News

Netflix Adds 6 Million New Users After Password Crackdown

In its latest quarterly report, the streaming service reported dramatic growth after preventing users sharing account details.

Published

3 years ago

July 20, 2023

Nour Nasir

netflix adds 6 million new users after password crackdown

Streaming giant Netflix has reported substantial growth after a crackdown on users sharing their account details with people outside their households. The company added nearly 6 million new subscribers during the second quarter of 2023, representing a growth of 8%.

In a letter to shareholders, Netflix explained that its drive to stop password sharing hadn’t resulted in mass cancellations and that tightened restrictions were working. “The cancel reaction was low, and while we’re still in the early stages of monetization, we’re seeing healthy conversion of borrower households into full paying Netflix memberships as well as the uptake of our extra member feature,” the letter read.

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In addition to restricting account sharing, Netflix has begun offering “paid sharing”, allowing subscribers to add an “extra member” to their account for $8 a month — an option now available in over 100 countries.

Netflix has also confirmed that its $10 basic plan will be canceled in the United States and United Kingdom. At the same time, restricted password sharing will continue to roll out in countries such as India, Indonesia, Kenya, and Croatia.

News

YouTube Rolls Out Supervised Children’s Accounts Across MENA

An industry-first feed timer lets parents cap Shorts scrolling. Access can also be switched off entirely ahead of exam season.

Published

12 hours ago

July 10, 2026

Dana Saadeh

YouTube

YouTube has launched supervised kid accounts across the Middle East and North Africa, giving parents a way to hand their children the main YouTube app without handing over all of it. Announced in Dubai on July 2, the accounts are built directly into the platform rather than the standalone YouTube Kids app, and are aimed at families who feel a child has outgrown the curated library but isn’t ready for the open feed.

Parents can choose from three content settings, each broadly aligned with international content ratings. Explore covers educational videos, tutorials, arts and crafts, and dance. Explore More adds gaming and live streams. Most of YouTube opens up almost everything except videos rated 18+ or deemed inappropriate for supervised accounts.

The standout tool is an industry-first Shorts feed timer, which lets parents set daily limits on short-form scrolling. Set it to zero and Shorts disappears altogether – a lever YouTube suggests parents might pull ahead of exam season. Other protections are on by default for all users under 18: “Take a Break” and “Bedtime” reminders, no personalized ad targeting, autoplay switched off, and no ability to upload videos or write comments. The accounts are optional, and parents can end supervision at any time.

The kid accounts join supervised teen accounts already available across the region, which notify parents by email when a teenager uploads a video or starts a live stream.

“YouTube has been a huge part of families’ lives across this region for over 20 years,” said Javid Aslanov, head of YouTube Middle East and North Africa, citing Kantar research showing 95% of viewers in Saudi Arabia and the UAE agree YouTube has top content in education and learning.

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“It’s essential that we protect young people in – not from – the digital world,” added Garth Graham, YouTube’s head of health.

The new settings are rolling out gradually across the MENA, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Iraq. The latest features can be set up through Family Center in the YouTube app or via Google Family Link.