We are movie people. My family and I have often frequented movie theaters or rented DVD’s and blu-rays from Redbox. After theaters shut down during the pandemic, we switched to primarily using video streaming services for entertainment and educational purposes. Our subscriptions include Amazon Prime, Netflix and HBOmax.
In the past, we have also used Disney+, but we cancelled our subscription after their content plummeted too deep into “Wokeism”. Since then, we have been getting along fine without Disney. Yet, we fully understand that all the mainstream platforms contain a lot of filth.
If you have found it difficult to watch television with your young children, this message is for you. Like many Christians, we wanted to view quality films and shows without hearing constant profanity, sexual innuendos, and having to put up with innappropriate scenes and situations.
As you are probably well aware, there is no option to filter out ungodly content on today’s popular streaming platforms. Furthermore, modern culture’s downward spiral into widespread acceptance of perversion has made it even more urgent for us to prevent content of a sexual nature from appearing on our TV screens.
VidAngel has been nothing less than a Godsend for us. One of their slogans is, “Watch more stuff without the bad stuff”, and we have found this to be absolutely true.
Our $9.99 monthly subscription has helped us completely eliminate profanity, sexually explicit material, and other depraved content from the entertainment we like to watch. Unfortunately, Roku does not yet have a VidAngel app. We have been satisfied, however, with the smart phone casting option.
Squid Game was one of the first shows we watched as we “tested out” the effectiveness of VidAngel. Before I had seen any episodes of Squid Game, a friend of mine had warned me about some sexually explicit and suggestive scenes peppered throughout an otherwise good show. We have enjoyed watching it, and we were ecstatic that every unacceptable word and scene had been removed from the show in a nearly seamless way by VidAngel.
Perhaps, the most impressive aspect of VidAngel is the precision of their customizable filtering options. One is able to restrict exactly which words will not be allowed, and the kinds of scenes to be skipped over during every program.
The app allows for filtering of profanity, blasphemy, childish language, racial slurs, sexual references/innuendos, and captions containing profanity. Sexual filtering may block sex scenes as well as nudity, kissing, or immodesty. Even implied sexual situations and vulgar gestures may be blocked.
The following screenshots of the app portray the specific kinds of content which may be deemed unacceptable for your family, and may be adequately blocked on the filter tab.
Besides the filtering of Netflix and Amazon video streaming content, VidAngel provides access to additional shows and movies, including some faith-based content. Many of these shows, such as the popular Christian series, The Chosen, are very good!
I am not compensated by VidAngel or any other video streaming services mentioned in this article. This is just one parent’s review of a very effective and worthwhile service to incorporate into your family’s streaming repository.
I am hopeful that you may use it as a tool to help you raise your children in a way that is proper (Prov. 22:6). May God bless every righteous parent, and protect the little children, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven! – Michael A. Hildreth