If you have kids, and they like to read, Amazon Kids+ makes economic sense. It offers access to a mind-boggling array of books, as well as movies, apps, music, games, and more, all for a relatively low monthly price. If you tried to buy the same number of books without Amazon Kids+, you’d be out of business in no time.
But Amazon’s definition of what’s age appropriate may not match yours. Every child is different and that is a decision that only you as a parent can make. But even the most relaxed parent probably wants some control over what their child sees on their Amazon device.
That means actively participating in your child’s Amazon Kids+ experience. To help you out, here’s how to filter content and keep track of what your kids are doing on the platform. And be sure to check out our other parenting guides, including the best kid’s podcasts and the best STEM toys for kids.
Create a profile
To get started, you need to create a child profile.
- Open the Amazon Kids+ app.
- If it’s your first time using it, the Add child profile screen will appear. Select other Add a child on the home page to add another profile.
- Enter your child’s name and date of birth. Amazon uses the date of birth to determine what content your child will see. You don’t need to use your child’s actual birthday; just pick something close so that the first content is what Amazon deems appropriate for that age.
Here you also set a PIN that you must remember. This PIN is required to exit Amazon Kids+ on the device. If you do not want your child to be able to close Kids+ himself, keep the PIN code secret.
Once you’ve created a kid’s profile, you can use it to log in to any Amazon device. Your kids can read their books on a Kindle or use the Kindle app on other devices, as well as watch movies, play games, and browse the web on other devices, such as a Fire tablet or Kids Echo Dot.
Manage the content
Once your child’s profile is set up, go to the Parent Dashboard control the content your child sees. Most controls are accessible through the app, but it’s often easier to set up and operate Amazon Kids+ through the web interface†
The bad news is that your controls are limited. In Amazon’s words, there are “thousands of age-appropriate books, movies, and TV shows for kids ages 3 to 12.” That’s a lot of content, and no one can sift through it all. Amazon assured WIRED that all content is curated by hand. While algorithms can recommend related content, the pool is all human-controlled.
