Setting up profiles for family members on streaming platforms allows each person to have a personalized experience with their own watchlists, recommendations, and parental controls. Most major services—including Hulu, YouTube TV, Disney+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime—offer profile features, though the process and limitations vary by platform. Family profiles can typically be created through account settings, with options to restrict content for children, manage shared subscriptions, and maintain individual viewing histories. However, some platforms like Roku currently lack native profile support, requiring users to rely on workarounds or third-party solutions.

Key takeaways from the provided sources:

• Hulu allows up to 7 profiles per account, including Kids Profiles with PIN protection for parental controls ^[1].
• YouTube TV supports family groups of up to 6 members (1 manager + 5 others), with each member retaining personal libraries and preferences ^[2].
• Disney+ and Netflix also permit up to 7 profiles, with Disney+ offering Junior Mode for child-safe content and Netflix allowing "Extra Members" for sharing outside the household at a reduced cost ^[9].
• Amazon Family enables sharing of Prime benefits, including streaming, with one additional adult and up to four children, with parental controls for kids' profiles ^[7].

Setting Up Family Profiles on Streaming Platforms

Creating and Managing Profiles on Hulu and Disney+

Hulu and Disney+ both emphasize personalized profiles, with Hulu supporting up to seven distinct profiles per subscription. To create a profile on Hulu, users navigate to the Profiles section on the homepage and select "Add Profile" ^[1]. Each profile can be customized with a name and avatar, and one can be designated as a Kids Profile to restrict mature content. Parental controls, such as PIN protection, can be enabled to prevent unauthorized access to adult profiles. Editing or deleting profiles is done through the Account page, where users can also provide feedback on the feature.

Disney+ follows a similar structure, allowing up to seven profiles per account, with the primary profile (created during sign-up) being non-deletable. Users can:

• Create new profiles by selecting "Edit Profiles" from the homepage and choosing "Add Profile" ^[10].
• Set content ratings to filter movies and shows by age appropriateness (e.g., G, PG, PG-13).
• Enable Junior Mode for child-specific profiles, which restricts content to family-friendly titles.
• Transfer profiles between accounts, though this requires approval from the account holder and is permanent.

Both platforms stress that profiles are intended for household use only, with Disney+ explicitly prohibiting profile sharing outside the home. Hulu’s Kids Profiles, for instance, are designed to comply with COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act) regulations, ensuring a safer viewing environment for minors ^[1].

Family Groups and Shared Subscriptions on YouTube TV and Amazon

YouTube TV and Amazon take a different approach by focusing on family groups rather than just individual profiles. YouTube TV permits the account holder (the "family manager") to invite up to five additional members aged 13 or older to share the subscription at no extra cost ^[2]. The process involves:

• Signing into YouTube TV and navigating to Settings > Family sharing > Manage > Get Started ^[2].
• Inviting members via email, with each invitee required to accept and confirm their location (must match the manager’s home area).
• Managing members through the same Family sharing menu, where the manager can remove users or adjust settings.

Amazon’s Amazon Family service integrates with Prime memberships, allowing the primary account holder to share benefits with one additional adult and up to four children ^[7]. Key features include:

• Shopping profiles for adults, enabling shared payment methods and order histories while maintaining individual recommendations.
• Parental controls for children’s profiles, including content restrictions and purchase approvals.
• Digital content sharing, such as Prime Video titles, eBooks, and apps, accessible to all family members.
• Location requirements, with all members needing to reside in the same country as the primary account holder.

Unlike YouTube TV, Amazon Family does not impose a strict limit on simultaneous streams for Prime Video, though some titles may have restrictions. Both services require the family manager to be at least 18 years old and responsible for billing ^[5].

Limitations and Platform-Specific Rules

While most streaming services support family profiles, Roku stands out as an exception, currently lacking native profile functionality. Users in Roku’s community forums have expressed frustration over the inability to create separate watchlists or recommendations for different family members ^[3]. Roku’s official response acknowledges the demand but states that only one account can be active at a time, with no immediate plans to introduce profiles. Users seeking workarounds may need to log in and out of different accounts manually or use third-party tools, though these are not officially supported.

Netflix introduces a hybrid model with its "Extra Member" feature, allowing account holders to add users outside their household for a reduced fee (compared to a full subscription) ^[9]. Extra Members receive their own account and profile but are limited to:

• Streaming on one device at a time.
• 1080p video quality (no 4K/UHD).
• Access only within the same country as the primary account.

This model contrasts with traditional family profiles, which are included at no additional cost but restricted to household members. Netflix also permits profile transfers, letting users move their viewing history and recommendations to a new account—useful for family members transitioning to their own subscriptions.