Is Crunchyroll Safe for Kids? What Parents Should Know

Crunchyroll can be safe for kids with parental supervision, but it is not automatically child-friendly. The platform includes anime rated up to 18+, with graphic violence, sexual content, and mature themes. Parents should use content restrictions and monitor viewing activity to reduce risk.

Anime isn’t my thing, so Crunchyroll wasn’t at all on my radar. Turns out, it’s an extremely popular way to stream anime. If your child is into anime or manga, chances are good that they’re familiar with the platform and likely already using it. But is Crunchyroll safe for kids? I dove into the app to answer this question, and here’s what I found. 

What is Crunchyroll? 

Crunchyroll is a streaming service featuring anime and manga videos that can be accessed through a browser or the Crunchyroll app. 

It includes movies, single episodes, and series, many of which are subtitled or dubbed, so users can view them in their preferred language. 

There are also a limited number of games, as well as Japanese music like J-Pop. 

What are the risks of Crunchyroll? 

Because Crunchyroll is primarily a streaming service, and the game center doesn’t have a chat feature, you don’t need to worry about strangers contacting your child, like you do on YouTube and social media. 

Crunchyroll isn’t without risk, though. As a parent, here are the top concerns I found: 

1. Violence

Some of the violence on Crunchyroll is stylized and cartoonish, but plenty is quite graphic and gory. 

Take Higurashi (rated 16+), which opens with a man bludgeoning a woman to death in her bed. The sound effects alone were enough to give me nightmares. 

2. Explicit content

Apparently, anime porn is a thing. Who knew? You won’t find outright porn on Crunchyroll, unlike some other anime streaming sites, but there is plenty of mature sexual content, even in the 14+ rating category. 

3. Sexual violence

Sexual violence, including rape and incest, is also present on Crunchyroll, although a lot of it is rated 18+. However, ratings aren’t always foolproof. There was a controversial misrating of Goblin Slayer a number of years ago: despite featuring a graphic rape scene, it was originally rated PG. 

4. Unhealthy portrayal of gender roles

I definitely found some strong female characters on Crunchyroll, but I also found plenty of bouncing breasts, anatomically impossible proportions, and idealization of submissive women. 

Does Crunchyroll have parental controls? 

You can set content restrictions on your child’s account, which will filter content. The password has to be entered to change which rating their account is set to. 

Of course, this only works if you set up your child’s account for them and keep the password secure. There are no additional parental controls. 

What is Crunchyroll’s content rating system? 

In 2024, Crunchyroll finally introduced a content rating system. Accounts can also be set with content restrictions that filter content based on the rating system. Your child can change their restriction level at any time, but they must enter the primary account password to do so.  

These are the content restriction settings available on Crunchyroll: 

• ALL: Only view content suitable for all ages. 
• PG: Mostly appropriate for children; may contain rude humor and/or comedic violence. 
• 12+: Content may include bloodless violence, light profanity, and/or coming-of-age-themes. 
• 14+: May contain profanity, sexual topics and/or imagery, and other mature themes. 
• 16+: Content contains themes not appropriate for younger teens like graphic violence, profanity, and/or sexuality. 
• 18+: Intended for adults; content may contain harsh profanity, explicit nudity/sexuality, and/or extreme violence. 

Does Crunchyroll have age verification?

Crunchyroll has no age verification whatsoever. 

How can I keep my child safe on Crunchyroll?

Here are the steps I recommend taking to keep your child safe if they use Crunchyroll: 

1. Set up Ask to Buy

Through Apple’s Family Sharing, set up Ask to Buy for your child’s devices. That way, you’ll know if they download Crunchyroll and can turn on content restrictions and set a new password so they can’t change their rating level.  

2. Set Content Restrictions 

• Select Account in the bottom right-hand corner of the app. 
• Click on Content Restrictions. 
• Choose the content category appropriate for your child.

3. Monitor their use

Take these steps to keep an eye on what your child watches through Crunchyroll: 

• Periodically spot-check their account. You can access your child's viewing history in the My Lists section of their account. They can clear their history, so this isn’t a perfect system, and it’s best coupled with other monitoring measures. 
• Ask them how they use the app. Talk to your child about what they watch on Crunchyroll. Approach it as a way to engage with their interests, rather than trying to catch them doing something they shouldn’t. Creating an open dialogue about what they watch makes them more likely to come to you if they stumble upon something that makes them uncomfortable. 
• Use BrightCanary for iOS devices. BrightCanary helps you monitor your child on Crunchyroll. The BrightCanary Keyboard scans everything they type across all platforms, including Crunchyroll, and alerts you to anything concerning. If they search for something inappropriate on their iPhone or iPad, you’ll hear about it and can talk to your child.  

Final word: Is Crunchyroll safe for kids? 

The anime and manga streaming service Crunchyroll can be safe for kids if parents take steps to protect them. The two most important steps are setting up a joint account where the parent controls the password and monitoring online activity with an app like BrightCanary. Download today to get started for free.