Fears Netflix stickers reward binge-viewing

NETFLIX has come under fire for experimenting with collectable stickers for children that parents fear could encourage binge-watching.

The video streaming service is testing “patches” that viewers earn by watching children’s TV series.

The stickers, which are only being tested on some users, appear specifically aimed at young viewers, with rewards for shows like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Trolls and The Magic School Bus.

Netflix claims the test is to add an “element of fun” to children watching TV, although child advocates contend it exploits children and undermines parents controlling TV time.

Prof Sonia Livingstone, head of the parenting for a digital future project at the London School of Economics, told The Daily Telegraph: “Here’s Netflix trading on behaviours developed to benefit children, only now it seems to benefit Netflix.”

One Twitter user complained to Netflix: “As if getting my son to stop watching Netflix wasn’t hard enough. Now I have to deal with him wanting to binge endless hours of shows just to earn a silly patch?”

A Netflix spokesman said: “We learn by testing and this feature may or may not become part of the Netflix experience.”