While adult profiles are personalized with horizontal rows of recommendations that appear as you scroll down, the redesign of children’s profiles is more visual in nature. When children now log into their account on a TV, they will be greeted with their favorite titles and characters at the top of the screen.
Previously, the child profile layout was similar to that of an adult, with rows displaying trending shows and other suggestions from the Netflix library. Now, the top row will feature the content most watched by kids, and for early readers, characters will help direct kids to the show they want to watch.
To personalize this row for each user, Netflix uses information about what was watched to improve its recommendations. It notes that the favorite shows that appear at the top of the screen will come from Netflix’s entire catalog, not just its original programming. For the title to appear in its queue, a show must be watched at least once. When selected, the background will also update to reflect the chosen program.
Younger children often visually navigate Netflix. Even younger ones can be found using iPads or TV remotes, moving through Netflix like a pro. And during the COVID era, when parents were stuck at home trying to entertain their young children while homeschooling older ones and somehow also finding time to work, it makes sense to update one of the most popular apps to be something that younger children can use on their own without parental help. The need to cater to overwhelmed parents was part of the thinking behind the update, and the company mentioned how this modification would give parents some uninterrupted time to relax from work.
Netflix says the new profiles are rolling out now on TV devices globally, but will be tested on tablets and mobile devices in the coming months.