when you’re done.

If you want to unlock rated programmes, just highlight the category under the Viewing tab and press the red button again (Unrestrict).

Unfortunately viewing restrictions can only be applied to programmes where the broadcaster provides category restriction information. However, you can restrict particular channels if you wish, so that children cannot access any content on them.

If there is just one or a few specific channels you would prefer members of the family not to watch, you can lock them one-by-one, as follows:

1. Go to Parental Control via the Settings menu and select Channel. This page lists all the channels by channel number
2. To find the channel you wish to block, key in the channel number if you know it, or use ch- or ch+ on your remote to go one page up or down
3. Highlight the channel you want, then press the yellow button on your remote (Lock) to lock it at any time of day, or the blue button to lock it between 8pm and 6am only.
4. A padlock symbol or an 8pm symbol will appear next to the channel, depending on your selection.
5. Press the green button on your remote (Save Settings) when you’re done.

Sky Box Office premium content can also be restricted, stopping programmes being bought without your permission or prevent the use of interactive services that will be charged to your home phone bill. Simply:

1. Go to Parental Control via the Settings menu and select Other
2. Highlight PIN Entry Before Going Online and use the left/right arrow to choose ON. Now anyone who wants to use the phone line within an interactive service has to enter the PIN first
3. Highlight Spending Restriction and use the left/right arrow to choose ON. Press down and set a limit to the cost before the PIN is needed. Set it to £0.00 to enter the PIN every time you order a Sky Box Office programme.
4. Press the green button your remote (Save Settings) when you’re done.

To turn these settings off, just select OFF in step 2 above.

With the Sky+HD box, there is also the possibility to restrict programmes that are stored within your Sky Planner, and put a stop on pre-water shed programmes, all by using your Sky PIN.

Just remember to keep your PIN secret to make it effective. Once it’s set, you can have the Sky Guide ask for the PIN before showing, recording, playing back, and in some cases, deleting certain programmes.

Watch our step-by-step video guide to setting up parental controls on Sky:

Parental controls on BT Vision TV

BT Vision’s parental controls let you choose which type of TV and films your children can watch, thus protecting them from inappropriate or offensive content.

For your peace of mind, BT Vision provides a parental locking system that lets you decide what your children can watch. To set-up the parental locking system, follow the steps below:

1. Press the BT Vision button on your BT Vision remote control
2. Use the direction buttons on your remote control to highlight the Settings menu. In the drop-down menu, go to Parental Controls and press Select on your remote
3. Enter your 4 digit PIN number (default is 1234)
4. Go to the Change button next to BT Vision Ratings and press Select on your remote
5. Change the rating from either 12 and above, 15 and above or 18 and above - this will mean that if any programme or film is classified at that rating, the viewer will be forced to enter the PIN to watch the content. Press Save to save your chosen settings.

You can change your PIN to anything you like through the Settings menu; just make sure you keep it safe from your children.

Adult content on BT Vision - You will be entirely in control of what you’re children can access, as all on-demand content of an adult nature is protected by another PIN number. Adult on-demand programmes are only for customers who are 18 years and older, and the adult PIN stops underage customers from watching them. When allocating an adult PIN to the account, BT Vision will carry out an age verification check.

There are two ways that you can apply for an adult PIN:

1. Online - You will need to enter a valid Mastercard or Visa credit card number so that BT can verify that you are over 18 years old. No money will be taken from the card. Your adult PIN will then be emailed to you.
2. By telephone - You can call 0800 0270148 (between 10am to 2am) to obtain an adult PIN. You will need to give over a valid Mastercard or Visa credit card number so that BT can verify that you are over 18 years old.

When you enter your adult PIN the adult store is unlocked for 30 minutes. If you want to stay in the adult area for more than 30 minutes you’ll need to re-enter your PIN when this time’s up. This feature is an additional parental control to stop other people accessing the adult area.

Putting parental controls on your set-top box Jennie will ensure that your children will not be able to watch anything that you don’t want them watching, without limiting their use of the TV entirely.

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