As many of you may know, when I’m not here at The DC Moms, I write reviews for Common Sense Media. What I love about CSM’s mission is that it provides parents with the tools they need to make wise choices in regards to their children’s media consumption. It’s not about censorship, which I don’t approve of, but about thoughtful parenting. I read books and watch movies for a living, because I love books and movies, and of course I want my kids to experience the joys of pop culture, but I think there is a big difference between age-appropriate media and age-inappropriate media.
So it was with great relief (and a little amusement) that I discovered Comcast’s new XFINITY X1 box allows parents to see the CSM rating for every title (TV or film) in its cable guide. I knew that Common Sense had many partnerships, but until I attended the #XFINITYMoms event at their DC headquarters, I didn’t know XFINITY customers could see parts of my reviews at any time. With the new voice-activated remote, you can sing “Let it go!” or say “The Sound of Music” or “Denzel Washington” and all the programming that matches will pop up.
You can see Common Sense Media’s Ages 3+ rating in the guide.
What’s more, XFINITY allows kids to roam a safe “Kids Zone,” a parent-customizable environment with only titles ranging in parent-selected ratings will appear, so you don’t have to worry about what your kids access or accidentally change the channel to once they touch the remote. I know as the mother of three kids who are very different ages, I tend to pay more attention to ensure that my 8-year-old son isn’t watching the same shows the 14-year-old can watch, and that the 14-year-old isn’t watching more mature shows like “Game of Thrones.”
The remote and the parental controls make XFINITY a technologically advanced and sensible choice for parents who allow television screen time in their homes. You can even limit TV time to certain hours during the week if you want. And if you use the XFINITY App, you can stream live television or watch a recorded show on a tablet or phone while someone else watches the television in the same room. This is a particular godsend for couples who enjoy being on the same level of the house but want to watch different programs.
In addition to the parental controls available through XFINITY, Comcast offers parents peace of mind through its state-of-the-art XFINITY Home security offerings. If you already have compatible security system, you can save even more money by using your existing monitoring devices. XFINITY will still give you their new touch-screen controller, a wireless keypad, and three other monitoring devices. Check out the various plans.
Although I’m not a Comcast customer, I was really impressed with the company’s new products and upgrades and suggest any existing customer contact XFINITY to receive the new X1 system and remote!
I received a Samsung Galaxy Tab and promotional items as a thank you for attending a Comcast blogger event but no other compensation. #XfinityMoms, #ComcastConnects, #Ad
