Samsung TV Parental Controls: How to Lock Apps for Childproof Viewing

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This guide will provide step-by-step methods for blocking apps and locking content on your Samsung TV, all are tested and tried with demo images for clarity.

Let’s discover how to create a safer entertainment environment for your children at home.

Use Parental Controls

Parental control settings allow parents to block certain movies, TV shows, or channels according to their ratings. On smart TVs, parental controls also allow parents to lock apps that have mature content.

These ratings describe how appropriate the content is for different audiences. For instance, the rating PG-13 means that it’s recommended for children under the age of 13 to have parental guidance while watching this particular TV program. To learn more about the film rating system, check out this informative article.

However, before parents can enable any parental controls, they need to set a PIN on their TV.

Let’s learn how!

Set a PIN on Samsung TV

Step 1: Head to Settings.

Step 2: Go to General, and navigate to System Manager.

Step 3: Click on Change PIN.

Step 4: Enter the default PIN 0000.

Step 5: Set your Samsung TV’s PIN.

2022 or Newer Samsung TV Models

Step 1: Open Settings, and head to All Settings.

Step 2: Go to General & Privacy, then System Manager.

Step 3: Tap on Change PIN.

Step 4: Enter the default PIN, which is 0000. After that, set up your own PIN.

How to Lock Apps on Samsung TV?

Follow the steps below to lock apps on your TV, making them inaccessible to anyone without the PIN. 

Step 1: Press your remote’s Home button, and head to Apps.

Step 2: Then, go to the top right corner of your screen and click on Settings.

Step 3: From here, highlight the app you want to lock and select the Lock option. You can only lock one app at a time, so you will need to repeat the following steps for each app you’d like to lock.

Step 4: When prompted, enter your PIN to lock the app. Now you will have to enter your PIN every time you want to launch this app.

Step 5: If you want to remove the lock, repeat this process but choose Unlock instead of Lock.

How to Block Programs By Rating?

Samsung smart TVs allow parents to set a Program Rating Lock. When enabled, this setting will only allow users to view content rated G and PG without the PIN. 

Step 1: Press the Home button, and open your TV’s Settings menu.

Step 2: Navigate to Broadcasting, and select Program Rating Lock.

Step 3: When asked, enter your PIN.

Step 4: Lastly, select the appropriate age range, from 3 to 18, to tailor the content that can be viewed without entering the PIN.

2022 or Newer Samsung TV Models

Step 1: Go to Settings, then All Settings.

Step 2: Navigate to General & Privacy, and select Parental Settings.

Step 3: Enter the PIN you set earlier.

Step 4: Select the appropriate rating lock for your children.

How to Lock Channels on Your Samsung TV

You can block channels for adults on your Samsung TV, which is great for keeping kids away from such content. Depending on your TV model, you can even pick which channels to lock.

Step 1: Press the Home button, and open your TV’s Settings menu.

Step 2: Navigate to Broadcasting, and select Apply Channel Lock.

Step 3: Enter the 4-digit PIN to activate the feature.

Step 4: After that, your Samsung TV will automatically lock specific channels that include adult content.

2022 or Newer Samsung TV Models

Step 1: Open Settings, and head to All Settings.

Step 2: Go to General & Privacy, and select Parental Settings.

Step 3: Choose Apply Channel Lock, then enter the PIN to activate the feature.

Step 4: Now, the channel list will appear, you can choose to Lock, Delete, or add them to Favorites.

Step 5: Enter the PIN code again to lock specific channels.

Step 6: Click Save and Exit.

How to Identify Adult Content

Starting with the 2022 models, Samsung TVs have a feature that labels channels for adults. Usually, this feature is turned on by itself and you can’t turn it off.

But if your Samsung TV doesn’t do this automatically, you can use the steps below to turn the feature on.

Step 1: Go to Settings, then All Settings.

Step 2: Navigate to General & Privacy, and select Parental Settings.

Step 3: Tap Mark Adult Channels.

Step 4: Now, you can use the Apply Channel Lock feature to choose those with the adult mark and lock or delete them.

Can I Lock My Samsung TV Entirely?

While it is possible to lock your Samsung TV’s control panel, you cannot lock it entirely. This means that when the lock is enabled, users can still control the TV with the remote. 

However, locking your TV is a good way to ensure that your little ones don’t randomly turn it on or adjust the volume or input by pressing the TV’s buttons. 

The process for activating the lock feature on your Samsung TV varies by model. Some models offer a direct option to lock the panel buttons via the TV settings, while others may require accessing the hotel mode for similar functionality.

For Samsung TVs that allow panel lock via the settings menu, here are two guides you can follow:

1. Press your remote’s Menu button > Navigate to System > Select General > Choose Panel Lock > Click On to activate. Repeat these steps to deactivate.
2. Go to Settings > Proceed to System > Open Expert Settings > Activate the TV Control Button Lock. This can be reversed by following the same steps.

For certain models, like the Samsung UA43AU7002KXXV, you’ll need to access the hotel mode for panel locking.

Step 1: Start by pressing a combination of buttons: Mute > 119 > OK, then a secret menu will appear. Go to Menu OSD.

Step 2: Now, simply switch the Panel Button Lock to Unlock.

Wrapping Things Up

Samsung smart TVs have built-in parental control settings that allow parents to manage what their children watch. Parents can lock entire apps or block shows by their rating. 

However, before doing any of this, you must set a PIN. This PIN will control all of your TV’s parental control settings, so keep it in a safe place and don’t lose it!

Alternatively, you can research an app with parental control features, since many streaming platforms offer kid-friendly experiences. 

If your children love to repeatedly press your TV’s control panel buttons, consider enabling Panel Lock or TV Control Button Lock. This function will only lock your TV’s buttons, so you’ll still be able to control the TV with its remote. 

How do you ensure your kids stay safe when using your Samsung smart TV? 

Let us know in the comments below!

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