The original post: /r/television by /u/Fuzzy-Win2978 on 2026-04-09 21:52:37+00:00.
Like a lot of parents, I was tired of the all-or-nothing parental controls on our smart TV. Either block YouTube entirely or give my kids full access to the algorithm and endless recommendations. Same with Netflix, Disney+, everything.
And even when the content is technically “kid-safe,” I don’t want my kids scrolling through hundreds of choices. It’s overstimulating, and they end up picking things I don’t actually want them watching—not inappropriate necessarily, just not what I find suitable for them.
So I actually built a prototype system that lets parents pre-select specific shows, YouTube channels, or Netflix series, and kids see those as direct-play tiles—no app menus, no algorithms, no endless browsing. “Shows not apps.”
I filed a patent in January and started reaching out to TV manufacturers to see if they’d be interested in building this into their platforms.
And… crickets. No responses after multiple follow-ups.
Has anyone here successfully gotten a company to actually listen to a product idea? How do you get past the email wall?
Am I wasting my time? Should I just build this as a standalone device instead?